a wild RENEWAL
Entering the Waterberg massif is like parting the curtains on a stage where the actors are a menagerie of marvels and misfits set among wild beasts, their backdrop a rotating vista of brightly painted rock faces and open plains.
After driving a couple of hours north of Joburg, I left the N1 and headed west. The folds of the Seven Sisters were drawn upon the horizon and I was swallowed by a valley in those voluptuous hills where the radio crackled and died. It would be 10 days before I turned it on again.
The iron-rich soil changed to rusty orange the higher I went, eventually levelling out on a plateau where the town of Vaalwater lies. This small hub has just enough stores and eateries to keep locals and tourists from having to travel beyond the rim of this enormous biosphere.
Ken Maud is the founding director of Water-berg Tourism and I recognised his cheerful face among the patrons at Siringa Tree Café – Kenʼs second office. We pored over a map, planned my route and watched game farmers in two-tone khaki sipping latés alongside tourists.
As overgrazing wrought havoc on the Water-berg ecosystem, land owners began restoring the natural habitat to sustain wild animals. Eco-tourism has taken hold and adventure travel is now on the rise. One of the most adventurous ways to experience wildlife is to walk among it – even if itʼs not
