Hoops Magazine | 184 Days in Africa

Spitzkoppe, Namibia

GO OUT AND EXPLORE

ONTENTS
HOME
Dolphins in the Backyard p. 10
‘Huh‘ a Surprise p. 13
WORK
A Bloody Whale Tale p. 16
Out on the Boat p. 18
ADVENTURE
No Signal p. 24
Cape to Kruger the Detour p. 25
ACTIVE
Who’s the Predator p. 36
Lost on Table Mountain p. 40
WILD
In Search of a Leopard p. 44
Not So Wildlife p. 54
LIFESTYLE
Cape Town p. 58
Winefarms of the Cape p. 62
4

Glen Beach, Cape Town, South Africa
The name ‘HOOP’S’ or ‘HOOO’S’ not only
refers to my name but especially to my
well-known saying ‘hooo is’. Which was my
astonished reaction to many of the pretty
views in Africa. It’s a Dutch version of ‘wow’.

INTRODUCTION
Hi, this is the first magazine I’ve ever written. I have to say that I’m not the best writer, storyteller
or photographer. But I wanted to do something with all the stories and photos I collected in the
six months I worked and travelled in Africa. I was inspired by the National Geographic Travel
magazine to design and fully personalize a magazine myself. Most of the stories were written by
me, and the same goes for the photos. I hope you enjoy reading the stories, and otherwise look at
the pictures.
Let’s start at the beginning. I’m Stefan de Hoop, in my twenties and currently studying Geo, Media
& Design. From the 14th of February until the 16th of August, I went to Africa to do my 20-week
internship there. I did this internship at the Namibian Dolphin Project in Walvis Bay, Namibia
and Sea Search Research & Conservation in Muizenberg, South Africa. I mainly worked on two
projects there: the Bottlenose Project and the Humpback Project. The goal for the bottlenose
project was to investigate several different datasets and measurements of habitat use of the
bottlenose dolphin, by processing data on the possible factors that could have an impact on
the change of habitat use. The goal of the humpback project was to offer knowledge about the
humpback whale. Information about the humpback whales that are described in scientific papers
is difficult to understand compared to the clear overviews that are shared on socials media
platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. The most important information that needed
to be visualized was the forming of supergroups. This behavior is unique and most common near
the coast of Cape Town.
I have to say that my goal, of course, was to pass my internship, which I succeeded in. Still, I
mainly chose Africa because I wanted to enjoy beautiful nature, new cultures, much farther
away from home for a long time. It almost felt like another life. This magazine should give you
a glimpse into my African adventures. Many of these stories and photos do not do justice to the
actual experience you get when you are there. Africa is something you have to experience for
yourself. Finally, I would like to say that I recommend not to plan out trips too much. I have done
this very little and I have had many surprising and unforgettable experiences, from shooting an
AK-47 to cutting into a stranded whale. Have fun reading.
Do you have any feedback? Please feel free to send me an email to s.dehoop@outlook.com.
Me, after a hike in Blyde River.

Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve, South Africa

THE TRIP

DOLPHINS IN THE BACKYARD
On my first day at the office, I woke up at 8 a.m.
with the message ‘there are sharks in the lagoon,
and flamingos, jackals and dolphins’. I was still
quite acclimatizing because three days earlier, I
was pinning away a little tear at Schiphol Airport.
I immediately ran to the lagoon, that’s the bay that
was about a 10-second walk from our garden. I saw
my colleagues who were busy taking pictures and
observing the behaviour of the dolphins and sharks.
Because I was new, I had no role yet, so I was enjoying
to the fullest. Without thinking about it, I walked in
the shallow lagoon with my flipflops, not knowing
that the 15 Bronze Whaler sharks swimming around
could do something to me. I had not estimated the
sharks very harmful out of enthusiasm, also because
of their length of only 1 to 1.5 meters. After wandering
around for a while, my colleague Bridget, who was
busy taking pictures along the shore, said ‘you better
get out of the water’. I climbed up a scaffolding. Then I
looked at the water from the jetty and saw the biggest
shark of the group, a 1.5-meter long shark, exactly
where I just walked. From that dock, I enjoyed jumping
dolphins, swimming sharks, wandering flamingos
and low flying pelicans for hours. The moment was
so surprising that unfortunately, my camera was still
next to my bed. I also didn’t have my phone with me.
But I am not going to forget this moment.
Just back to the beginning. After a 24 hour flight, I
arrived in the warm Walvis Bay. At the airport Bridget
and Miriam were waiting for me, they could tell me a
lot about work and about Walvis Bay on the way home.
I arrived in a kind of holiday park-like complex with
small cosy houses. The front yard was full of whale
bones and other skeletons of marine mammals. In the
house, the work team was busy processing the data
of the boat day they had in the morning. I introduced
myself and got an excellent first impression. In the
corner of my eye, I could already see the ocean. It was
practically our backyard. A little later, I was led to
my room by Jack, my new roommate. It all took some
time getting used to, sharing a place, a small kitchen
and so on. But from the beginning I knew: I’m going
to feel at home here. The outdoor living space was
unbelievable, a spacious garden with benches and
a braai, a park full of palm trees behind it and little
further was the ocean. Every day we saw flamingos
marching from one side of the bay to the other.
Contrary to Muizenberg, where I had done a lot of
online research, to see what I could expect, I did not
do for Walvis Bay and Namibia. This brought me to
the most surprising and beautiful moments. From
climbing one of the highest dunes in Namibia to
cleaning up a freezer full of biopsies of whales and
dolphins. I will briefly explain the latter.
THE HOUSE THE OFFICE THE BACKYARD
10

In Namibia fieldwork was necessary, I had at least one
fieldwork day in a week. One of the first fieldwork
days was quite unusual. We had to go to the garage
with the whole team to reorganize a large freezer. The
freezer was full of pieces of whale skin, whale heads,
a dead penguin, a small baby dolphin and other body
parts of marine mammals. This sounds very cruel,
but this was incredibly interesting, educational, but
still, extremely rancid. The Namibian Dolphin Project
kept this for further research in laboratories. I also
did some fieldwork there from a kayak. My colleague
and I then had to install a hydrophone (underwater
microphone) in the bay behind our house.
Furthermore, I did fieldwork with our zodiac and
from a tour boat. The last one that was definitely my
favourite. Spotting dolphins, keeping track of data and
especially sharing my, albeit little, knowledge about
the underwater world of Namibia with tourists on the
boat. Okay, I didn’t talk that much with the tourists, I
still had some trouble with the English language in
the first weeks. I often picked up my phone before I
wanted to tell a story to quickly translate some words.
One of the most memorable moments on the boat in
Namibia was that I saw 2 Heaviside dolphins jumping
synchronously right next to our boat.
Seriously, I was the only one who saw it, and there were
five others on the boat who had a lot of experience in
spotting dolphins, how?!
I won’t forget the house in Namibia. Even though I
never spoke to neighbours, and it could be unsafe,
my housemates, the sociability and the dolphins that
could be seen weekly from the house made me feel at
home. Another advantage of the house was that it was
only a 15-minute walk from the only two restaurants
of Walvis Bay, the office and the harbour. The office
was a small cabin on the grounds of a restaurant. With
5 of us, we were usually in the three by two meter loft,
which by the way was located just next to the ocean.
We had to bring our own wifi from the house, that wifi
could only handle 2 to 3 devices. But that also made
Namibia beautiful. The craziest thing I experienced in
the office was that a fisherman brought a Cape Gannet
which he found on his boat during his fishing trip. The
bird had the bird flu, and for the Namibian Dolphin
Project, it was reasonable to take care of birds as well.
Still, I thought it was weird because at that moment I
was alone in the office, making an infographic about
Heaviside’s dolphins. My colleagues took the bird to
the vet. Strangely enough, the vet did not accept the
bird. I won’t go into the end of this story, that’s better
for everyone*.
*We burned the bird in the dunes
11

