Multi-talented Mariclaire: from cheffing to hiking

Writer: Tweet Gainsborough-Waring.

Mariclaire Day is well known to Hermanus residents as the successful chef and owner of The Barefoot Cook, which she sold three years ago to follow her passion of working in ecotourism.

She opted to become an international guide, incorporating all her skills which include a rich general knowledge of nature, conversational Dutch and German, considerable local knowledge of our flora and fauna, and the ability to lead a multi-day hike. Add to that her organisational expertise and cooking skills, and Mariclaire had the perfect base from which to reinvent herself in such a way as to make a living from following her passion.

What attracted her to hiking, says Mariclaire, is the quiet of the natural world, coupled with the sensation of leaving the madness of our man-made world behind when out in nature. She and her husband Burt, who have travelled extensively in Southern Africa, are always happy to jump in their bakkie with a roof-top tent, fridge and spare fuel tanks to go, either alone or with friends, to nature reserves and areas off the beaten track to enjoy the great outdoors at its best.

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