Have you ever been to Kosi Bay?

If you are planning a trip to South Africa, see if you can visit Kosi Bay in Natal.

The unique system of costal lakes support a huge number of bird species and is famous for the traditional fishtraps used by the local people.

We were able to watch both Samango monkeys in the costal rain forest and went snorkeling in the estuary.

Being guests of the Warden we were able to stay in one of the researcher's huts for a few days.

I remember listening to Zulu drums beating as the sun went down.

You can now stay at Memela Bush Lodge,  Kosi Bay Lodge or in other accommodation nearby, but ask about camp sites or if they still have hiking trail huts available, as they are right down by the lakes.

One of many bird lists I have kept ~

and some visual notes

on ground nesting birds

and those keeping an eye on them

filming

keeping out of the way

or or just looking

The Waterberg ~ South Africa

The Palala River, flowing north towards the Limpopo.

Bonsmara cattle.

Old red sandstone cliffs.

Horses.

Iron age sites and wildlife ~

Painting in Zimbabwe ~

I was able to go on a number of trips to paint in Zimbabwe in the 1990s.

British friends of mine serving with BMAT were stationed up in the hills on the Mozambique border where it was possible to fish for trout.

I had other friends who were farming near Chegutu who kindly invited me to stay, giving me time to sketch 

Their daughter Jenny was thirteen then and we would sit, peacefully drawing together.

I left them several framed paintings including one of this lady washing clothes and another of their prize Brahman bull.

When their farm was invaded, they had so little time to pack that some of their pictures were left behind. Eventually they made contact by e-mail from Australia telling me of their loss. I spent a wet afternoon sending them these scans from my sketchbook to remind them of their life in Africa.

Sketches of Victoria Falls

When I first reached Victoria Falls there was so much water that we couldn't see a thing - just a cloud of mist that soaked us to the skin.

These quick sketches were executed on the Zimbabwean side in the Victoria Falls National Park.

I'd reached the town by train and was enchanted by the railway station.

This is of the bridge that spans the Zambezi Gorge.

Perhaps the most exciting thing was canoeing down the Zambezi towards the great waterfall. We pulled up our green canoes on one of the islands in the middle of the river and walked across the rocks to peer over the very lip of the falls. Despite the roar of the water, which was so loud we could hardly hear each other's voices, we set up camp under palm trees, building a fire to cook an evening meal.

We were guests of Ben Parker who was running Tongabezi Lodge. They have a panoramic shot of Livingstone Island and a number of fabulous photographs on their website, which gives you the feeling of being there.

Sketching in the Okavango Delta ~

Macateer, that camp where I spent time sketching in the western delta ~

jotting down impressions,

trying to paint the bush as darkness fell,

...sketching vignettes of

horses and wildlife

to add to maps I drew of the area

Have you thought of going to Malawi?

You can see Lake Malawi from the heights of the Nyika Plateau.

I spent time at Monkey Bay

where it was possible to camp on the beach

or explore islands

I appreciated the food at Club Makakola

and watching rock hyrax at otter point.

This map charts our journey. It was amazing.

Have you ever been to Damaraland?

I first went to Damaraland on a recce for the BBC Natural History Unit.

I wanted to return as soon as possible to spend time painting in the desert.

It's one of the last great wildernesses.

I was able to use this small reed hut as a base for ten days.

It gave me time to experiment.