FEELS LIKE HOME
I often go on adventurous holidays with my family.
We don’t sleep in the most luxurious hotels but
mainly do the most adventurous activities. For
example, when I went to the Azores with my parents
and three brothers, we always slept in a different
Airbnb. This allowed us to hang out with the locals,
and we got to hear the most beautiful stories about
the surrounding areas. On holidays I also never had
trouble feeling at home. When I can surround myself
with friendly people I soon feel at home.
In Cape Town, I already planned to arrange my
accommodation with Airbnb. I had to arrange this
months in advance for my visa (I can write a book
about that procedure). For the months that I worked
at Sea Search in Muizenberg, I booked a room at
the ‘Superhost’ Heide. Heide offered me a spacious
bedroom and a private bathroom. I had to share the
kitchen and living room with two other housemates.
But what a great choice I had made!
THE HOUSE
Not only the house was great, but my roommates
and Heide also made me feel at home. One of my
roommates was a South African, Thulani; it clicked
pretty fast between us. He is an incredible storyteller
and cooked for me once in a while! Thanks to Thulani,
I also learned a lot more about Cape Town and
South Africa in general. I noticed that many locals
are very wary in Cape Town and talked a lot about
negative experiences. This is understandable; South
Africa is not the safest country. I already heard from
my Namibian colleagues that I had to be cautious,
especially in Cape Town. Thulani also taught me a
lot about this.
The other great thing about the house on Wherry
Road was that it was only a 5-minute walk from
Coen’s house. Coen is a friend of mine from the same
study; he also worked at Sea Search. We spent a lot
of time together, also Jordy, another study friend
that lived in Stellenbosch, half an hour away. Soon
we found out that more Dutch people were living
near us, some even from the same university.
My house was only a 10-minute walk from one of
the best places to start surfing in South Africa;
Muizenberg Surfers Corner. In the first weeks, I
was allowed to borrow Heide’s longboard, but I
wanted a shortboard. To challenge myself more. As
impulsive that I am, after a few weeks I bought my
own surfboard. Sometimes I surfed on a daily base
and other times just one time a week. It made it a
lot easier that I could often start working later, leave
earlier or take an extended surf/lunch break.
12 HOME | FEELS LIKE HOME

‘HUH’ A SURPRISE
My friends Max, Ray and Anna had just arrived in Cape
Town, not knowing they were helping with one of the
biggest surprises. Ray and I went to Camps Bay one day. It
was Ray’s first time there. I brought my surfboard, which
went fine in the Uber. Coincidentally, two other friends
Frank and Faye, who lived in Stellenbosch, were also
planning to go to Camps Bay. After trying to surf with Ray
at Glen Beach, we met Frank and Faye at Tigers Milk, a bar
with sea view. We sat down to have lunch and drink some
beers. Suddenly Max and Anna arrived.
Max said, “Steef we have a surprise for you, come along” and
Anna was filming. I didn’t want to focus all the attention
on myself and said slightly annoyed ‘no, no’. I don’t like
surprises anyway, but I do like this one! It took me a few
seconds before my dear brother, and his girlfriend walked
into the terrace. ‘Huh’ was my first and only reaction. They
were joking before I went to Africa that they would visit
me. But seriously, surprising your little brother after he
has been living 10000 km away from home, for five months,
is something I couldn’t have imagined. My reaction was
certainly not like those viral and emotional homecoming
videos, rather superficial. But inside I was crying with
happiness. I was too surprised to get emotional.
We were all enjoying each other’s company for a while, the
drinks and the warm weather. By the way, my brother’s
name is Evert-Jan and his girlfriend ’s Annemieke. That’s
easier for the story. Annemieke told me on the terrace that
they had been travelling from Johannesburg to Cape Town
for three weeks (!). South Africa had a special place for her,
just like for me. Annemieke lived and worked here for a
long time.
I was so happy. I was surrounded by my friends and family.
I wasn’t homesick at all, but I noticed now how much I
missed them. We spend the following days by doing fun
stuff; Going out for lunch, going to the movies, teaching
Evert-jan and Annemieke some surfing skills, drinking
wines and watch some Netflix with Uber Eats.
Evert-Jan and Annemieke on Lions Head
HOME | ‘HUH’ A SURPRISE
13

Text: Evert-Jan de Hoop and Annemieke van Neutegem
Port St Johns Airfield
On the 1st of July, we left for Johannesburg, South Africa.
We had secretly booked tickets to surprise Stefan. There
wasn’t much on the planning, 3,5 weeks of road trips,
hiking, sunbathing, braaiing, surfing, and enjoying were
ahead of us. It was not the first time in South Africa for
Annemieke, but it was the first time for E-J.
In the first week, we visited friends in the Free State. We
slept in Airbnb’s or accommodations via Lekkerslaap
for most of the other days. When in Africa, a safari is
almost essential, we visited Pilanesberg National Park.
We slept in a tent and booked a morning safari. After less
than 10 minutes in the park and we had seen a leopard,
caracal and an elephant. EJ had so much beginner’s luck,
Annemieke did not mind at all.
We left Pilanesberg and went to the Drakensberg. Here
we stayed in an eco-lodge surrounded by baboons. The
scenery and rising sun that gave the mountains a rose
champagne colour were incredibly beautiful. After all
this beauty, it was time to visit Durban and Port st. Johns.
In Durban we tried not to be afraid of the woman where
we stayed, she was convinced that we couldn’t go out
in the streets in the evening, we didn’t think that way
and turned out to be right (or lucky). From Durban to
Port St. Johns was a long drive. The ride brought several
challenges; There were roadkills (dogs to Annemieke’s
sadness), slow trucks (to the grief of both of us), cows
on the road, potholes, and police officers. However, the
danger had not yet passed when we safely arrived in Port
st. Johns. We decided to chill on the beach at our hostel,
and E-J wanted to go for a swim.
Suddenly an alarm went off, and he was still in the water.
That was a shark alarm. Apparently, this beach was called
Death Beach, and the bull sharks were always looking for
a snack. E-J chose not to take a dive, and we could spend
the rest of the holiday together. E-J wanted to dive. He
loves being in the water. So he participated in the Sardine
Run (Search that one up on YouTube).
Meanwhile, Annemieke was alone in the hostel and was
accompanied by a monkey. Now monkeys (especially
baboons) can be very dangerous and even deadly. But
luckily, this one stood on a fair distance, so there was no
significant danger.
We continued to Port Elisabeth. This was a great place
to chill out. After this, we went on to Mossel Bay with
an extra stop in Jeffreys Bay. E-J had already called a
surf school and made an appointment. The instructor
had understood C-J, instead of E-J to Annemieke’s great
pleasure. “Come on, C-J, Yes! Very nice C-J!” are still
popular terms. We drove the rest of the route to Mossel
Bay on the Garden Route, and it is not surprising that
everyone who visits South Africa is familiar with this
route.
We had been in South Africa for more than two weeks,
and we kept our experiences very quiet because we
were going to visit the only “town” that we planned in
advance, Cape Town! Stefan stayed here, and we knew
where he was, thanks to his friends. We had been looking
forward to the surprise. We met Steef’s friends at their
hotel, and there we were, just waiting for Stefan to show
up. But he didn’t, he decided to stay surfing a bit longer
and have lunch in Camps Bay. With some risks (we could
drive past each other), we decided to go that way... And
yes, there he was! Having a beer at Tiger’s Milk, far and
long from home. The most memorable thing about the
meeting for us was that Stefan was quiet as a mouse,
besides the repeated word ‘huh’. This only happens when
something bad or fun happens. We then assume that, in
our case, it was the second option.
In Cape Town, we explored the city with Stefan as our
guide (highly recommended). We visited the Cape of
Good Hope, visited The Labia Theatre, which is the oldest
independent movie theatre in the country, and Steef’s
house and living space in Muizenberg. All in all, we were
enjoying every moment (and all the wines) to the most.
We still miss this regularly. The beautiful country has
many sides, truly worth discovering for yourself!
Baie dankie stefankie sprankie flankie stankie surfplankie
Evert-Jan and Annemieke in Muizenberg
14 HOME | ‘HUH’ A SURPRISE

