So, you’re sitting behind your computer. (I know the feeling.)
Wouldn’t you rather be in a car, with the windows down, listening to your favourite driving tune?
I don’t know if its the same for everyone, but I think there’s something special about an open road under African skies.
Found this one between the towns of Kirkwood and Uitenhage in the Eastern Cape of South Africa.
Absolutely BRILLIANT!
Anyone remember the words to ‘Radar love’?
I wish a was back in school this year.
I would have had the best answer to the “So, what did you do over the Christmas break?“- question.
It would have sounded like this: “Nothing much, got up early to watch the cricket, got charged by a Black Rhino, survived, got some good pics ….. the usual stuff..”
“Anything else” the teacher might have asked sarcastically - to which I would have been able to reply :”... o yes, the day after I got caught between an Elephant bull and a Buffalo – and I survived that too. Thank you Miss.”
It would have been larny and way kiff – and I would have earned some serious playground credit.
Be that as it may, even if I’m not 10 anymore, it still happened and it was still very cool.
I was at Hlosi Lodge in the Eastern Cape.
Invited by the Lion Roars group to update their virtual tours of both Hlosi and Bukela Lodge.
On the first morning, after 2 or 3 hours of fruitless photography a Black Rhino suddenly appeared near the lodge. Seeing that there are no fences he duly set off towards the lodge pool for a morning drink,
I got a great 360º, which you can get a look at by clicking on this thumbnail.
[flash http://virtualafrica.co.za/blogspins/rhino/rhino%20at%20pool.swf w=800 h=500 preview={http://virtualafrica.co.za/blogspins/rhino/thmbs/rhino%20at%20pool%20tmb.jpg|200|125} mode=3]
After posing for a few pics, he took a leisurely stroll to the nearest chalet, where I was lucky enough to get EXTREMELY close and get some unique shots.
Next stop was the fig tree and the old farm building behind the lodge.
I created a video of how I got the shot – if you want to know what happens when a Black Rhino smells a tripod – check this out:
[flash http://virtualafrica.co.za/blogspins/rhino/rhino%20at%20figtree.swf w=800 h=500 preview={http://virtualafrica.co.za/blogspins/rhino/thmbs/rhino%20at%20figtree.jpg|200|120} mode=3] (you know the drill – click away..)
After this close encounter, I followed him as he grazed further and further away from the lodge until he decided to inspect one of the game viewers. This made for a great shot and I ventured into the open veldt to get it.
Seconds after the shot below, a water pump, located about a meter from the rhino switched itself on.
Now I don’t know if you’ve had the privilege of seeing an angry rhino head on – but I can assure you, it’s exhilarating.
I did my best to keep still, but when he was about 15 m away it became apparent that he was blaming me for the incident with the water pump and that he was not planning to stop.
I made a dash for a rather large bush about 5m to my left, but the rhino kept coming.
Luckily the ranger was quick on his feet and by the time I came hurtling around the bush, he drove the game viewer between me and the sharp end of the galloping dinosaur.
The perfect end to a perfect day at Hlosi Lodge.
The following day I had a similar experience with a huge elephant and a very lazy buffalo, but that’s a story for another time…..
Links to virtual tours:
At last the weather in Cape Town has cleared up – and we’ve had a chance to dust off the equipment and shoot some panoramic pictures – and we got an interesting one of Rhino’s to start with.
(Like all of our pictures, this one is 360º and interactive. Click and drag to look around)
James Taylor and I headed out to Worcester to get the last bit of the footage needed for a promotional video of Goudini Spa (click here for the virtual tour).
Part of the job took us to Fairy Glen Game Farm, which has to be the closest place to Cape Town where you can see the Big Five.
The drive out takes about an hour and a half, but the scenery is magnificent. Mountain passes, vineyards, clear, trout filled rivers – it’s just everything you love about the Cape.
If you are a local, nature loving purist who loves getting lost in the Kruger National Park, Fairy Glen might feel a bit cramped.
That being said, if you are an international tourist who does not have the time or money to spend a week in the Kruger, but you would like to see the Big Five - it’s perfect.
A rhino is a rhino and, as you can see from the panoramic image above, you’ll get to see them up close and personal and learn a lot in the process.
It’s supposed to be Spring here in South Africa,
but as you can see from the picture below, the weather gods haven’t received the memo yet…..
to see a full screen version of this panoramic image, click here
If you’re not a South African, you might not be able to appreciate how strange this picture actually is.
We’re not used to much snow here in sunny South Africa.
Thanks to Dave Molyneux for braving the cold and taking the picture.
Seeing that it is one of the most exclusive safari lodges in Africa, not many people will have the privilege to visit Shamwari in their lifetime, so we thought we’d invite you to visit it virtually.
The map below is fully interactive: Zoom out to see where the reserve is situated, Zoom in to see if you can spot an elephant and click on one of the lodge icons to access virtual tours and interactive 360º images.
Shamwari has been voted the World’s Leading Safari and Game Reserve for the past 10 years and has hosted guests like John Travolta, Brad Pitt, Nicolas Cage and Tiger Woods.
Not satisfied with playing host, it seems Shamwari is now becoming a television star itself.
Recent years have seen quite a few very popular wildlife documentaries shot in and around the Reserve, with the latest offering “Shamwari: a Wild Life” promising to continue the trend.
Starting on Animal Planet in September in the UK and South Africa and in October in the US, the series centers on the people of Shamwari and their daily interactions with the animals of the reserve.
If the previews are anything to go by, it promises to be action packed and highly entertaining.
But have a look for yourself:
To enable you to explore the reserve before and during the series, Virtual Africa has integrated some 360º images and virtual tours into an interactive Google Map of the area.
The map will allow you to see exactly where Shamwari is situated and explore the lodges and their surroundings in more detail.
See you on safari!
After watching Tiger Woods’ heroics at the US Open earlier this month, I was scanning the sport channels to find out if he did any damage to his knee.
In the process I saw an insert on our very own Pinnacle Point Golf Course near Mossel Bay (on the famous Garden Route) – and it was one of those ‘proudly South African’ moments.
Although we created a virtual tour of the resort about a year ago, I’ve never been there myself and haven’t had the time to really study the virtual tour, but after the TV insert I just had to – and WOW! what a course indeed.
Dawie van Wyk, our photographer who created the virtual tour, is a scratch golfer and says:
“Although I didn’t get a chance to play this magnificent course, I was privileged enough to drive around the course and experience some of the most remarkable holes I’ve ever seen.
There are seven cliff-hanging holes, four of them play across the ocean, offering some of the most exciting and challenging tee shots in the world.
I believe that these amazing scenes have the potential of making Pinnacle Point the most photographed golf course in the world…..”
I agree.
If you want to see why Darren Clarke described Pinnacle Point as “the best golf course on the planet”, click here to view the complete virtual tour – or head over to our map section and explore the Garden Route.
keep your head down …..
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