Shaun Douglas

Milorho Hiking Trails: Not What I Expected

I came for a hike. The first thing I did was speed-walk past a bronze face the size of a car wheel, a wire-and-rock figure watching me from the lawn, and a woman made of blue dots with her arms stretched wide — straight to the nearest toilet. Two coffees on the drive will do that to you. To be fair, Milorho Hiking Trails was not what I expected the moment I pulled through the gate. ... Continue Reading

A bridge along the hiking trail at Taroko Trail Park

Taroko Trail Park | More Than Just a Walk in the Park

Fourteen hikers. One new face in the group. The stream at our backs, trees ahead. I took the group photo while the spirits were still high, legs were fresh and smiles were easy. Modderfontein is about thirty minutes from Pretoria — easy enough to feel like a day out, far enough to feel like you've actually left. ... Continue Reading

Sign of Stockyard Salvage Co in Cowboy Town

Cowboy Town: Krugersdorp’s Most Unexpected Day Out

Where do we park? In the distance, a car guard was waving frantically like an aircraft marshaller. I drove towards him slowly; as I got closer, he pointed me left. We found parking in a field — grass underfoot, music already carrying from somewhere ahead, and more cars than I expected for a Friday, until I remembered it was a public holiday. ... Continue Reading

Brown Lions at the Bothongo Rhino and Lion Nature Reserve

Bothongo Rhino & Lion Nature Reserve | Into the Earth and Back Again

All crammed into the lift, we descended into the earth. It smelled like cold rock and old air. Five of us, elbow to elbow. No one said a word. We drove 45 minutes out of Pretoria. Turning onto the reserve, tar gave way to dirt roads as signs guided us toward the Wonder Cave. The parking lot was shaded by trees. There were four of us. ... Continue Reading

Along the stream in between the gorge at the Kranskloof Hiking Trail

Kranskloof Hiking Trail: Rock Pools, Cold Water, and a Gorge Worth Finding

Shoes off, standing at the edge of a rock pool deep in the Kranskloof Gorge—some trails reward you with a view. This one had other ideas. The Kranskloof Hiking Trail sits an hour and a half from Centurion, Pretoria. We parked on a farm at the trailhead—twenty of us milling about, spirits high, ready for what lay ahead. ... Continue Reading

I tiny hole to fit through inside the Bat Cave

The Bat Cave Adventure, Krugersdorp

I am standing in a field outside Krugersdorp looking for a hole in the ground. This is not a metaphor. The guide is somewhere ahead, walking through dry grass, and we are following him because apparently this is where the cave is—not a cliff face, not a dramatic entrance, just a field, and somewhere in it, a vertical drop of seventeen meters into the earth. It felt a bit weird. It was a bit weird. ... Continue Reading

Shaun DouglasView posts