go!

South Africa’s number one travel and outdoor lifestyle magazine. We pay our own way and tell it like it is. We drive back roads and speak to real people, giving you practical information about affordable destinations in southern Africa. Each issue is crammed with excellent photography, honest gear reviews and delicious recipes to make at home or in the bundu. Whether you’re looking to escape for a weekend or a month, your journey starts here.

Walk it off

BEHIND THE SCENES • Since March 2020, every issue of go! has been produced by journalists, editors and designers who have had no physical contact with each other. There is no more office. We work remotely – from the road and dispersed around the country. And now, the globe! Yup, long-time art director Lynne Fraser heads up the “foreign office” in Toronto, Canada.

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LETTERS • Where have you been? What have you seen? Write to editor@gomag.co.za

WRITE TO US & WIN!

Q&A • Every month our experts answer your questions about birds, bugs and beasts. Send your photos and questions to editor@gomag.co.za

IN BRIEF

The hitchhiker’s guide to snakes

BY THE NUMBERS • Heritage Day is on 24 September, when we celebrate our diversity and all the great things about our country. Here are a few braai-side conversation starters to remind us how lekker it is to be South African.

NIGHT WATCH

Zandile Ndhlovu • The 32-year-old can hold her breath for almost five minutes, has electric blue hair and feels most at home in the ocean. She is, by all accounts, a real-life mermaid! We chat to her about her journey towards becoming South Africa’s first black freediving instructor.

The Walkers of the Waterberg • Author and artist Clive Walker has been a well-known name in South African conservation circles since he founded the Endangered Wildlife Trust in 1973. He and his wife Conita live near Vaalwater in the Waterberg, where their son Anton and his wife René run the Waterberg Living Museum.

BOOKS AND MUSIC

ROAD MUSIC

MEET THE AUTHOR • After years of exploring and writing about the Garden Route and the Karoo, Leon Nell turns his attention to the land of bokkoms, bakkies and beaches in his sixth travel book, The West Coast – From Melkbos to the Oran-e River.

CHECK THIS

Where will you sleep tonight? • On a long drive from the Kalahari to Cape Town, Toast Coetzer counts his blessings.

Fill your cup at the source • The untarred R332 runs through the Baviaans and Kouga mountains. It’s about 200 km long, but what no map will tell you is that it will probably take you days to drive. Here’s why.

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

From Kamiesberg to the coast • The annual explosion of orange daisies around Skilpad rest camp in Namaqua National Park is stunning, but drive deeper into the park and you’ll see even more wildflowers, all the way to the windswept waves of the Atlantic Ocean.

IN OTHER WORDS

The other Blouberg • Blouberg sails on the bushveld like a solitary ship, rising above the Limpopo landscape near the town of Vivo. Set your course for adventure because vultures and views await…

PLACES OF INTEREST

STAY HERE

TAKE YOUR PIC • Here are this issue’s reader photos, with tips from Toast Coetzer. Send your best shots to takeyourpic@gomag.co.za

SEND US YOUR BEST TRAVEL AND NATURE PHOTOS!

TAKE THE WINNING PHOTO

CAMERA REVIEWS

Where beauty runs deep

Spice up your life • Give your braai repertoire a boost with a flavoursome spice rub or a zesty marinade.

You wear the pants • Heavy, soggy, chafing pants are relics from a previous century. Here are nine multi-purpose, tough and comfortable trousers for your next outdoor adventure.

Ain’t no mountain high enough •...