Table of contents for Apr/May 2026 in go!

There are a few assumptions people make when they hear that I work for go! Here's the most common one: “It must be nice to get paid to go on holiday the whole time!” Yes, of course it's nice, but it's still work and if there's no money in the kitty, I can't pay myself a salary – as every self-employed person knows only too well. Here's another one: “You've probably been everywhere by now! Is there anywhere left to write about?” The answer: No, we haven't been everywhere. This country – and the world – has so much to offer. Indeed, working for this magazine has cured me of an innate and thick-skinned cynicism, hardened by years of working as a news journalist. The thick skin is still there,…

Every month our experts answer your questions about birds, bugs and beasts. Send your photos and queries to editor@gomag.co.za ID, please ANET CLAASSEN from Hartenbos writes: My husband Leon recently photographed this bird in our garden. Can you identify it and tell us more about it? Bird expert LUKAS NIEMAND says: This is a female Cape sugarbird (Promerops cafer). It's one of only two sugarbird species found in southern Africa and it's endemic to the fynbos biome. (The other is the Gurney's sugarbird – Promerops gurneyi – which inhabits the eastern highlands of the country, including the Drakensberg escarpment.) It would be easy to confuse this individual with a female sunbird, especially since its relatively long tail and yellow vent are not visible in this photo. The determining characteristic here…

WINNING PHOTO JURGENS POTGIETER Canon R6 MII Canon RF 100–500mm lens JURGENSWRITES: I visited Mashatu Game Reserve in Botswana. On my first game drive there, I got lucky with a sighting of this leopard at sunrise. The sky was painted in shades of pink and gold as our safari vehicle descended into the dry bed of the Majali River. Just then, the first rays fell across the riverbed – and there it was, a leopard! It was one of those moments I'll remember forever. I simply kept snapping away while trying to appreciate the scene in all its majesty. My shutter speed was set to 1/1000 second, at an aperture of f5.6 and ISO 640. TOAST SAYS: Jurgens, next time I'm joining you on a game drive. Clearly, you have…

SCOLOPIA COTTAGE, GROOTVADERSBOSCH NATURE RESERVE Grootvadersbosch has no shortage of accommodation options. You can pitch your own tent on a deck, sleep under white linen in a luxury glamping tent, or stay in one of 11 cabins in a clearing in the forest. But there's one other cottage you've probably never heard of… When I first visited this tucked-away reserve deep in the Langeberg between Barrydale and Heidelberg many years ago, Scolopia was the only unit. The wooden cottage, set apart from the newer accommodation options, has recently been renovated with all the extras you need for a wonderful holiday. It has a fireplace, braai, firepit, hammocks, a private splash pool and a wood-fired hot tub. You'll forget about the rest of the reserve while you're here – if not…

HAVE YOU SEEN SOMETHING AMAZING? Send your series of photos and a short description of the sighting to toast@gomag.co.za. You could win a medium-sized Thule Chasm Gear Cube! This versatile bag has a compression zip that lets you squeeze out air to maximise space in your luggage, making it a lifesaver when you're facing airline restrictions. The double-coated fabric and coated zip ensure your essentials stay protected from dirt and moisture, while the 100% recycled, durable, PFC-free fabric helps the Thule Chasm Gear Cube withstand the wear and tear of all your adventures. Available in three sizes: small (3 litres), medium (11 litres; the prize) and large (15 litres). For more information, visit thulestore.co.za.…

A face-to-face encounter with a mountain gorilla is one of Africa's bucket-list tourism activities. I photographed this gorilla in Volcanoes National Park, in the north-western corner of Rwanda. Mountain gorilla numbers have slowly increased to just over a thousand in recent years. Back in the 1980s there were barely 400 left in the mountain forests of Uganda, Rwanda and the DRC. (These three countries share the Virunga Mountains across their borders, while a separate population of mountain gorillas can be found in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park in Uganda.) So-called blackback gorillas – like this one – are males subservient to the silverback in a mountain gorilla family. Our trekking group arrived at this gorilla family at about 10am; the gorillas were resting in the thick undergrowth. A couple of…

Hello, Mount David A tiny reserve – the 8km² Mount David – was recently declared outside Hermanus. The reserve used to be a farm called Diepgat, where the owner Antony van Hoogstraten spent 17 years reintroducing healthy wetlands and fynbos. An erica species once thought extinct was recorded here in 2010. And during the Covid-19 lockdown, a thriving breeding population of the rare moonlight mountain toadlet (Capensibufo selenophos; pictured) was discovered. The reserve is not open to the general public, but if you're interested you can contact the owner to arrange a visit. General enquiries can be sent to wccapes2025@capenature.co.za. Mount David is a great example of land owners working with the government to protect nature. If you want to join the effort, send an e-mail to the above address.…

