While we were staying at Bontebok National Park, the park was hosting a Pick n Pay ‘Kids in Parks’ group of Grade 7 children from H. Venter Primary School in Ashton, with their teacher Jacobus du Toit. On our second night we went to join them for a frog talk and excursion that rangers Masindi Raselabe and Johannes Matabata and community officer Marloise Groenewald from SanParks were hosting.
Our first impression was how well behaved the kids were: they were all completely attentive and hanging on Masindi’s every word. We learnt about the life cycle of frogs, and that many frogs of the same species have different markings, which means that you can only tell their species by their calls, not their markings. We also learnt that tadpoles have gills and get oxygen from the water, whereas frogs have lungs and breath air!
After our interesting talk we went out into the veld to a dam filled with frog song – we could have stayed there all night listening to them. Masindi and Johannes caught a few frogs and toads from a trap they had set up earlier, and demonstrated the different markings and types to the kids, who watched enraptured by the real thing.
We were both struck how vital it is to get kids out into nature. There is nothing like learning by doing and seeing. The kids were staying in tents on the banks of the river, and I could sense the excitement and thrill that they were feeling. Bontebok seems like such a perfect place to bring groups of school kids because it is safe to walk around and yet they can learn so much about river systems, insects, birds, frogs and plants, as well as swim and hike and sit round a fire at night telling stories (while listening to the frogs and nightjars).
Well, Bontebok is now behind us – we’re once again sad to leave, because although it’s small, it is nevertheless a very easy place to explore and relax. We’re now headed to the Karoo National Park … completely different!
On our way, we wound our way over the beautiful Traudow’s pass, and had a very delicious cappuccino at The Blue Cow coffee shop in Barrydale. Here we spoke to welcoming owners Boet and Hannalie Cook, who told us about the progress that ‘working for water’ have made in their area in cutting down invasive alien vegetation, as well as a new fish species of redfin minnow which has been discovered only in their river!
Then it was on to the Swartberg Pass which was really spectacular and certainly one of South Africa’s most impressive passes. It was great to do some of the dirt backroads instead of the usual N1 or N2; our country has such diverse and entrancing landscapes.
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