Tweet  

This cicada was photographed in summer at Giant’s Castle in the Drakensberg, using a technique called photo stacking to get the whole bug in sharp focus. It involves taking about 40 images of the bug at different focus points and then 'stitching' them together using dedicated software (HeliconFocus in this instance). It also requires the bug to sit perfectly still for about a minute.

 

    Tweet  

Coastal Fynbos Trail

This circular trail starts at Sappershoek, which is located at the east end of the seaside village of Schoenmakerskop. The complex geology, together with variations in topography and the influence of salt-laden winds and fire, have led to a mosaic of vegetation types.

Park your car at Sappershoek and then follow the Coastal Fynbos signs up the hill. After a couple of kilometres of walking through the coastal fynbos, you’ll see a short cut back to the start (a four-kilometre loop), but the main trail continues for another 1,5 kilometres to a cellphone tower from where there are outstanding views over the rugged coastline...

(GPS coordinates: -34.041163, 25.554427)

Read more at www.nightjartravel.com/hiking/coastal-fynbos-trail

 

    Tweet  

Orchid House

Bloemfontein is justly famous for its roses, but visitors with a horticultural interest should make a point of visiting the Orchid House.

Set in a circular glass greenhouse, the Orchid House is an oasis of colourful, exotic beauty. Everywhere you look as you wander along the circular wooden boardwalk there are orchids growing out of pots, climbing trees, and overflowing from baskets...

(GPS coordinates: -29.10405, 26.223185)

Read more at www.nightjartravel.com/animals-nature/orchid-house

 

    Tweet  

Lookout Hill Centre

The Lookout Hill Centre On the corner of Mew Way Road and Spine Road, Khayelitsha, consists of an art and science centre, a restaurant and gift shop and an information kiosk. Visitors can get information and book township tours and other activities, such as a sangoma consultation, a bicycle tour or an overnight stay in a B&B.

At the centre, be sure to climb to the look-out at the top of the dune, which has a 360-degree view of False Bay, the Hottentots Holland Mountain range, the Helderberg mountains and the Groot Drakenstein mountains...

(GPS coordinates: -34.045121, 18.656191)

Read more at www.nightjartravel.com/shopping/lookout-hill-centre

 

    Tweet  

Tugela River Rafting, Upper Canyon

Sourced high in the Drakensberg Mountains at Mont-aux-Sources, the Tugela River soon tumbles 947 metres down the five-level Tugela Falls - the world’s second-highest waterfall after Venezuela’s Angel Falls.

The upper tributaries offer some extreme creeking options for self-supported kayakers, but the upper stretches of The Canyon just outside Colenso are where the formal commercial rafting options begin...

(GPS coordinates: -28.679519, 29.920149)

Read more at www.nightjartravel.com/rafting-kayaking/tugela-river-rafting-upper-canyon

 

    Tweet  

Meisho Maru No 38 Shipwreck near Agulhas.

 

    Tweet  

Hi-Fly Kites

Flying a kite in the tranquil and picturesque landscape of the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands is a soothing way for the whole family to enjoy an unconventional day out in nature.

Hi-Fly Kites on the Midlands Meander was started in 1987, and has grown to become the supplier of the largest range of kites in Africa. The secret of the company’s success is a zest for kites and all things airborne. It provides the highest quality kites to recreational flyers and enthusiasts, and to sportsmen, businesses and special interest customers...

(GPS coordinates: -29.526879, 30.259078)

Read more at www.nightjartravel.com/shopping/hi-fly-kites