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Hiking safety

Last Updated on Wednesday, 24 March 2010 10:45 Written by Helga McLeod Friday, 19 March 2010 09:03

South Africa is a destination designed for the hiker.  We have the most gorgeous landscapes that can only be appreciated on foot and our hiking trails are famous around the world. 

Hiking safety

Pack according to your safety checklist (below) for your safety items in your backpack.

Always perpare a Trip Plan before setting off. A Trip Plan should be left at home in case of emergency and information should include:
the route, the date and time of departure plus any other relevant details.

If you get lost, stay where you are. Do not try and trace your steps back. If you travelled alone, find a shady and protected area close by and stay put. If you got removed from your group, stay put and blow your whistle 3 times loudly (agree beforehand that this will be your sos code).

Stick to the trail!

Always walk as fast as the slowest person.

Always keep the whole group together.

Always carry a whistle around each hiker's neck.

If you get lost, stay calm.

While you walk, keep an eye on the surrounds for landmarks - in the case of an emergency phonecall it will be helpful to tell someone that you are next to a river/clump of trees etc.

Happy hiking!

Safety items in your backpack:

Cell phone/s with charged batteries! Numbers to store on your phone:

Any Emergency - from Cellphone 112
 
Fire - 021 535 1100
 
Flying Squad - Police 10111
 
Mountain Rescue 021 948 9900
 
Sea Rescue - NSRI 021 449 3500
 
Tourist Assistance - Police 021 418 2852

First-aid kit

Food and water. Energy bars are good.

Whistle

Map and compas (with a printed version of where you are suppose to be).

Pocket knife and multi tool.

Rope or cord.

Matches/lighter - be careful in nature with making fire anywhere.  Pack your circle of rocks first and if the fire is for signal purpose, have your damp leaves/twigs by your side to add to the fire when the time comes.

Flashlight or headlamp - plus batteries.

Spare clothing - extra jacket, warm beanie and socks.

Sun protection - hat, sunscreen and more sunscreen.

Space blanket 

Plastic bags - keeping your cellphone dry.

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Big 5 game in South Africa

Last Updated on Monday, 17 May 2010 10:26 Written by Helga McLeod Saturday, 27 February 2010 09:03

The African Big 5 consists of the elephant, lion and leopard, rhinoceros and African buffalo. To observe these majestic animals in the wild is a life-changing experience and the main reason for many to visit South Africa. Make sure your holiday accommodation is near the entrance of your desired game reserve and on its malaria status.

Elephants are incredibly intelligent and the largest mammal (in particular the African elephant) and land animal alive. They are also record-holders for the longest pregnancy periods (22 months) plus largest brain of land animals.

African elephants can weigh up to 7500 kg and reach 4m. The African elephant has very large ears that are vital for temperature regulation. Made up of a huge network of blood vessels, they flap these ears in hot weather, thus cooling the blood down, to be circulated through the body again. Their growing tusks are used for diggers and their trunks to tear up food and also for sucking water up for drinking and bathing. When bathing, an elephant will spray itself with a runny mud mixture to serve as sunscreen on a skin that is 2,5cm thick. Their only threat is man, through intrusion and poaching hence them now being a protected species. The female elephant stays in a family made of only female relatives, led by the oldest female. Adult males on the other hand live predominantly alone.

Lions are second largest in the cat family, after the tiger, and can reach a weight of 270kg. Found in savannas and grasslands, bush or forests, lions are social cats and you will find a group of related females (who does most of the hunting), dominant males (loved for their manes) and young ones forming prides. Being a vulnerable species that has declined from 30% to 50% in the last 20 years, again man is responsible for intrusion and hunting and another cause for death is other lions. Hunting and socialising occurs mostly between sunset and sunrise when lions use their strong jaws and long canine teeth plus powerful legs, to catch and kill large animals such as wildebeest, zebras, buffalo, impalas and other. Yet, this King of the Jungle as the lion is known from childhood has also been known to become man-eaters.

Leopards are graceful and agile, are between 1m and 2m long and with a shoulder height of 50 - 80cm. Males are the larger and can weigh between 40 - and 90kg compared to the female 30 - 60kg. Covered with irregular rosettes, serving as camouflage, leopards are excellent and opportunistic hunters due to powerful jaw muscles plus excellent hearing and sight, yet they are willing to eat anything big or small. They are both strong climbers and swimmers. Leopards that are melanistic are either completely black or very dark and titled Black Panthers, appearing mostly in rain forests and mountain areas. These nocturnal cats are anti-social and will easily restrict contact with others to reproduction purposes only. Two or three cubs are born in a litter but few ever survive.

Rhinoceros, or rhino, are large, heavy herbivores weighing up to a ton or more and with a skin of 1,5 - 5cm thickness. Rhinos are admired, and hunted, for their horns which are unique in that they are made of keratin. The 2 African species are Black (with pointed lips for eating foliage) and White Rhinos (with broad flat lips for grazing). The rhino population is under great threat of which the least threatened is the White Rhino. They have large heads, broad chests and have two horns of which the larger front one can reach 85 - 150cm in length. Black Rhinos are coloured very similar to White Rhinos and are grey to yellowish grey, have a larger front horn too but can in fact grow a third smaller horn. Rhinos are not known for good eyesight and rely mostly on smell.

African, or Cape Buffalo are tall adult creatures of between 1,5 and almost 3m to shoulder height and the smaller female can weigh about 450kg where the male can reach up to 600 - 750kg. Yet bulls of over 10 can reach an impressive 900kg. These creatures are undermined by none and only the human gun seems to leave them defenceless. It does kill many humans each year. Found from woodlands, savannahs and wallows, herds consist of females and their children. Younger males belong to bachelor groups and older males often live alone.

Game-viewers will find South Africa has fantastic accommodation listed here and fore more attractions and tourist activities visit our pages on sights and activities.

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Big5 plays ball

Last Updated on Monday, 17 May 2010 08:31 Written by Helga McLeod Monday, 17 May 2010 08:13

South Africa's wildlife can't wait either!

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South Africa is bio-logical

Last Updated on Tuesday, 11 May 2010 09:15 Written by Helga McLeod Tuesday, 11 May 2010 09:01

South Africa has been winning awards over 34 years at the Royal Horticultural Society’s annual show. Are we going to get another gold for our exhibit this year from May 25 to 29?

Designers for the 17th consecutive year, David Davidson and Ray Hudson, decided on biological diversity as theme in celebration of 2010 as the International Year of Biodiversity. They produced the thought-provoking exhibit ‘Bio-logical diversity is the variety of life’ for the South African National Biodiversity Institute’s (SANBI’s) 2010 Kirstenbosch entry of SA Chelsea.

The aim of their design and exhibit is to illustrate diversity and genetic variability of the botanical wealth of the world's 3rd most biologically diverse country, South Africa. Vegetation in the design includes the 9 biomes of South Africa in quarter nodes with groups of hexagonal interconnected compartments.

The quarters will consist of:

Fynbos of the Cape Floral Kingdom with proteas, ericas and restios
Sub-tropical thickets and forests with cycads, euphorbias and strelitzias
Succulent and desert Karoo with succulents
The aloes, bulbs and grasses of savanna/grassland

The design layout illustrates the structural/chemical properties of molecules with a roof that is uncannily similar to Cornwall's Eden Project greenhouse - and indeed a soccer ball.

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