SURF'S UP
After work, I usually put on my wetsuit and ran with a surfboard under my arms to Muizenberg’s beachfront.
I quickly forgot the pain of running barefoot over rough asphalt when I saw the waves. The waves in
Muizenberg are excellent for beginners and intermediates. In the water. I could fully relax on my board and
became one with the ocean, it is very calming. I lost the work stress that I often experienced as soon as I
was in the water. Sometimes I lay on my board for hours while I only took 1 or 2 waves. Not only because I
didn’t manage to stay on my board, but mainly because I was busy enjoying the surroundings. From Surfers
corner you had a perfect view on False Bay, from Cape Point to Pringle Bay.
Some memorable surfing moments:
Sundowns
After work, it was great to enjoy the sunset while
surfing. The best view at dusk was on the west side
of Table Mountain NP. But the twilight made the
whole sky bright red/pink and often spectacular
enough, on the east side. It was also a lot quieter
in the water after 5 o’clock because the surf classes
and other surfers without their own board had to
hand in their surfboard. So around sunset, it was
ideal catching some more waves and ending a
working day without stress.
Whales
Even though I was still sick with the flu, I started
surfing again. I didn’t pick up many waves, once it
took a long time before there were clean waves. I
looked around for a bit. Further on, I saw some
scattered whitecaps, so I kept looking in the distance.
Suddenly I saw two big tail slapping Southern right
whales. I excitedly shouted, “look a whale!’’ Which
also got some fellow surfers enthusiastic. The whales
surfaced a couple of times, about 100 meters away
from my surfboard.
Clumpsy
Surfing is certainly not harmless. I had to suffer
sometimes. Perhaps, the worst injury was my
mild concussion (which I diagnosed myself). I was
standing in the shallow waters, not knowing that
the waves can be quite strong here as well. A strong
wave flipped my board into the air and crashed
into my head. For a moment, it felt like my nose
was broken. I asked a stranger if my nose was still
straight and asked the nearest bar for a bag of ice. A
couple of days, I took it a bit easier.
Sunrises
Morning surfs, get up at 6, wetsuit on and go into the
water without breakfast. Just before work, enjoying
the rising sun and refreshing temperature of the
water. The waves are surfable almost every day in
Muizenberg, and the sunrise is beautiful nearly
every day unless it’s too cloudy. From Muizenberg
you had a perfect view of the dawn, the beach is
quiet, and you can start your day well together with
many other surfers.

A BLOODY WHALE TALE
Just drank my morning coffee before I went to
the office. Suddenly my internship supervisor
texted me that there was a possibility that we
could see a stranded whale near Simons Town,
which was about 20 minutes from our office. I
was immediately interested to go as I had never
attended a whale stranding, crazy, right? When
I arrived at the office, it wasn’t entirely clear
whether the whale had washed ashore or not,
so we maybe had to wait. Whether the whale
could be lifted onto a truck depended on the
state of the ocean. My internship supervisor,
Simon, was still too busy with his work. Still,
some other colleagues and I could take a
look at the incident. If we weren’t able to see
anything there we could still have seen the trip
as fieldwork, the road to the slipway at Millers
Point, where the whale had been reported, was
along the coast so there was a good chance you
could see dolphins or whales from your car
window. Unfortunately, this didn’t happen, but
when we arrived at the slipway, we saw a 13
meter long Bryde’s whale with a big swollen
tongue. The slipway was quite steep so the whale
couldn’t wash ashore, of course, a tow truck
had to be used to help the whale on the truck.
She asked me, ‘‘Are you adventurous?’
I said ‘Yeah, I guess so‘. Then she gave
me a knife to cut into a thick layer of fat
So we were watching a large marine mammal
being hoisted ashore with a small group of
elderly people, it was a sad but interesting
sight. My colleagues told me that marine
mammals that get washed up ashore had to
be measured, and sometimes necropsies had
to be done. In Namibia, we were allowed to do
this as an organisation ourselves, but in South
Africa, the rules were stricter, and this had to
be done by the City of Cape Town, they have
a separate department with many protocols.
The protocols seemed less strict when She
asked me, ‘’Are you adventurous?’’ I said ‘Yeah,
I guess so’. Then she gave me a knife to cut into a
thick layer of fat. Okay, let’s go back to an earlier
moment. Because she knew that Sea Search
Research and Conservation was doing good
work for marine mammals, she could trust us
better, and my colleagues and I could help with
the whale measurements when It was towed
up ashore. This already took about half an hour,
and I thought the whale could be taken to the
landfill after this, but it wasn’t.
The next step was to cut out the baleen. That’s
some filter-feeding system that all baleen
whales have, instead of teeth. These bristly
baleen plates filter the whales’ favourite prey
from seawater inside their mouths. Baleen
is made out of keratin, the same protein that
makes up our fingernails and hair. The lady
that was in charge didn’t have enough people to
help, so she asked me to cut the baleen with a
blunt knife. Of course, I was totally unprepared
for this. I was wearing all-white shoes, short,
thin sports shorts and one of my favourite
shirts. But yes, I did everything in the name
of marine research. And besides, I was never
going to get this chance again.
I was the one who had to cut deep into the
whale’s mouth, which didn’t work out because
I didn’t know where and how to cut it. During
the cutting, I got some tips, but that didn’t help
very much in the end. A risky fact was that I
had to cut closest to the swollen tongue, which
almost exploded. In the end the baleen series
was removed from the whale with brute force,
the brain juice flew through the air because of
the chainsaw she used instead of the knives.
Look at the right page to get a better picture
of the story. Also take a look at the 5th pic,
where you can see how far the blood covered
my body. By now, my shoes still smell like
whale blood, but I don’t want to get rid of
them because of this memorable story.
16 WORK | A BLOODY WHALE TALE

This article is written with all due respect for the marine mammal, which died due to the illegal placing of
fishing nets in False Bay. As a result, the animal became entangled.
WORK | A BLOODY WHALE TALE
17

Out On The Boat
‘I’m working’ I could tell while I sat on the boat all
day looking for whales and dolphins. If we saw a
dolphin or whale, it was usually my job to fill in the
data form. For instance, I had to describe how often
a whale surfaced, how large a group of dolphins
was, and the behaviour of the animals. On the boat,
I learned to be more alert and to focus on one goal:
spotting marine mammals, that certainly succeeded.
In Namibia, we saw a lot of dolphins. I was there in the
season that there were fewer whales. In Cape Town,
I immediately started working hard for the first few
days. I had about four boat days in a row. Every boat
day in Cape Town was a great success. We saw a lot of
different animals, and we could work well together
as a team. I saw 1200 common dolphins during the
first days, they jumped out of the water and swam
with the boat for hours. The pictures do not do justice
to this moment. Unforgettable.
This page shows which and how many dolphins and
whales I saw.
25
15
10
1200
Common Bottlenose Dolphin
Bronze Whaler Shark
Heaviside’s Dolphin
Common Dolphin
Bryde’s Whale
23
2
Humpback Whale
2
Southern Right Whale
18 WORK | OUT ON THE BOAT

‘‘
I saw 1200 common dolphins during the
first days, they jumped out of the water
and swam with the boat for hours.
False Bay, South Africa

WORKING IN KRUGER
In the middle of Kruger National Park
lies the Southern African Wildlife
College (SAWC), or the College for
short. With a 40-minute drive from
the tourist destination of Hoedspruit
and only passing a couple small,
traditional villages in between it is a
very remote place. Right when you
drive through the outer gates, you
feel like you are entering a special
place. Even before entering the
College’s premises, you can already
spot some of Africa’s wildlife.
There are students for all sorts of
conservation-related programmes,
such as (un)armed field ranger,
dangerous site guide and even
professional hunting. Most of the
students already have a job in
conservation and are going to the
College to acquire some new skills
that they can use in their jobs.
The College itself is basically a
campus how you expect it to be;
but inside a private nature reserve
where you hear the lions roar at
night and elephants regularly come
by the front gate. It consists of two
buildings where students live in small
apartments, a mutual dining room,
several classrooms, offices, research
units and guest houses. On a normal
day, breakfast starts from 7 am until
8 am. For breakfast, lunch and dinner,
there is a buffet where you can get
your food. The first classes start at
around 8.30 am. Students usually get
theory classes, as well as practical
classes, where they go out in the field
and apply their skills there.
Jordy on his mission with SAWC
Text: Jordy de Jong
Apart from training students, the
College is also broadly involved in
several conservation projects. One
example is putting GPS trackers in
rhinos, which is quite an operation.
Firstly, SAWC’ airplane will take-off
and scout the area, looking for the
rhino. After the rhino is spotted, a
helicopter with the vet will take-off
and go to the location of the rhino and
shoot it with a tranquilizer. When the
rhino is losing its consciousness, the
ground team must get to the rhino
and prevent it from falling over by
pushing it. If a rhino falls over, there
is a possibility that it will get a dead
leg, which prevents it from getting
up after the operation is finished and
leaving it vulnerable for predators.
While the ground team is pushing
the rhino, the vet will eventually have
landed and given it an antidote to
slowly let the rhino wake up.
This will give the ground team about
20 minutes to put a GPS tracker in
the horn and acquiring DNA material.
After 20 minutes, the rhino will be
able to stand on its legs by itself and
won’t be vulnerable anymore. The job
is than done and the air and ground
teams can return to the College.
The work that SAWC is doing is
essential to Africa’s wildlife. Both
training students and doing
conservation operations make such
a big difference. Revolutionary ideas
and methods can be tested at the
College and spread to other national
parks if it proves to be successful. The
Southern African Wildlife College
is therefore an integral part in the
battle against poachers and other
threats to wildlife.
WORK | WORKING IN KRUGER

