Author Archives: Administrator
The Hides Are Open
THE KARKLOOF CONSERVATION CENTRE IS OPEN! 05.00am-18.00 The tariff is R30 per person Normal access to the hides: 05:00 until 18:00, without making a booking however should you get to the hides and there are a lot of people, please use your discretion regarding social distancing, even if this means you will need to leave […]
Zipline Forest Fun
On Monday, 4 June 2018, eight excited learners from our local farm schools were ready to be brave and zipline in the canopy of the Karkloof’s magnificent indigenous forest. Earlier in the year, these learners achieved first prize in their age categories at the Three Cranes Big Day Out event, where they ran a mini […]
Keeping an eye on our forests
Article by Dr Jolene Fisher (Vogts), School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand. Mistbelt forests historically occurred within a pristine grassland matrix – found on steep south-facing slopes where they are protected from fire and found as ‘pockets’ of forests throughout KwaZulu-Natal. Sadly, from around 1880 until 1940, many of these […]
KRANES Family Camp 2017
There was great excitement as families arrived at Bushwillow Park in the Karkloof on the 9 December 2017, and started setting up camp together. Grown ups were prepped beforehand to be patient and to teach their kids the practical skills of setting up camp. It was great fun watching the kids learn (and in some […]
Twin Falls Toddle
Toddle (verb): to move with short, unsteady steps, as a young child. With the recent rains which filled the streams, combined with the many forest obstacles, the toddle was the only mode of transport for the 27 hikers who joined us. Carol Owen, a member of the Karkloof Conservancy, organised this second quarterly hike which […]
Deploy the Troops
It was a warm Autumn morning when the troops assembled for duty at the Karkloof Conservation Centre, ready to be deployed for a snare patrol and animal tracking activity on Gartmore Farm. We started by looking at Di Martin’s exciting collection of signs and scats, then had a briefing on snares and poaching. No snares […]
Freedom Day Family Hike
On a beautiful sunny Autumn morning about 40 parents and kids met for a family hike to the base of the Grey Mares Tail Waterfall. Although families did not necessarily stick together, the day provided wonderful memories for all who attended. The hike started with a tough uphill through the plantations, but the energy lift […]
Catchment to Confluence Complete
The excitement was brewing as the team were heading to the start of the final leg of the journey along the Karkloof river. This would involve walking the section from below the Karkloof Falls to the confluence where the Karkloof meets the uMngeni River. This entire stretch traverses through the Karkloof Safari Spa property, which […]
Wings and Rings
The 1st April was a beautiful day for our KRANES bird ringing activity – the winds were at bay and the sun was shining. Karin Nelson, a qualified bird ringer was up with the sparrows to set up her nets and get started for the day (anyone who know Karin, will picture her drinking tea […]