I'm not really one for New Year's resolutions. Try as I might, by February, my grandiose plans have all fluttered away: hitting the gym, emptying my inbox, submitting a go! column on time...
Maybe these bird-related resolutions will stick... Let's make this the best birding year ever!
SEE AN ALBATROSS.
Time to start whittling away at that big gap at the start of your life list: pelagic seabirds. If you've never been on a deep-sea birding trip before, this is the year to do it. Most trips depart from Cape Town (Simon's Town or Hout Bay), although day trips are also run from Durban. There's something magical about that first shearwater or petrel gliding past the bow.
Once you're out past Cape Point, the lifers literally appear out of nowhere. The skipper will try to rendezvous with a trawler when it raises its net, and you'll be engulfed in a cloud of thousands and thousands of seabirds.
Unless you're targeting something specific, the winter months are best to experience a seabird spectacle. Remember your seasick meds!
GRAB YOUR PASSPORT. South African birders often think of the Zambezi River as an impenetrable wall. If the bird is on the far shore, you can't tick it because it's not within our subregion. But as your local life list grows, lifers become increasingly few and far between.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der February/March 2025-Ausgabe von go! - South Africa.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der February/March 2025-Ausgabe von go! - South Africa.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
For the love of pasta!
Few dishes are as comforting as a bowl of pasta. Here are six recipes for everything from a quick dinner to a long kuier.
On high alert in West Africa
In 2023, Jean Cooper and De Witt Oosthuizen rode their motorcycles from Pretoria to Madrid. In this instalment, they're deep in West Africa, slogging their way through Benin, Togo, Ghana, the Ivory Coast and Guinea.
Backing with purpose
Over the last two decades, the writers at go! have formed close relationships with different cars. In the 2000s and 2010s there were Toyota Condors and Renault Dusters, and now our dirt-road tourer of choice is a Suzuki Jimny. This diminutive 4x4 is very capable off-road, but packing space comes at a premium. As a result, we’ve discovered some great gear to make life easier when travelling in a small car.
FESTIVAL OF HIKING A HUGE SUCCESS
Nearly a thousand people gathered at Meerendal outside Durbanville over the weekend of 14–16 February, for the second go! Festival of Hiking, presented by Stanley in association with Salomon, and supported by Solal, Cape Nature and Trail Food.
Easy in the EC
Kenton-on-Sea is a holiday town between the Kariega and Bushmans rivers. It’s a place for walking barefoot and looking for hidden beaches, and where you might see a lion swimming across the river…
The Table is set!
Behind the famous postcard photo of Table Mountain lies a rich history among the forests, reservoirs and beaches of the Cape Peninsula. On the new Cape Point to Cable Car Trail, you can experience it all.
A feather for your thoughts
Befriend some birds and they'll make you smile for free. They'll impress with their incredible feats, and they might even show you a glimpse of the past.
BIRDS
WAIT YOUR TERN
Where the Lord rested
Wupperthal is a village deep in the folds of the Cederberg. The people who live there are no strangers to suffering, but they’re also full of hope.
The Mushroom Fundi
Table Mountain attracts all kinds of people – cyclists, hikers, tourists and the “mountain goats” who run to the top every day. And then there’s Gary Goldman, wandering around with a basket… What’s he doing – going on a picnic?