HEATSTROKE?!
Sossusvlei, Namibia

Deadvlei is the most remarkable sight in the Namib Desert and one of
the most impressive views of Africa. As the temperatures are above
40°C on average, most people may think that hiking Big Daddy is
best to do in early mornings or late afternoons when the sun starts
to dawn. Big Daddy is the highest dune overlooking the saltpan of
Deadvlei. Well, Jack, Anna and me weren’t thinking like those people.
We started the morning slowly with a dip in the pool, breakfast on our
gas stove and enjoying the surrounding views on our campsite. We
wanted to hike Big Daddy this day.
Around 11 we left for Deadvlei with our 2WD. At the entrance of the
park, we heard that we had to park our car halfway to continue with
a tractor, the roads were too sandy and unpaved. We started the hike
at about 11.30. After only half an hour, we realized what a huge climb
we had taken on. The African sun was only getting hotter and hotter.
And on top of that my water bottle was getting emptier. To reach the
top it took about 2 hours for us, and I think I ran out of water halfway.
I continued at my tempo and soon found out that Jack and Anna were
way ahead of me. We couldn’t go back, we were far over halfway, there
was no shade nearby, the sun reflected upwards from the sand, and
the sunlight couldn’t be subdued by the clouds either. What also kills
is the soft sand into which you sink and slide downwards. It was
heavy but once arrived at the top the struggles were forgotten for a
moment, thanks to the 360° view over Deadvlei and surrounding the
Namib Desert. The dune panoramas are unreal. The rising sun causes
one side of the dunes to glow a fiery red, while the other is entirely in
the shadows.
After enjoying the views and resting from the big climb, it was time
to go down from Big Daddy, the 325-meter high dune. Going down
took about 5 minutes, it’s much easier to walk down through the soft
shifting sand. Jack and Anna ran down like an oryx chased by a desert
lion. But I felt nauseous and suffered from the drought and heat, so I
walked slower. Once we arrived at the foot of the dune, it took at least
another half an hour before we had crossed Deadvlei. The saltpan
which is white, bright and blinding; fractured by huge cracks scarring
its surface. But still, I had to take my rest moments not to pass out.
What a relief when we got to the place where the tractor would pick
us up again, here was also the only tree in the region, finally some
cooling! But oh man what a terrible drive back we had from there
back to our car. The driver didn’t let the uneven sandy grounds stop
him. I felt increasingly worse. I was so happy when we arrived at our
tent after an exhaustive day. It started to get dark, and the swimming
pool was luckily not heated. Despite my complaints, the 2-hour climb
and the five minutes of bouncing down to the bottom are absolutely
worth it. The Claypan is characterized by dark, dead camel thorn trees
contrasted against the white pan floor. The trees are estimated to be
approximately 900 years old. However, they have not decomposed
due to the dry climate. It is not for nothing a photographic paradise.
Here’s a tip: Take enough water with you, some sunscreen and a hat.
Also, don’t forget to avoid the hottest times of the day ;)
23

NO SIGNAL
I was heading to Sossusvlei with my roommates,
Jack and Anna. We had rented the cheapest
Golf Polo (2WD) for a weekend to save costs.
Without investigating the roads and other useful
preparations, we drove off. Soon we came to the
conclusion that there are no asphalt roads for
most of the route from Walvis Bay to Sesriëm. By
the way, this trip took more than 4 hours. Now it
was only a few more kilometres before we arrived
at the campsite, after a long but beautiful ride.
We had lasted a long time on the bumpy roads
without problems. Still, we couldn’t escape with
our heavily loaded 2WD car, and so we got our first
popped tire. I wasn’t even mad. My first popped
tire, I guess this is real Africa. Jack taught me how
to change a tire, but I couldn’t do this without the
help of passing drivers who gave tips to jack(pun
intended) up the car in the soft sand. Luckily we
still had a spare tire. After about an hour, it was
repaired, but in the meantime, we had lost Anna,
who walked to the nearest rest camp to ask for
help. A little further on, we ran into her again. We
spent a couple of great days in Sossusvlei but didn’t
think about getting a new spare tire at the local
tire service of Sesriem.
After the weekend, we headed home. I was waiting
in the back of the car almost until things went
wrong, I have nothing to say about Jack’s driving
just the roads. Luckily we left early because
halfway the route, we had our second flat tire. And
this time we didn’t have a spare.
This time I wasn’t that happy. I was quite hungry,
there was no camp around us, and there was no
phone signal. We tried to get passers to stop, but
that didn’t work out, we walked to a higher spot
for a more reliable signal and so on. Luckily we
were able to kill time, thanks to the box of wine we
still had. A friendly local came from the middle of
nowhere with a cold beer. And our phones would
occasionally pick up some signals. Luckily we were
able to get hold of the tire service in Walvis Bay.
‘’Yes, we’ll be there in 2 hours,” they said. After
(almost) 5 long hours, they came. In a car where
I was surprised they didn’t get a blowout, mainly
because they were heavily overweight, but yes,
they came to help us, you take that for granted.
Even though they were so late. The local was still
with us, unlike us, he didn’t agree at all with the
two tire suppliers’ work. With a few swear words in
Afrikaans, he made it clear that these two needed
to do better. As a precaution, we got an extra tire
for the rest of the 2-hour return trip, which lasted
about 9 hours all in all.
24 ADVENTURE | NO SIGNAL

CAPE TO
KRUGER
THE DETOUR
Jordy and I had already planned to travel from Cape Town to Kruger National Park, long before
our trip to Africa. We knew that we would do that the last three weeks of our trip, but we didn’t
know how yet. After some talks with the locals, we found out that it is not the safest and most
reliable way to drive from the west coast to the east side of South Africa. Our next plan was to
fly one part of the trip and drive the other part. We actually wanted to drive the Garden Route,
which is about from Cape Town to Port Elisabeth. When we almost reached the end of our
internships, we had to make a choice. I trusted Jordy to make a final decision, and he came
up with the suggestion to travel from Cape to Kruger via Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe.
I wasn’t immediately excited about the cost of this trip, but I never had any regrets that we
chose this trip after all.
DAY 1
After a long drive, we arrived in a deserted clearing in Gobabis. Apparently, it was a campsite,
but that didn’t feel like it at all. A bit further down the road lived the San People, we spent the
evening together, learned to make fire and enjoyed the sky full of stars.
DAY 2
After an incredibly cold night, much-needed campfire and morning coffee we left Namibia
for Botswana at 7 am. We arrived at Guma Lagoon Camp at around 5 pm. At this peaceful and
relaxing place, we could enjoy views over the Okavango Delta.
DAY 3
We did a day tour through the Okavango. We started with a speedboat to a calmer and
narrower side branch of the Kaokhe River to be guided by locals in a wooden canoe (mokoro).
In the evening we did an extra boat tour and even held some baby crocodiles.
DAY 4
Another early departure after breakfast with a view on surfacing hippos and crocs. This day we
drove through the Caprivi Strip and were welcomed by a road crossing herd of elephants. After
a nice game drive, we arrived at our campsite and were guided by locals.
DAY 5
On to Chobe National Park, another long drive took us to a more luxury resort where we
camped. We did a last-minute game drive this day, and were overloaded with hundreds,
maybe thousands of elephants bathing along and in the Zambezi river.
DAY 6
This morning we started early with a game drive. We saw big groups of buffalo, impala and
hippos. Still, unfortunately, we were sitting in the same car with annoying bird people. Because
of this, we stopped way too long at every flying creature.
ADVENTURE | CAPE TO KRUGER THE DETOUR
25

