Trip to Tsitsikamma and Bontebok

On the 20th September 2011, I made my way from the vibrant bustle of JoBurg to the chilled out vibe of the South African coastline to see how GVI interns Joris and Danielle were getting on in their respective Parks. First up was Tsitsikamma, where Joris has made his (very spacious!) home in the nearby village of Storms Rivier. Located right next to Plaatbos Nature Reserve, Joris has several forest walks on his doorstep, with his main project for this year to develop interpretive info boards for key locations across the Garden Route National Park. A bizarre but very enjoyable feature of Storms Rivier is an American Diner showcasing Elvis and Marilyn Monroe memorabilia and where we had dinner that night. Reportedly the annual SA Elvis lookalike festival is held here in April so Joris may need to find himself some blue suede shoes!!

Moving into the Western Cape, the next stop was Bontebok National Park to stay with Danielle. My trip happened to coincide with International Rhino Day so I joined the SANParks team on a community walk in Swellendam in protest against increasing rhino poaching in South Africa. This was my first (but definitely not last) trip to Bontebok so it was great to hear more about the P&C projects they are working on and take in the sights. I even managed to get stung by a Bontebok resident bee which Danielle has successfully managed to avoid for the last two months! Thanks to Joris/Elzette and Danielle/Marloise and Bulelwa for a warm welcome and showing me round your Parks. I only wish I could have stayed longer! :-)



Posted by: Claire Warner (GVI/SANParks Coordinator)

Photos: Sunset at Storms Rivier mouth and Rhino protest in Swellendam

Date posted: 02 October 2011

Trip to Tsitsikamma and Bontebok