BREAKAWAYS

GETTING CARDED

IN THE UNITED STATES, GETTING ‘CARDED’ MEANS BEING ASKED FOR YOUR IDENTIFICATION TO PROVE THAT YOU ARE OVER 21, THE LEGAL DRINKING AGE. IN AFRICA, THE UNTAMED CONTINENT WHERE LIFE AROSE MILLENNIA AGO, GERRIT RAUTENBACH WRITES ABOUT AN ALTOGETHER WILDER EXPERIENCE.

Card. It’s one of those odd words in English which can mean different things depending on the context. Even replicating the full entry in the (concise!) Oxford English dictionary would take up too much space but it can be a piece of “thick, stiff paper”, a piece of card for writing on – a postcard or greeting card, business card, a scorecard, playing cards used for games, a person regarded as amusing or funny or a rectangular piece of plastic with machine-readable data – such as a credit card.

It also means to prepare wool for weaving by means of a special toothed comb… And that’s before getting into the expressions.

But rather than holding all the cards, close to the chest or otherwise, it’s best to not keep a card up one’s sleeve but to play the cards right. And although that sentence alone is worthy of being shown a yellow or even red card and being sent off at the use of all these silly examples, I should play my last card… the Wild Card.

The winter holidays are almost here and everyone could do with a break to get back on track and to recharge the batteries. There’s always someone who has either left things too late and not booked a holiday or weekend getaway at least six months in advance. But spontaneity can also be good – so long as you find accommodation somewhere…

ABOVE: Picture postcard perfect... an African tusker in the wild against the setting sun.

BELOW: Over millennia, the Orange River – also known as the Gariep, has carved out this waterfall at Augrabies as it meanders its way from Lesotho to Alexander Bay on the Atlantic Ocean.

And that’s where the Wild Card comes in. It can save individuals and families a heap of cash. Everyone is feeling the pinch with the petrol price and food prices having risen alarmingly this year so stretching the Randelas a little is welcome news.

Most people believe the Wild Card is a privilege to help them get into anyone of the 21 South African National Parks. That’s partly true –the Wild Card was originally designed as a National Parks aid – but the card has evolved far beyond that. In fact, nowadays Wild is actually wilder. We’ll get to that shortly, including some suggestions on how the Wild Card can still help provide a great contribution to your winter break. From a full-on trip to just a day out in the wild.

But wherever you are, it’s worthwhile reviewing the many SanParks options. A gem in the crown like the Kruger National Park is almost guaranteed to be jam packed in June and July, but SanParks offer, apart from the Kruger, another 20 alternatives. They are literally scattered all over the country in an A to Z of options, from Addo and Augrabies to the (Mountain) Zebra Park. Not only are there geographical alternatives, but a variety of visiting options, from day outings to camping or even chalet accommodation if roughing it is not for you. What many people are not aware of, however, is that apart from these 21 SanPark choices, the Wild Card offers another 60 destinations via the following associated conservation organisations: CapeNature; Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife; Msinsi Resorts and Game Reserves and Big Game Parks of Eswatini – which opens up a world of possibilities.

From Assegaaibosch all the way up to Lambert’s Bay, the Cederberg Wilderness area to the vast Karoo, down to Knysna and Plettenberg Bay, it’s possible to gain free entry into over 24 breathtaking locations, all within easy access around the Western Cape for a memorable day outing. It is arguably possible to do a park a day for three weeks! If you live in the Western Cape, that is. But even for those who don’t live in the wine country, Wild Card opens up a host of opportunities elsewhere.

EZEMVELO KZN WILDLIFE Should the Kingdom of the Zulu be the province which is called home, potential holidaymakers are spoiled for choice because Ezemvelo KZN tops the log with 25 destinations of their own. Some are situated in the wicked (and wild) Drakensberg – offering day outings to multiple sleep-over hiking and mountain biking trips, from Cathedral Peak to Giants Castle. And more. If hiking or camping is not your buzz, there’s always trout fishing, bushman rock paintings and jaw-dropping natural beauty. Others are in some of the best game areas of this neck of the woods, from Ithala and Hluhluwe-Imfolozi to Ndumo, to name but a few .

Then there’s the coast, the wild, wild coast and wetlands of Zululand, offering a host of adventures, involving the bush, sea and coastlines. From game viewing (by foot or 4x4), bird watching to game fishing. And remember, in this side of our country, it is always kind of summer, no matter how cold it gets in Sutherland or how wet in the Cape. Just lying soaking up Vitamin D on some special beach is always an option in this type of winter.

MSINSI RESORTS AND GAME RESERVES If anything to do with inland water, from fishing to skiing floats the boat, then Msinsi Holdings has five beautiful reserves and resorts to offer you. Situated around some of the largest and most picturesque dams in KZN, only 30 minutes from either Durban or Pietermaritzburg, they are all awesome places for great daytrips or more. There are a number of activities and different forms of accommodation to suit a variety of holiday needs.

ABOVE: Sandstone outcrops make the foothills of the Barrier of Spears, the Drakensberg, so special and distinctive.

BELOW:Albert Falls, Nagle Dam and Shongweni are just three of the attractions available through the Msinsi resorts connection.

THE KINGDOM OF ESWATINI’S BIG GAME PARKS Mickey Reilly was an Irish soldier that came to Africa and instantly fell in love with it. Furthermore his friendship with the late King Sobhuza II of Eswatini, as well as their mutual passion for conservation, was the beginning of a great dream.

Today the Reilly family are still leading conservationists in Eswatini. Ted Reilly, second generation, is the personal conservation adviser to Swazi King Mswati III.

More than half a century ago a young Ted began to establish Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary. “It’s a beautiful, but impossible dream,” he said at first but through passion, hard work and perseverance, he, together with the Swazi monarchy, made the dream a reality.

Today Mlilwane is one of Eswatini’s Big Six. The others are Hlane Royal National Park, Mkhaya Game Reserve, Reilly’s Rock Hilltop Lodge, Sondzela Backpackers and Chubeka Trails. As these names suggest, Big Game Parks offer a wide variety of holiday options, from luxury lodging to backpacking and adventure trailing. All you need is a Wild Card and a valid passport (no visa required) and off you go.

So, if you don’t want to stay home and do nothing this winter, the Wild Card offers more than 80 possibilities countrywide. And while the “Wild” in Wild Card mostly refers to the animals, it’s feasible to be seriously tranquil with this particular card – or as adventurous as possible.

A cursory glance at the options available online at www.wildcard. co.za show that an individual membership costs R640 while a family of up to seven can expect to pay R1 290. All the various options are explained. For that fee it’s possible to gain entrance to any of over 80 places nationwide. When you consider that a single entry to somewhere like the Kruger Park is R300 once off, the investment more than justifies itself. There are additional benefits too – a regular online magazine with great offers, sightings, stories of other folks’ experiences and suggestions of places to go and things to do.

So why not take a walk on the wild side?