DAY 7
On our way to Victoria Falls, we were stuck in traffic by a blocking herd of elephants.
When we arrived at the Zimbabwean border post, we had to wait for a long time and paid
a lot of money to cross the border. We arrived in a village where I didn’t feel at ease.
DAY 8
We didn’t do that much. We certainly didn’t go back to the National Park to see the
overprized falls, and we didn’t participate in any of the extreme (expensive) activities.
Jordy and I could spend the day with our travel companions, three Americans.
DAY 9
I’ve never been so happy to leave a vacation spot. From the airport in Victoria Falls we flew
to Johannesburg and stayed in our first AirBNB, in Pretoria. There wasn’t much to do, but
we were here mainly to rest for a while, which was necessary after I crashed my tailbone.
DAY 10
A scenic drive along the breathtaking South African landscapes brought us to Catkhin
Park, Central Drakensberg. We slept in our next Airbnb, a recreated African hut. It had a
perfect location, close to a bar and overlooking the Drakensberg.
DAY 11
At the only restaurant in town, we had our breakfast. After that, we went to Royal Natal,
Northern Drakensberg, without doing some research on the possible hiking trails. The
staff told us that we could do the Gudu Falls trail, where we almost got lost. But it was fun.
DAY 12
And back on the road to our next destination, Nelspruit. An Airbnb where usually otters
occur, but unfortunately we had no luck this time. In Nelspruit, we also visited the
botanical gardens, which we could have missed for my part.
DAY 13
Finally, we could get started on the Panorma Route. We continued our way to Sabie and
came across a lot of nice landmarks along the way, like the Lone Creek Falls, Wonder View
and Pinnacle Rock. An incredibly beautiful route to drive, with many potholes.
DAY 14
We paused our trip along the Panorama Route with a game drive in the southern Kruger
area. This was one of the best game drives ever. Our guide Maxwell taught us a lot about
animals and nature and also quizzed us whether we were listening.
DAY 15
We continued along the Panorama Route, starting from a peculiar AirBNB. Our host at
the next Airbnb, Melody, taught us a lot about the area and its history. We went to Blyde
Canyon, A Forever Resort for a coffee, but that ended in an unexpected hike.
DAY 16
The last part of the Panorama Route we drove to the Echo Caves, specular caves with
rock art and rock formations. Finally, we drove to our very final destination, the Southern
African Wildlife College. Here Jordy had good connections so we could stay for a low price.
26 ADVENTURE | CAPE TO KRUGER THE DETOUR

DAY 17
We also got food at a low price, breakfast was delicious, and it was also magical to sleep in
the middle of Kruger and hear lions roar at night. Since it was an educational institute, they
couldn’t guide us around the Park, so we did a self-drive game drive.
DAY 18
Because the weather was a bit worse last time we visited Blyde River Canyon, we decided to
revisit this landmark on the Panorama Route. We couldn’t do much at the institute anyway.
We also went to the Chubby Pig, my favourite restaurant in the region.
DAY 19
We could enjoy the pool and enjoy the surroundings, but for the rest, there was nothing on
the planning. We were kinda hoping that we would get a free flight above the Kruger area,
but that was not possible in the end, we still owe it though.
DAY 20
It was our last day, and we had to prepare for several flights in the coming days. With the first
one from of a small airport in Hoedspruit back to Cape Town, via Johannesburg. This day I
realized that it was all over.
ADVENTURE | CAPE TO KRUGER THE DETOUR
27

CAMPING IN THE WILD
‘‘ Around 3 o’clock, we decided to sleep outside of
our tent to fall asleep while looking at the stars.
29

SPITZKOPPE
Just a short camping trip to
Spitzkoppe with my roommate
Jack. That’s one of Namibia’s most
recognizable landmarks. It took me
a while to convince him because of
his work schedule. When I did, we
told each other that we didn’t want
to google what we had to expect and
where we would spend the night.
That turned out to be one of the best
plans ever. After about 2 hours,
we arrived in a quiet community
with slums and two campsites. We
chose Spitzkoppe Tented Camp, to
be exact on campsite 10. At the foot
of the 1728m high mountain range,
we put up our tent and started the
braai, in between we could enjoy
passing dassies and a spectacular
sunset. After the braai, we sat by the
campfire talking to local security
guards who had great stories about
the surroundings. The starry night
was phenomenal. I had never seen
anything as beautiful as this. Jack
and I tried to experiment with the
shutter speed on our cameras to
make the most beautiful pictures of
the milky way. Around 3 o’clock, we
decided to sleep outside of our tent
to fall asleep while looking at the
stars.
KAROO
Coen came up with the idea to join
the ‘survival experience’ that agency
4exchange organized in the Karoo.
This was an experience intended
for students who arranged their
internships through the company,
but outsiders were also very
welcome. After reading the itinerary,
Coen, Jordy, and I went along. We
arrived at Roam Private Game
Reserve after about 7 hours and
stayed in a tented camp, with about
25 students. The whole weekend we
were taken care of by excellent staff
members and safari guides. Many
wild animals wandered through
the area, also past and through the
campsite. During the day, we did a lot
of activities; game drives, shooting
handguns and AK-47, man tracking,
and cheetah tracking. And in the
evenings, we could enjoy the starry
night, the moonrise, and the beers
by the campfire. Jordy and I were
often the last ones remaining at
the campfire with our self-brought
Amarula.
BOTSWANA
Camping in Botswana is excellent.
Jordy and I joined a nine-day
camping trip through Namibia,
Botswana, and Zimbabwe. The tour
operator, African Wild dog Safaris,
arranged the tent and mattress.
They weren’t of the best quality, but
the surroundings where we stayed
made up for everything. We also
didn’t get the memo to bring a pillow.
But after a few days, we were used
to that as well. We slept in different
places during the trip. In the open
savannah, along the Zambezi River
overlooking elephants, near the
Okavango Delta surrounded by
hippos and crocodiles and in the busy
touristy spot, Victoria Falls. At the
campsites in Botswana, there was
always a warning sign for hippos
and crocodiles. This meant that they
could walk around the campgrounds
at night. Luckily I never ran into one
at the campsite, but it could make my
story more interesting.
30 ADVENTURE | CAMPING IN THE WILD

WORK | HUH A SURPRISE
Spitzkoppe, Namibia

THE LEAST FAVORITE
VICTORIA FALLS
The mighty Falls, discovered by David
Livingstone in 1855, is one of 7 natural
wonders of the world. However, there
are disadvantages to this postmark
which for me and many others find the
place less enjoyable. To summarize my
story: I don’t advise you to go to
Victoria Falls.
I don’t mean to say that I don’t
understand that it is one of the natural
wonders. The 1708 meters wide and
100 meters high waterfalls are
beautiful, the surrounding flora and
fauna make it even more enchanting.
But how could one of the poorest
countries have made a place so
commercial and profitable? In the
village Victoria Falls, where we stayed,
there is no cheap restaurant to be
found, and a beer easily costs double,
compared to cities like Cape Town.
32

We arrived in a small but lively village.
We were on our way to our campsite. The
tents were already set up, and we slept
together with dozens of other guests in a
kind of tent village. It was a pity that the
resort was still under construction, so
there was nothing else to do but tap the
wifi in the communal area. It was not the
only place being renovated, many places
in the village Victoria Falls are trying to
develop resorts, restaurants, and other
tourism resources.
Before you arrive at the National Park,
you’ll walk past a lot of locals trying to
sell their craft souvenirs. Once you arrive
at the park, you’ll have to dig deep into
your wallet to pay the entrance fee of 30USD,
and if you want a coffee inside you’ll have to add
5USD. Furthermore, the park is not safe, you’d
say the cliffs have fences, but that’s not true. A
30-centimetre high pile of old branches must
be able to withstand falls and other accidents.
Accidents happen here where people fall out of the
abyss and then get eaten by crocodiles.
Apparently, a year before our arrival, a restaurant
in Victoria Falls had burned down. But in the
meantime, the park staff hasn’t told us anything
about it. So we were looking for a restaurant that
would have ‘the best view of the waterfalls’ for
nothing. This restaurant was also outside the park
so we could not go back and eventually paid about
1USD per minute in the Victoria Falls National
Park.
Okay, I’ll finish up positive. Victoria Falls
provides the most beautiful view of
Zimbabwe. You have a DHL service that can
send one of many souvenirs to your home
address. As you walk through the park
you’ll get a refreshing fog over you, It’s nice
when it’s too hot. It is the only place where
it’s raining year-round. And if you have
enough money, you will not get bored easily
by the many activities in the region.
I’m not the one who’s gonna give you some
travel advice in the end. If you want to go
to Victoria Falls anyway, you have to do it.
I’m not stopping you, that’d be weird. But
know that you’ll lose a lot of money or be
scammed by one of the sly locals.
ADVENTURE | THE LEAST FAVORITE VICTORIA FALLS

