Africa Geographic Stories

[Lisbeth]

Mapungubwe National Park

ANCIENT CULTURE, BAOBABS AND GIANTS
Africa Geographic Stories & Galleries
Wednesday, 20 March 2024

There is an undercurrent of mysticism that pervades the arid savannahs of Mapungubwe National Park. Here, as the wind whistles past sandstone ridges and boulder-strewn kopjes, it seems to carry echoes of the park’s vibrant history. Gnarled baobabs stand sentinel around every corner, squat and silent witnesses to the changing fortunes of the region’s human and animal inhabitants.

Mapungubwe is one of South Africa’s most evocative protected spaces, beckoning to intrepid travellers and promising a journey of discovery.



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[Lisbeth]

KINGSLEY HOLGATE'S AFRIKA ODYSSEY EXPEDITION

by Sheelagh Antrobus, Tuesday, 2 July 2024

Once again, the expedition Defender D300s are put through their paces as they tackle narrow, winding, switchback roads that take us through Rwanda’s land of a thousand hills. One moment, we’re winding through rural landscapes of rolling tea plantations and steeply terraced hills growing every crop imaginable; the next, a dense tangle of gigantic trees looms ahead, the road clinging improbably to steep, forested slopes that tumble like huge green waves towards the distant Burundi border. We are heading to Nyungwe National Park.

The excitement grows as we get a message from Nyungwe park manager Protais Niyigaba saying that the calabash ceremony to collect symbolic water from all 22 African Parks-managed areas across the continent will, in the case of Nyungwe, take place at a small spring deep in the rainforest. With today’s modern mapping, this tiny rivulet has been proven to be the furthest and highest source of Africa’s longest river – the Nile........

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[Lisbeth]

Botswana's rugged wilderness

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Tuesday, 15 October 2024



Mashatu Game Reserve in Botswana’s Northern Tuli Game Reserve, known as the “land of giants”, is where vast landscapes and magnificent wildlife come together in a breathtaking wilderness showcase. This is a place of iconic elephants, big cats, and rich biodiversity. It is no wonder that this place so enamoured photographer duo Roger and Pat de la Harpe, that they embarked on a journey to capture Mashatu’s spirit in their latest book project, Mashatu: Land of the Giants. Here, they share their inspiration for the project and some of the fascinating images captured in the heart of Mashatu.

Click on the title to read the whole story and see the gorgeous photos

[Lisbeth]

A place of sanctuary in the heart of the Waterberg

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by René de Klerk
Thursday, 7 November 2024



Our journey up this steep mountain in the heart of Marakale National Park meanders skyward, the landscape becoming increasingly beautiful. Woodlands and wetlands make way for fynbos-dotted vegetation, the ecology evolving as the altitude climbs. Only briefly does it cross my mind – what if we meet an oncoming vehicle on this narrow mountain pass where passing seems impossible? I quickly put that thought out of my mind…

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