The Guide's Tale Blog. - Page 6

When I moved into Herfsakker Retirement Village seven years ago my family imagined I would be ‘traditional’ and sit on my stoep (porch) drinking coffee. That is what is supposed to happen, I believe, to people in their latter years when they are no longer working. Not so in my case though as birding has long been both my profession and my hobby. I spent a lot of time atlasing and travelling around Mpumalanga seeking birds in places I had never ever visited before, and I loved it. Then came the registration of the Turning Kruger Green project and that was the best three years of my life I feel. However that is now behind me and I do find I am slowing down in my old age.
This is where my stoep comes into play...

NOTE: This lodge suffered severe fire damage in September 2021, and is currently closed.

Every now and then we're going to look at our choice of best safari lodges in Africa. This month's is: Ta Shebube Polentswa Lodge, Botswana.

The small safari lodge concept is done better in Africa than anywhere else, and we are fortunate to have visited a fair few on our tours and travels. This month’s featured safari lodge is Polentswa, situated deep in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, on the Botswana side of the Nossob River, in one of the remotest parts of Southern Africa.

If 2020 gave us anything, it was time – time to learn and take on new hobbies and pursuits. And birding became one of the new ‘cool’ things to get into. It’s one of the Covid-19 winners, along with virtual safaris and multi-national drug conglomerates. All over the world, laypeople became birders overnight, as it’s something that one can do in the back garden, helping to pass the time and keep the grey matter stimulated during the dark days of hard lockdown, when the golf course and bridge club were well out of bounds.

Christmas is Coming

As a Lowveld resident how do we know that Christmas is coming? Not because the geese are getting fat but because Christmas Beetles are humming in full chorus, so loud at times that it is difficult to hold a conversation in their midst. They start their merry song when the weather is hot and balmy about a month or more before Christmas and continue well into January, or even early February at times. Hence the name we all give them.

If you are planning for a safari in South Africa, you may be having some difficulty choosing where to go. Indeed, making your final choice is probably the most difficult part of the whole process! Let us help you with our advice on the top safari destinations in South Africa!