A scenic route along some of the most photogenic
panoramas of South Africa. You can drive the entire route in
about 2 to 3 days. The spots we visited are as follows:
1. Nelspruit - This capital of Mpumalanga is located close to
Kruger and the start of the Panorama Route.
2. Lowveld Botanical Gardens - A botanical garden with a
wide variety of flora, a rainforest, and waterfalls.
3. Sabie - A tranquil forestry village situated on the banks of
the Sabie River.
4. Lone Creek Falls
4. Lone Creek Falls - One of the most well-known
landmarks in the region with a height of 70m.
5. Mac Mac Falls - These 65m high waterfalls, further from
the road, are visible from a platform.
6. Graskop - The so-called centre of the Panoramic
Route. A small town, amidst several natural gems.
7. Wonder View - As it says, a wonderful view, over the Lowveld.
Don’t expect much besides a narrow viewpoint.
8. God’s Window - This viewpoint offers a view down more
than 900m into a lush ravine covered with native forests.
8. God’s Window
9. The Pinnacle Rock - Offers another beautiful view with a
big erosion-resistant rock in the foreground.
10. Lisbon Falls - With a height of 92m it is the highest
waterfall in the province, Mpumalanga.
11. Berlin Falls - The 80m high waterfall can be seen with
green waters set off by the surrounding red cliffs.
9. The Pinnacle Rock
12. The Chubby Pig - An excellent restaurant with friendly
staff, charming scenery and good food.
13. Bourke’s Luck Potholes - Slightly too touristic
geological attraction formed by water erosion.
14. Lowveld View - This viewpoint over Blyde River Canyon is
free, unlike other points on the route.
15. Three Rondavels
15. Three Rondavels View Point - One of the largest
canyons on earth, and three rounded peaks.
16. Blyde Canyon, A Forever Resort - A versatile resort with
opportunities for one of the many adventurous hikes.
17. Echo Caves - These are one of the oldest caves in the
world. The mysterious caves were discovered in the 1920s.
ADVENTURE | PHOTOGENIC PANORAMA ROUTE
15. Three Rondavels

WHO ‘S THE
PREDATOR
Sharks aren’t dangerous. This may be an
unpopular opinion, but it’s actually true.
Is one thing that Coen and I learned when
we went cage diving with the White Shark
Diving Company. A lot of people are afraid
of sharks, thanks to the releases of films like
Jaws. But shark-related incidents are rare.
Sharks are not mindless killers, as they are
often portrayed.
Many places in the world offer safe
encounters with the animals. South Africa
is a popular destination when it comes to
white shark encounters.
The number of sharks killed by humans
is much more than the number of sharks
killing humans. There are more reasons
for sharks to be afraid of people than the
other way around. Just look at the statistics.
Estimates from the Marine Policy magazine
suggest that about 100 million sharks get
brutally killed by humans every year. Based
on the estimate of 100 million deaths, we
can conclude that 11.000 sharks get killed
per hour worldwide. The International Shark
Attack File investigated 140 alleged sharkhuman
interactions worldwide in 2019. ISAF
confirmed 64 unprovoked shark attacks on
humans and 41 confirmed provoked attacks.
There are so many animals imaginable that
are more harmful to mankind.
An article in the International Shark Attack
File calculates that humans have one in 3.7
million chances of being killed by a shark.
Your trip to the beach is 132 times more
likely to end in death by drowning, and 290
times more likely to cause a deadly boating
accident. The threat to sharks is obvious. As
of 2010, the number of shark species has
decreased by 50 to 90 percent and up to
one-third of sharks can be threatened with
extinction. Sharks are considered apex
predators, so they play a central role in the
health of the oceans.
There are ways for humans to help rather
than hurt sharks. One option is to educate
others, for example, through an educational
event at a local school or community centre.
Shark White Diving Company is one of
those organizations. Another way to help
is to reduce your consumption of fish. The
fish industry resorts to the use of aggressive
fishing methods in combination with a high
demand for fish.
Cage diving with sharks is undoubtedly
an extreme and cool experience. But I
understand that many people are against
it and defend animal welfare. I expect
that issue to last forever. Apart from the
adrenaline rush I got from being faced with
an over 3-meter long shark, I appreciated
the fact that during this activity I learned
a lot about the different shark species and
the behaviour of the animals. This is an
essential factor in cage diving. It should be
educational. Zoos are also focused on this. If
there are no educational aspects in a zoo, it
might as well be called a circus.
Check out the species of sharks we saw
during the cage dive:
14
1
Bronze Whaler
Great White
36 ACTIVE | WHO ‘S THE PREDATOR

iking
HIKING
THE the
MOUNTAINS
Mountains
Just a little bluffing and you’ll end up in
a private nature reserve. Some friends from
Gansbaai told us that we had to go to Vogelgat
for a hike. That would be worth it. But to
get in, you have to be a member of a club or
something like that. Eventually, we came in
with some lies, we hiked for a few hours and
didn’t see any people!
Vogelgat Private Nature Reserve, South Africa

HIKING THE
Lions Head
TABLE MOUNTAIN
Table Mountain is known as one of Cape
Town’s if not the most popular attraction.
There are several paths to find your way
up. For the more lazy ones, there is a
cable car. A disadvantage of the cable car
is that it makes it accessible for big
groups of people to get up the mountain
for a low price to enjoy a scenic view.
Because of this, it can be bustling at this
part of the mountain, with restaurants
and other facilities. One day we found
ourselves waiting in line for the cable
car to go down, which took Coen and me
about 3 hours. The way up, we hiked via
Platteklip Gorge. Other hiked trails are
the Pipetrack and Skeleton Gorge. The last
one is definitely worth a visit!
the
LIONS HEAD
Hiking
M
Hiking Lions Head is essential when you’re
in Cape Town. The short but scenic trails
will offer you a 360° view over the Mother
City. I would say that Lions Head provides
the best view in Town. From Lions Head,
you have a sight of the 12 Apostles,
the City Bowl, Camps Bay, and so much
more. When it is clear, you can see Table
Mountain NP as far as Cape Point. It is
also a great walk, probably the best, at
sunrise and sunset, when the temperatures
are more bearable and refreshing. I have
climbed the mountain several times, both
at sunrise and sunset. My favourite was to
walk early at dawn, we enjoyed a magical
reddish-purple sky, and we still had a
full day to do something else.
Lions Head
Jonkershoek
JONKERSHOEK
Stellenbosch might sound like paradise,
a city full of wine estates, cape dutch
architecture, and surrounded by mountains.
Jonkershoek Nature Reserve is one of the
nature parks in this region, where there
is a wide variety of trails. A hike to the
1st waterfall and 2nd waterfall is worth a
visit! In a few hours, you will reach the
most beautiful places. From the gate, it
is still about 5 km walk to the beginning
of this trail. Ideally, you can hitchhike
for this. Then the hike goes more uphill,
and in between, you can take a dip in one
of the natural pools and enjoy waterfalls
and valleys. Jonkershoek is also great for
mountain biking. The reserve is suitable
for all ages.
>
Jonkershoek
38
ACTIVE | HIKING THE MOUNTAINS

ountains
MOUNTAINS
VOGELGAT
Vogelgat Nature Reserve is perfect for the
passionate hiker, camper, and photographer
because of the waterfalls and the unique
views. It is a natural gem. We started a hike
and had no idea where the paths would lead
us. Along the way, we came across streams,
rocks, steep descents, and waterfalls that we
had to climb. We were surrounded by greenery
and rock formations. After a few hours, it
looked like we were approaching the end of
the path, but nothing was further from the
truth. The trail ended at an incredibly high
waterfall where we took a refreshing dip.
We first had to climb two other flowing
cascades, with our camera equipment and
casual clothes.
Vogelgat
Vogelgat
Drakensberg
DRAKENSBERG
The Drakensberg Mountain Range is one of South
Africa’s most spectacular natural wonders,
with a variety of the most breathtaking
views. It is the highest mountain range in
the country and reaches an impressive 3,482
meters above sea level. The countless walks
throughout the Drakensberg vary in skill
and fitness requirements. To fully enjoy the
scenery, it is advisable to do multi-day
hikes, but even as a day-tourist, it is not
to be missed. Jordy and I stayed in Catkin
Park, Central Drakenberg, and did a short
hike at Monks Cowl. But our favourite was
the full day hike in Royal Natal, which is
located more up north. Where we hiked the
Cascades and Gudu Falls trail.
39
Drakensberg

