Deadvlei, Sossuvlei
The Dunes of Namibia
Namibia is famous for the extensive sand dunes that drift to and fro near the Atlantic Ocean, the western coastline of Africa. We drove through most of this landscape, but made two special stops along…
Manager's house
Kolmanskop: Diamonds now rough
Mansions filling with hillocks of sand; breadmaking and icemaking facilities disused; sand dunes mounting the walls of main street shops; tourist visits and curios. This is today at Kolmanskop, near Germanic Luderitz, one of the…
Kalahari Ferrari, or donkey cart
Today in Botswana
Botswana has mainly been a model of good government in Africa. It has not been immune to problems typical of developing countries like corruption, land rights and seizures, as well as treatment of the indigenous…
Bushman hunting
The San people – and bushmen of today
The San is the name for various nomadic tribes that roamed southern Africa from long before the Europeans arrived. They were the famed "bushmen" (and women) of southern Africa. In what looked to outsiders like…
Our baobab in the full moon, Lekhubu
Life in the Pans
The dry – and occasionally water-filled – hollows known as pans are a common feature of the Botswana landscape. Full of life, they summed up our experience in the southern part of the country. Kgalakgadi…
Young rhino and wildebeest, waterhole
Wet in the Wild: Three other types of safaris
Botswana is rich in wildlife parks and all the wildlife - and wildlife stories - one seeks on safari. Three reserves we visited more than measured up to their reputations. In each, we found ourselves…
Two of our lions snuggle after napping
A Grand Time in Little Places: Swaziland and Lesotho
Two diminutive tribal lands, eSwatini (Swaziland) and Lesotho, have persisted as independent countries within the country of South Africa. Though poor, they offer much of interest to visitors. Lesotho The Kingdom of Lesotho High perches…
Kruger faces...Kudu antelope
Faces of Kruger…and more
The Kruger National Park of South Africa was established in the late 19th century by then President Kruger, one of the earliest of such conservation efforts. It has fostered native African wildlife and opportunities for…
Eye contact
The Eastern coast: St Lucia and Kosi Bay
The waterways and bays along the coast of eastern South Africa contrast markedly with the inland plains and mountains, almost like another country with its own delights. Kosi Bay Kosi Bay is a quiet spot…
Along the amphitheatre hike
Along the Drakensberg Escarpment
They're called the Dragon Mountains – or Drakensberg Plateau - a high range of steep cliffs, cascading canyons and rocky ridge-lines strangely shaped by erosion from sandstone, limestone and volcanic basalt. The ridges, to us,…