“Have you been to Durban yet?” Despite having traveled extensively around South Africa, in a year and a half I had only spent one day in Durban for work. So, I finally booked a weekend away to explore South Africa’s third largest city and a place The New York Times named one of the 50 places to go in 2015. I had great plans for a weekend in Durbs except that when I arrived, I chucked aside all of my plans in favor of lazing around the beach.
I often get asked what I love about safari and besides being in nature away from the hectic pace of city life, I keep returning to the bush to witness the intricacies of animal behavior and learn more about the ingenious and multitude of ways birds, animals, trees, and insects have adapted to their natural surroundings. Londolozi is the first place that I went on a proper safari and I knew after my first visit that I would be back not only because of the superb tracking and guiding, but also because of the camps commitment to the surrounding community and conservation.
Whenever I have a spare couple of days, I escape to the bush to photograph wildlife and forget about the hectic pace of life in Jozi. I have accumulated thousands of photos – only a few of which I have posted on my blog. Recently I went back through all of my 2014 photos and selected a few favorites to post.
South Africa remains one of the best places in the world to see rhinos. In fact, nearly all of the white rhinos in South Africa are direct descendants of a small herd that was discovered in KwaZulu Natal in the late 19th century when they were believed to have been hunted to extinction. Rhinos are under threat again. In late January the South African government announced that 1,215 rhinos had been poached in 2014, a 21% increase over 2013.
Over dinner on our last night together, I asked my parents what their favorite memories were from our six night trip to the Okavango Delta in Botswana. And, in no particular order this is what was mentioned.
According to TripIt, I logged over 382,000 miles to 8 countries and 21 cities in 2014. Traveling has become a way for me to unwind from a hectic work schedule and to meet and interact with people, since my social life in Johannesburg (even after a year) is non-existent. Traveling has allowed me to better understand and connect with the history, cultures, and cuisines of South Africa.