LOST ON TABLE MOUNTAIN
8 May 2019 was an important day for many South Africans. It was election day
for national and provincial elections. President Cyril Ramaphosa had urged all
citizens to celebrate this day as a public holiday. Because there was a chance of
riots and other turbulent activities, many people advised not to go to the city.
Coen and I saw our chance, now that we were free from work, not to listen to
this advice and to climb the Table Mountain via Skeleton Gorge. This hike lasts
typically 4 hours, but certainly not for us. We started the hike around 11.30 am at
Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, where it was already hushed by the way. Soon
we found out that there weren’t many other hikers with the same idea as us. I
think we met two other people throughout the whole hike. What we also realized
quickly was that the weather was not for hiking, it was rainy and way too cloudy.
We couldn’t even see the tabletop of the mountain. The next less convenient point
was that the night before we had a beer contest with friends from Cape Town, so
we weren’t top fit. At least I wasn’t.
About the weather, we both hesitated a lot during the hike if we should or
shouldn’t go back. We didn’t know the way as it was our first time on this trail.
And actually, we were not advised to hike with just
the two of us, for safety reasons. But as adventurous
as we are, we continued without too many stops.
We didn’t have enough water either. We walked
through a mysterious kind of rainforest that became
even more mysterious by the low hanging fog and
soaring humidity. We thought it was pretty cool,
but I thought ‘how are we ever gonna get through
this’. Sometimes the fog was so dense that I couldn’t
even see Coen anymore. Because the GPS signal also
became weaker and weaker, it became more and
more difficult to find our way around. A bit later we
found out that we had to go down the more familiar
Platteklip Gorge trail, but then we had to find it first.
It took hours before we ..
.. could partially recognize the area that was visible up to 20 meters.
Something in us still thought that the restaurants might be open to fill
up our water, and maybe even take the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway
down. But nothing was further from the truth. We had to find our way to
the starting point of Platteklip Gorge, which is usually about 5 minutes
from the Cableway. It took us over an hour to find our way there.
What luck when we recognized the trail again. A couple of weeks earlier
we hiked up Platteklip Gorge, but then there was still plenty of sunlight,
and now there was thick fog and light rain. The kind of natural stairs
of big boulders didn’t make the climb down any easier. The chance of
slipping was high, and so it happened several times. It was a race against
the clock to get to the parking lot before dark. Finally, after a long hike,
we arrived fifteen minutes before dark, at 5.45 pm and immediately
ordered an Uber. The Uber driver told us that several people got lost
earlier and sometimes had to be fetched by helicopter.
40
ACTIVE | LOST ON TABLE MOUNTAIN

Atlantis, South Africa
DRIFTING THE DUNES
The Atlantis dunes are a hotspot for the adventurous. Just
a 45-minute drive from Cape Town you will find these
mesmerizing pure white dunes. The dunes are known for
activities like sandboarding, quad biking, extreme 4WD rides
and self-drive tours.
Together with Frank, Jordy and Coen, I booked a quad bike
tour at Headout Adventures. A company that arranges multiple
extreme activities in and around Cape Town. We had our
appointment at 1 o’clock, so we went to the person where we
had an appointment to get information, a helmet and the quad.
But, the slightly irritated man didn’t know anything. All 4 of
us weren’t in the system. And at this time there were only two
other places in the group of 10 people. The next two had to wait
another 2 hours. We accepted the offer and Frank and Coen
joined the first batch, A group of semi-influencers from Africa.
ACTIVE | DRIFTING THE DUNES

To their regret, this tour went a bit slower thanks to the many pictures the influencers wanted to take
and the limited skills that many of them had.
Jordy and I could still join the quad tour an hour earlier. To our great luck, the rest of the group didn’t
show up, so this trip was only for Jordy and me. It was a pretty quiet day on the dunes, there were
a couple of jeeps, and 1 group was sandboarding. And because only Jordy and I were in the group,
there was only one guide with us, who drove in front and indicated that we had to keep up the, pretty
slow, pace. Jordy agreed, but that’s not what I paid for. I was riding in the back, so I could reduce my
speed to then catch up at full speed while drifting. What a luck that the guide never looked behind
him. Jordy had ridden a quad before on #kreta, but I couldn’t see that of him. In his slow pace, he
drove over the hilly landscape. At one semi-steep dune, he couldn’t cope and fell over including his
quad. After which even the guide couldn’t hold back his laughter.
I would highly recommend hiring your jeep and watching the sunset from the dunes, without being
dependent on tour guides and restrictions. Although I didn’t do this, it seems fun.
ACTIVE | DRIFTING THE DUNES
43

IN SEARCH OF A LEOPARD
By the end of my journey through Africa,
I had still not seen a leopard. My only
goal for Africa was spotting the elusive
leopard. By this time, I only had a chance to
see one in the Kruger National Park. After
some Google-ing, Jordy and I found out that
leopards are more likely to be seen in the
southern part of Kruger, there where wildlife
is more abundant. Especially near the Sabie
Sand River. So there we went, on a full-day
game drive from 5 am to 5 pm.
Kruger National Park, South Africa

ENCOUNTER 1 ENCOUNTER 2 ENCOUNTER 3
It was still very early. We
were enjoying the rising
sun and the abundance of
animals that became active
at the beginning of this
morning when we suddenly
slowed down. Our guide
Maxwell drove backwards at
full speed and pointed to
the right side of the jeep
(my side). I took a good
look and saw a LEOPARD(!!)
hiding in golden grass.
The leopard was well
camouflaged, so the first
pictures were unclear. But
he started walking towards
our car! We had the best
spot of the many vehicles
that had spotted the rare
animal. The leopard walked
on just 2 meters away from
our car and then ran away,
behind the vehicle. What a
good start of this morning,
such a close sighting.
After some great sightings,
we saw a big congestion
of cars on the road. That
usually meant that you could
see a leopard, cheetah,
or other elusive animals.
And yes, it was our second
leopard, walking in the
bushes. My heart was still
beating faster from the
first sighting. And again,
I could see the leopard on
my side of the jeep, about
20 meters away. He also
stayed at that distance
and seemed to notice
nothing of the dozens of
cars he was surrounded by.
This leopard might have
been looking for an Impala
as prey, but that didn’t
let the herd of impalas
happen, he was chased away
by some peculiar noises.
The adrenaline was pumping
through me.
Okay, now we’d seen two
leopards in over an hour.
There was no need for
anything more to happen to
me. I was already fulfilled
and excited for the whole
day. But just another
hour later, our guide
stopped the car to look to
the left, ‘I think we’re
looking at some birds here’
he said. But my attention
immediately went to the
tree where Maxwell was
standing next to. Hidden
in the overgrown tree, I
saw an innocent-looking
head of our 3rd leopard.
The sounds from other cars
frightened the animal, and
he quickly climbed out of
the tree. Jordy and I were
non-stop making photos
without paying attention
to our camera and settings.
It was so crazy.
WILD | IN SEARCH OF A LEOPARD

WORK | HUH A SURPRISE

Etosha National Park, Namibia

WORK | HUH A SURPRISE

Chobe National Park, Botswana

Kruger National Park, South Africa
51

Text: Niell Fletcher
THE HEART OF CHOBE
On an early morning we had to rise before the sun
to make our run on the river. Getting up that early is
always like taking a silver stake through my heart.
It is a reminder that no matter how transcendent
life can be in the best of times, it’s diametrically
opposed truth, will be just around the corner—-
usually still in the dark of night—–when we must
arise, unnaturally, by alarm or by an undesired
voice: “hey, get up! We’ve got to get going!” Ugh! It
makes me want to cry for the pain. It is the clearest
reminder to me, that I am still a biological creature,
on the physical plane, one lacking all self-discipline.
Our rise was so miserably early that I protested by
not eating anything provided for breakfast. I just
thought, ‘to hell with it! I’ll teach them!’. Of course,
by mid-morning I regretted my obstinance.
The heart of Chobe National Park is the Chobe
River. It must be one of the richest swaths of land
suitable to wild Africa. One hundred fifty years
ago it was still too wild for man to control! A white
man would go into that region and it was probably
for ivory though tracking elephants would not
have been fun or easy, and malaria would be the
consolation. How the world has changed.
By the time I was up and into any kind of gear,
everyone else was gone: Jordy, Estevan, Don, and
Sierran. They simply had left me, not caring that I
was secretly, inconsolably protesting. I had about
a quarter of a mile to hike back to the main lodge
where people were catching their designated
boats on the Chobe River. By this time I was awake
and things were beginning to look a little more
promising. If the day before had been good for
viewing wildlife, this was comparatively the preeminent
experience because now we would be
viewing from the inside out, from the river onto
the land, and up close.
52 WILD | THE HEART OF CHOBE

