Learn how to photograph whales, birds, fynbos, landscapes and animals at De Hoop along the Cape coastline this spring.  

Wildlife photographer, Dave De Beer, is running a photographic course from 28-30 August, offering visitors a chance to learn how to capture the magnificence of De Hoop Nature Reserve in spring – which of course includes photographing whales in their ocean nursery. The course will suit beginners and/or intermediate amateurs with a DSLR camera.

Dave will be covering five subjects –  whales, birds, fynbos, landscapes and animals – each of which will present a different photographic challenge and provide the opportunity to learn a wide range of skills.

Lectures and trips into the field will be interspersed with fab food and wine from what I found to be a really good restaurant at De Hoop called . Price from R850 per person per night, children under 16 stay for free and De Hoop will arrange a variety of kids activities to allow parents to focus on the course (‘scuse the pun). The weekend ends with Sunday morning brunch and awarding of prizes, which includes a stay in the Madikwe Game Reserve worth R14,000.

Email info@dehoopcollection.co.za or call (in RSA only)  0861 334667 .  The offer is for a minimum 2 night stay. I loved De Hoop so much that I would thoroughly recommend a visit, especially during whale season.  See what I had to say about De Hoop on this site:  

I arrived in Africa from London 14 years ago and in that time I have been lucky enough to meet two icons of world history, both of whom I hold in the very highest regard.  It was never my goal to meet them, I only admired them from afar like everone else, but the meetings happened because I created the opportunity for them to happen.

I live in complete optimism that whatever I wish for myself can come true and without seeming to even try, it does.   I love these men for their optimism, for their fearlessness, for living the absolute truth regardless of danger and I feel so lucky that I live in the same country as them, in the same lifetime as them and in the light they shine on the world.

Luckily for me, it seems my clothes are in fashion for a change, and if the style gurus say safari outfits are in, then I’m not about to disagree?

That long leggy thing in the photo is not me, it’s a pic from the UK Financial Times - known to be the forecaster of all fashion, not! - nor is it the Yves St Laurent that we know today, unless we are in a time warp. It’s a 60’s original, showing that what comes around goes around, and if you were wise enough to keep your clothes for the past 40 years, you’d be back in fashion now.

Less lengthy in the inner thigh measurement, but coming close in the large sunglasses department, this is the ‘me’ safari look. I call it my ‘coy’ look.   I tend to rely on my hat to place me firmly in safari style and I challenge you to find a picture of me on this blog without my hat - go on , see if you can (except those where I meet the two great men of Africa and the World; Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu (see    http://www.safaritart.com/?p=503). There is just one! Tell me where it is and you will get a special mention here.

The reason I mention safari fashion garb is because my coffee table book of last year, ‘Exclusive Safari Lodges of South Africa’, has been chosen to appear in the shop windows of no less than two great London fashion stores; Paul Smith and who was it now…the name esacpes me for the moment (just shows how I have fallen from fashion since my London days). 

The book is photographed and published by Gerald Hoberman, and since he was the boss and I the mere writer, his name appears on the cover and mine does not.  It is a stunning book full of wildlife pics and a short description of 73 different safari lodges.

This was no easy task as most safari lodges have thatched roofs, wooden decks, plunge pools and African decor. How then was I to distinguish between each one and make it sound different? It was a challenge, but I did it by finding something unique about each place. This might have been their position, their decor, their ethos on the environment, the local community or how they look after their staff.

And if you are wondering if I actually visited them all, the answer is almost.  All but the CC Africa lodges, of which six are featured in this book, because they declined to host me. Their reasoning being that they had already hosted the photographer, Gerald Hoberman,  and one of us was enough.  This is unfortunatly typical of CC Africa’s attitude to freelance journalists in South Africa and since there are so many safari lodges who are generous enough to welcome me and other freelancers, I say “bah humbug” to CCA.

Take a look at this fabulous 365 page coffee table book ‘Exculsive Safari Lodges of South Africa’ by yours truely and Gerald Hoberman on the Hoberman website: http://www.hobermancollection.com/Books/1477/ExclusiveSafariLodgesofSouthAfrica.aspx

If you have ever been on safari in Africa, you may have left with a dose of Khaki Fever.  I’ve certainly had moments when I suffered from it. It doesn’t make you sick but it can make you light headed. It’s the phenomena of falling in lust with your game ranger.

How can you not? You are at the mercy of a hunky guy (or gal) dressed in khaki, tanned from the African sun with a gun slung over the shoulder. You follow passively, hoping he/she will protect you from marauding wildlife or a lion that is hiding in the long grass. Without him you’d be cat’s dinner.

It’s very easy to get khaki fever and soon I’m going to show you why. Watch this space for a Khaki Fever competition where you vote which game ranger ‘does it for you’. I am on the hunt for rangers who epitomise Khaki Fever; not only are they good looking in green but brilliant at their job of guiding people around Africa’s wild places.

In the meantime, you can take part in the South Africa Challenge ‘Khaki Fever’ campaign in Germany to win a safari in South Africa and find out for yourself whether you can resist the real khaki fever. South African game ranger Hendrik Fehsenveld is the face of this Khaki Fever campaign, but I’ve got a few hunks of my own to show you soon, so watch this space (guys don’t lose interest, there are some very hot lady rangers too and khaki gays)!

There are five big prizes which include a Big Five walking safari, 4×4 expeditions and learning Zulu in a South African schoolroom. The promotion has its own website (http://www.suedafrika-challenge.de/). The adventures of competition winners will be podcast and vodcast in Germany.

If you want to test out the khaki fever phenomenon email ‘khaki fever safari’ to safaritart@wydahtours.com.