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I was at Khoisan Karoo Conservancy in South Africa’s Northern Cape to see the Shy Five, a pentad of extraordinary creatures on the opposite end of the spectrum to the safari industry’s Big Five (leopard, lion, elephant, buffalo and rhino).

Angus Begg writes "Piet Cronje ‘PC’ Ferreira says that, after 28 years, his own transformation from farming only to a sustainable farming, conservation and tourism enterprise is complete. Now he’s working with some of the central Karoo’s most troubled municipalities and conservation organisations on an ambitious plan that goes way beyond re-establishing the area’s wildlife and fragile biodiversity."

If you are in love with the outdoors and nature but can’t always get to places like the Greater Kruger, Kgalagadi, Botswana etc you need to find an affordable alternative to keep your photography skills fresh.

Recently I was invited by P.C Ferreira to visit him on the Karoo Gariep Private Nature Reserve to see and learn more about his conservation and tourism initiatives. The Karoo is a semi-desert natural region of South Africa. No exact definition of what constitutes the Karoo is available, so its extent is also not precisely defined. To that extent, I found the opportunities quite enjoyable and original. Please note that this is a NO HUNTING Farm.

Cassia picked up on a 3 night package being offered by PC Ferreira’s New Holme Guest Farm in the Karoo Gariep Nature Reserve near Hanover in the Karoo as a great opportunity to kick off an early celebration of Rob Kemp’s 80th birthday. The party consisted of Rob & Margs, Deon & Gill, Jean, Cassia and I. Rob and Margs had been in Johannesburg and would meet us there on the way back to Cape Town. The rest of the party left Cape Town at 6 a.m. on Thursday the 13th of June in 2 separate vehicles and met up in Matjiesfontein Hotel for a breakfast break.

The Seekoei River flows through PC Ferreira’s farm, New Holme, between Hanover and Colesberg in the Northern Cape, South Africa. PC investigated why the river was called the Seekoei (Hippo) River. He found that the last hippos along the Seekoei River had been on his farm, where they had been hunted to extinction in the late 1700s, probably 1778. PC worked for many years to get permission to do a re-introduction, and finally got it right to re-introduce a small group of hippos in 2006. For PC, this was the launch of a passion for conservation, and has transformed the traditional sheep farm of New Holme into a space where biodiversity takes precedence. It has official “nature reserve” status. PC is working with farmers all along the Seekoei River to establish a vast corridor of protected area.