A Guide to Wild Swimming in the Western Cape by Serai & Matthew Dowling, Rockhopper Books R475 in bookstores Swap the eye-burning pool at your local gym (and that omie lapping you again) for a refreshing dip in a scenic wild spot. This is the follow-up to A Guide to Tidal Pools of the Western Cape (2024), and author Serai Dowling has teamed up with her husband Matthew to point you to 101 amazing swimming spots in the Western Cape – in dams, rivers and along the coast. Aimed at confident swimmers, Serai and Matthew describe the swimming conditions at each place, the wildlife you might encounter, the distance from CapeTown, and facilities available. They also give notes on the accessibility and safety of the area. There's a useful page…

KITCHEN Professional kitchens are full of highly specialised knives and tools used to create amazing dishes. But for home cooks, a basic selection will go a long way. SIX-INCH UTILITY KNIFE If you could only have one knife in your kitchen, this would be it. A knife with a blade between 12 and 15cm long is capable of more than 80% of everyday kitchen tasks.Whether you're dicing vegetables, portioning chicken or fish, or preparing a fruit salad – something like this Victorinox chef's knife can do it all. If you're going to use it regularly, find one with a moulded plastic handle that can be washed in the dishwasher. R637 sharpedge.co.za EIGHT-INCH CARVING KNIFE While not used as frequently as a utility knife, some kitchen tasks require something bigger, like…

We can't survive without what the earth gives us: oxygen, water, fuel and minerals. But we use so much of these resources that the earth can't replenish them fast enough! Our habit of buying things and throwing them away is one of the main threats to the planet's health. It causes new products to be made all the time, replacing things that don't need to be replaced. What a waste! The world is caught in a terrible cycle: 1 On your way to the Kruger Park, your family gets takeaways. To make your meal, the restaurant needs meat, potatoes, bread flour and salad ingredients. THREAT! DEFORESTATION To make space for large farms, grassland and forests are cleared and the soil is prepared for agriculture. This destroys the habitat of all…

Where have you been? What have you seen? Write to editor@gomag.co.za WINNING LETTER A terrifying high five! A few years ago, we went on an early morning game drive in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. We came across seven young lions just south of Nossob, near Marie se Draai. The lions were walking down the road and we pulled over to let them pass. They were very playful and one curious young cat came up to our vehicle. Suddenly, it stepped onto our bakkie's running board, made eye contact and stood upright against the vehicle. It put one paw on the window, like it was giving us a high five. Thank goodness the window was closed! The lion then decided to gnaw on the side mirror, but it soon lost interest…

How did you end up in Clarens? I was born in Griekwastad and later we lived all over the Free State: Thaba ’Nchu, Welkom, Bloemfontein, Excelsior, Smithfield, Memel, Petrus Steyn, Petrusburg, Reitz… I spent the longest stretch of my school years in Reitz. When I was 14 years old, in 1986, I rode my bicycle from Reitz to Clarens – there wasn't much of a town here in those years. Alet and I got married in 2000. We lived in Bloem, Joburg, Stellenbosch, Bloem again and then Pretoria. During that time, we bought a house in Clarens as an investment and rented it out on Airbnb with the idea of eventually retiring here. But then, when I was 48, we moved here! What makes Clarens so attractive? The crime rate…

Pork fillet with plum sauce and salad boats Serves 6 as an appetiser Preparation time 20 minutes Cooking time 10–15 minutes You need 600g pork fillet, membranes removed 1 teaspoon olive oil salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 2 tablespoons plum sauce, plus extra to serve 1 teaspoon low-sodium soya sauce 2 or 3 plums, halved and stoned 2 cups rainbow coleslaw 1 tablespoon pickled ginger slices (sushi ginger), shredded 3 tablespoons Kewpie mayonnaise ¼ cup salted peanuts, chopped 2 heads of cos or Crunchita lettuce, leaves separated Here's how 1 Rub the fillet with oil and season with salt and pepper. Braai the fillet directly over the coals or in a hot griddle pan until golden brown and just cooked. (You don't want to braai the delicate…

You might not be able to stop a forest from being chopped down, or a new mine from being built, but each of us can do something about the greenhouse gases in the earth's atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is the most harmful of these gases – that's why we call your contribution to greenhouse gases your “carbon footprint”. For example: If a vehicle uses a full tank (50 litres) of fuel, it leaves a carbon footprint of 114kg. In South Africa, the average carbon footprint per person is 8,5 tonnes per year! We can leave a smaller carbon footprint by changing our lifestyle. The Earth Hero app will show you which of your family's habits emits the most greenhouse gases. It also helps you to make easy changes that have a…

It's early evening and I'm looking out over Downtown Dubai. I'm on the 124th floor of the highest building in the world – the 163-floor Burj Khalifa. Yes, the very building Tom Cruise climbed in Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol. But Tom isn't here tonight – just thousands of tourists, like me, who have come to watch the sun set over this improbable city in the middle of the desert. To reach the lookout deck, you first have to walk through the Dubai Mall. My credit card and I gave the Hermès and Rolex stores a wide berth… The view is amazing from this high up. Dubai is in the United Arab Emirates and it's known as a playground of the super-rich. Shiny buildings try to outdo each other, each…