Built on vision, driven by passion and having faith in God

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During a holiday trip me and 3 friends went to Leopard Mountain near Hluhluwe to stay for a night and experience nature. We arrived in the afternoon and received a warm welcome! Two hours later we were expected to join the jeep-safari. We’ve done that before during our stay in South-Africa, but it’s always exciting!

That evening, during dinnertime, Ferdie asked us how our trip was and we started talking about our experiences and how much we’ve been learning during our holiday. Ferdie told us about his work as well. Since we were very interested in hearing more from him, Ferdie invited us, four girls, to get up before sunrise and take a walk with him. We accepted the invitation of course!

After a quick cup of tea and a glimpse of the first beams of the sun, we started walking. Ferdie first explained what to do when we came across an animal and to always stay close to him. During our walk Ferdie told us stories about the surroundings, the course of nature, specific details about plants and what plants can tell us about the history of the lands (how those lands have been used) and of what use those plants are to the local people. By just looking, thinking with an open mind and adding several things up you can get a better perspective. Then you realise how important the work of people like Ferdie is, to preserve nature, but also to help the local people and make them aware of the importance of nature and how they can make use of it to make a living without destroying it.

During that walk we got to see the most beautiful sunrise! Ferdie got the idea of climbing the top of the hill and we were all excited to follow him! On top we could look around us, see our bush-camp and enjoy the silence and the rising sun!

We came back around nine, nine-thirty for a great breakfast and Ferdie showed us some of the pictures he took that morning. We had to leave around 11 o’clock, wishing we could have stayed longer!

Taking this game-walk with Ferdie made a big impression on the four of us. As soon as we were in the car on the highway, one of us wrote down everything we learned, so we wouldn’t forget!

If you ever get the chance on going on a game-walk, TAKE IT! You certainly won’t regret it. It’s an ultimate experience to learn about nature. Definitely better than reading it in a book or seeing it on television!