solar eclipse. Chobe bordered on those numbers.
There are supposedly 120,000 elephants in Chobe
National Park, and it is not unusual for a herd of 1,000
elephants to be feeding along the banks of the Chobe
River.
Today one can view how special it must have
looked safely from the deck of an observation boat,
magnificent herds of the largest land animals on earth,
grazing in and along the river banks, with predators:
the big cats, hyenas, wild dogs and crocodiles culling
mostly the old, weak, sick, and young from groups
of otherwise healthy and vibrant wildlife. There
was so much wild life that in the days of yore until
most recently, we took it for granted, believing there
really was no limit to how much we could take, or
even worse, not thinking enough about what we were
doing to even really care. As a youth, I was much the
same way. I hunted birds with my BB gun and very
few adults ever gave it much thought. Wildlife was
something most people just took for granted. It has
always been here and, we assumed, it would more
or less, always be here. So to see these wild parks as
large as some of our states was a real treat.
The boat chugged up the river like the African
Queen. Of course wildlife was everywhere, but the
pilot knew the river best and he knew where the best
viewing was going to be. Jordy and Estevan were on
the upper deck, alone in the early morning sunshine,
snapping photos like they were working on a deadline
for National Geographic’s last issue on Africa. I know
the feeling, the enthusiasm, and I can only look with
envy at their unmitigated exuberance. This was a
true pleasure cruise.
‘‘Jordy and Estevan were on the upper deck, alone
in the early morning sunshine, snapping photos
like they were working on a deadline for National
Geographic’s last issue on Africa.’’
What a great pleasure looking out across the
marshlands of a river and seeing herds of cape water
buffalo, African elephants, and antelope too numerous
to count, co-existing with vast groups of other nondomesticated
herbivores. I have occasionally seen
bats and flocks of wild birds in such numbers. I have
swam with unimaginably large schools of sardines,
and I have been lucky enough to observe unrelenting
herds of wildebeest. I know of boundless herds
of caribou in the arctic, and I have read about epicsized
herds of bison on the North American plains in
the 19th century, but for the most part, seeing wild
animals in big numbers is as rare as witnessing a total
WILD | THE HEART OF CHOBE
53

Buffelsfontein Game & Nature Reserve, South Africa
NOT SO WILDLIFE When we arrived at the lion’s cage where they were roaring, the animals
made an unbelievable impression on me, probably because of the 30 centimetres gap between
us. Later I thought ‘this doesn’t seem right’.

It’s great that it’s possible to get a wildlife
experience near Cape Town. For instance,
I’ve been to Buffelsfontein Game & Nature
Reserve. That is a game farm with animals like
rhinos, lions, giraffes and more. They also have
a black panther that still licked my hand, don’t
ask me why. Glad that they give people who
don’t go to Kruger National Park the chance
to see wildlife, but for none of these animals
in this their natural habitat. The animals are
purchased and released in a big ranch. Wildlife
trading is a big thing in Africa. Aquila Private
Game Reserve is also one of the wildlife parks
around Cape Town with animals that live in a
recreated habitat. The animals do have a good
life there. They are being fed, taking cared of
and protected. Especially the rhinos, who need
24/7 protection from armed game rangers, to
prevent poaching activity. What a crazy world
we live in.
I can compare my experiences at these two
parks with the real wildlife parks like Kruger,
Chobe and Etosha. There is a huge difference.
At the recreated parks in the Western Cape,
the guides can guarantee that you will see
certain animals and there are often luxury
resorts, wellness centres and more facilities.
Also, it doesn’t feel like you’ll get an unexpected
encounter with your favourite animals in the
open air and in the real game reserves it does.
It feels like you are visiting the animals in their
natural habitat, which it is.
It is difficult to make up an opinion about the
recreated wildlife parks, I don’t know enough
about the parks, and it’s operations to be
able to do so. What I do know is that Etosha,
Chobe and Kruger are naturally wonderful and
that you can do the same game drive for days,
which results in totally different experiences and
encounters. At Buffelsfontein and Aquila, this is
certainly not the case.
All over Africa, humans’ actions have devastating
consequences. Think of mismanaged hunting
and poaching. In South-Africa, the most
animals are exported as trophies from all African
countries. Trophy hunting is the activity in which
wild animals are hunted and killed to display
the animal or parts of the animal. Canned
hunting is also popular in the country, which is
trophy hunting but even easier. Predators are
bred in cages or confined areas specifically for
hunting. Last year, the International Network for
Animals reported that as many as 6,000 lions
had been stockpiled for hunters.
WILD | NOT SO WILDLIFE
55

HE STOLE MY PHONE
Cape Town, South Africa. The first time I
went, there was in 2018, and that moment I
immediately knew that I was going to do my
internship there in 2019. While on holiday in
2018 I found out how beautiful the country
was. However, I also noticed that there was
a dark side to that beauty. One of my travel
companions got attacked in Cape Town,
in daylight. Our tour guide told us that it
happened because she looked too much like a
tourist.
‘‘ After talking to him for a moment, he
walked away very randomly. The first
thing I thought: that’s a crazy way to
end a conversation.
When I started my internship in Muizenberg,
I knew right away that I shouldn’t look like
most tourists. Especially when going out in
Long Street, a busy street in the middle of
Cape Town, it was important not to stand out
too much as ‘European’. Even though I was
aware of this, it turned out to be more difficult
than I thought, especially when you drank
a large number of lager beers, Amarula and
Jägerbombs.
After a great night out in Long Street at my
favourite pub, Salt & Pepper, my friends and
I ordered an Uber. However, we had no idea
of which direction the Uber would come. So
I decided to wait on one side of the street
while my friends waited on the other side.
While I was waiting a man came up to me
and complimented me on my pants. I noticed
he was touching my pants, but then I didn’t
realize he felt where I had put my phone.
After talking to him for a moment, he walked
away very randomly. The first thing I thought:
that’s a crazy way to end a conversation.
My instinct immediately told me to check
where my phone was. And yes, it was gone. I
immediately yelled at my friends, who were
across the street,
maybe they had my phone. They didn’t
hear me, so I ran after that guy. It all
happened fast, and I was full of
adrenaline.
“Hey man, do you have my phone”
I asked very polite. He turned
around and yelled “What are you
talking about” and started running
away faster. That was the moment I was sure
he had my phone. I yelled and ran after him.
People around me noticed that I was chasing
him and asked me what was going on. Right
at that moment, I saw my phone sticking out
of his back pocket. Quickly I ran after him and
grabbed my phone out of his back pocket.
The man turned around in shock, probably
because he didn’t expect me to do this. I
shouted ‘You got the wrong guy for this’ and
the pickpocketer ran away.
Afterwards, the bystanders told me how
stupid my action was. But I didn’t realize this
until much later. I was full of adrenaline and
was especially happy that I got my phone
back. What I mainly learned from this whole
adventure is, always put your phone in your
pocket, horizontally. This makes it more
challenging to take out of your pocket.
The level of crime in Cape Town is very
high (numbeo,2020). There are many
pickpocketers, and relatively many
muggers, robbers, and carjackers
compared to other metropolises. But
this doesn’t mean that you are utterly
unsafe in the city. If you follow the
tips described on page 61, you’ll have
a smaller chance of being seen as a
target by criminals. The danger should
not stop you from coming to the city.
Text: Coen Soeteman
LIFESTYLE | HE STOLE MY PHONE
57

CAPE TOWN
WORK | HUH A SURPRISE
Glen Beach, Cape Town, South Africa

A perfect blend of views, cuisines, beaches,
adventures, and so much more. Cape Town is
one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
A metropolis where you can feel at home and
never get bored. Cape Town is known as
‘Mother City’ for its historic role in the growth
of modern South Africa. The city is globally
recognised and very popular amongst
tourists, mainly because of the dominating
Table Mountain. Other famous sights include
Cape of Good Hope; known for the rough sea
and its association with the VOC. Robben
Island; where Nelson Mandela got held in
prison because of South Africa’s apartheid
regime. And Boulders Beach, where more
than 2000 African Pinguins find their home.
When you visit the city, you may never want
to leave. Cape Town has a ‘kak lekker vibe.’

64

Editorial board
Stefan de Hoop
Design and layout
Stefan de Hoop
HOOP’S Magazine is a publication by Stefan de Hoop. The magazine tells
stories about experiences and trips Stefan, and fellow travellers have had.
All stories are written by Stefan de Hoop unless mentioned otherwise.
The photos are made and edited by Stefan de Hoop and Jordy de Jong.
The advertisements in the magazine are not linked to income. They are
designed by Stefan de Hoop himself without the intention to generate
revenue, but to showcase his photos.
We want to express our gratitude to the external collaborators for their
time and providing their stories and photos.
s.dehoop@outlook.com
stefandehoop.com
Stefan de Hoop
Stefan de Hoop
Stefan de Hoop
@stefandehoop
+31 6 22003272
© 2019/2020 Stefan de Hoop, All rights reserved
66
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