Leave nothing but tracks, and take nothing but photos
It’s that time of year where you can’t help daydreaming about December, camping trips, hiking trails, all and all, your breakaway is just around the corner.
South Africa offers the best of nature, we have the Big 5, the most beautiful fauna and flora, and our creepy crawlies aren’t really that scary.
What better way to experience the pride of South Africa, than packing your car with camping gear and dusting off your old hiking boots?
Stephan Prins, Section Ranger of Dinokeng Game Reserve, gave us a few tips on respecting nature and its animals. All camping sites and hiking trails is ours to enjoy, but in order to enjoy it at fullest we need to respect the environment.
There are a few important points, do not litter( and that goes for chewing gum as well), do not disturb any wildlife be it big or small and do not break any plants or remove them.
Just enjoy the scenery, animals and plants. They are all part of an ecosystem of which all of them play a very important role.
Adhere to all speed limits. And very importantly do not feed any wild animals, this might seem amusing for you but this causes major problems. Enjoy wildlife from a distance.
Follow the rules of the reserves that you enter, those rules are there for your safety. In reserves with large and dangerous game, only get out of your vehicle in designated areas and do not walk around without a qualified guide. Do not taunt or tease any game species, enjoy them and admire their beauty and grace.
Wild fires can cause loss of life and property. Never light fires anywhere other than in designated braai areas. Do not throw cigarette butts anywhere.
Leave nothing but tracks, and take nothing but photos…