Outcrop

Carved by nature in the riverbed way below the beautiful Mac Mac Falls in Mpumalanga lie crystal-clear pools that provide welcome respite for the hot and weary. The Mac Mac Pools make for a popular picnic area next to a shallow river that drops into a series of naturally formed plunge pools. These pristine pools are irresistible after a hot day of sightseeing in the Lowveld. Picnic spots have been created with braai facilities and ablutions, while a 3km nature trail winds through the grasslands to the base of the Mac Mac Falls. The route makes for excellent birding. Keep an eye out for the large and distinctive secretary bird.

Outcrop

Foothold

The leaves of the Aloe vera are thick and fleshy, green to grey-green, with some varieties showing white flecks on their upper and lower stem surfaces. The margin of the leaf is serrated and has small white teeth.

Foothold

I look back…

Oryx is a genus consisting of four large antelope species. Three of them are native to arid parts of Africa, and the fourth to the Arabian Peninsula. Their fur is pale with contrasting dark markings in the face and on the legs, and their long horns are almost straight. The exception is the scimitar oryx, which lacks dark markings on the legs, only has faint dark markings on the head, has an ochre neck, and horns that are clearly decurved.

I look back...