I’d like to tell you about a hidden gem of Kwazulu-Natal that is very dear to my heart : Zingela Zingela is a piece on heaven on Earth. Lost ? Lost? Yes, well, for the uninitiated, even the access is a great adventure. From Pietermartizburg, it takes 2 hours more or less depending on your … More My little paradise : Zingela
This year, I joined the Mountain Club of South Africa, one of the oldest mountain club in the world. And recently, I organized and lead a beginner’s hike including… a night in a cave! This sounds a bit exceptional but here in the Berg, it’s pretty common. As you would for a cottage or any … More Like cavemen, with style
When we talk about South Africa, we often think of the very famous “Big Five” (Lion, leopard, elephant, hippos and rhinoceros) that were considered the most dangerous to hunt in the old days. Although charismatic, they are not alone in populating our savannahs and forests. For this posts, I chose to tell you about our … More Planet of monkeys
Lesotho or the Kingdom in the skye, locked behind the barriers of spear (or you know, Drakenberg) is in a world apart from the world where the time seems to have stopped. On the east side, the Kingdom is rather difficult to access. Only one way is possible, Sani Pass, perched at 2876m above sea … More Lesotho : the kingdom in the skye
Month ago, I started hiking with the Mountain Club of South Africa. This was my first overnight hike ever : a true overnight hike with a tent in the middle of nowhere, a new kind of adventure for me. The mountains and the dragons ? The name “Drakensberg” comes from the first Dutch settlers (“drakensbergen”), … More The dragon in the mountains ?
Currently, I work on two main project. The first one is the national River Health Programme which aim at monitoring the evolution of river health in South Africa. Our team then survey the major river of KwaZulu Natal : +/- 40 sites 4 times a year. I mainly visit the catchment of the Umgeni and … More A life on the field
Let me take you to a moonlight walk to meet our local frog species. Chhhht they are quite secretive ! Put your wellies on, don’t forget your headlamp… On the road to Kloof Private Reserve in the Greater Durban area. About 160 species of amphibians have been described in Southern Africa. We can find 26 … More Frogging season
This time, I take you litteraly to the end of the world in a land where few lucky people have the chance to land their feet : Antarctica ! There, Julien is in civil service for the French Polar Station (Chizé CNRS) where he is an ecologist. . Julien, could you explain what is your job … More Interview – Julien in Antarctica
I know what you’re going to say… Why fish ?! And why their behaviour ?! Can’t you just try to eradicate breast cancer, leukemia, world hunger or AIDS ? These are the questions usually asked to me. Well, I understand them actually but let’s go deeper. Pssssst … fish migration has already been written about on … More Studying fish behaviour ?!
Not that long ago, I went wandering in the Drakensberg mountains. Two steps away from home, they are listed as World Heritage because they count many cave paintings almost intact and open to the public. Unfortunately, I did not visit any of them but my little hike (8 km) took me on a high plateau … More Hiking in the Drakensberg
