Karoo in all its dry, desolate glory

MITCH Reardon worked as a ranger here and in Namibia before turning his skills to being a full-time writer and wildlife photographer. And his book is both a literary and a visual feast as it documents his 4 000km journey of discovery through the region.

What was once viewed as a harsh and desolate place of limited attraction, the Karoo is rapidly gaining popularity with visitors who now make it a travel destination, keen to partake of its legendary charm, its extraordinary flora and the resurgence of wildlife that again populates its plains.

After centuries of relative isolation, the Karoo – South Africa’s parched heartland – is coming of age to the tourist industry.

Reardon focuses on all the aspects that make the area what it is: local nature conservation; the game, large and small – some recently reintroduced – plus birds, reptiles and invertebrates; the unique, arid-adapted flora; the landscape and geology.

Also included is the history and lifestyle of the people who have made a home here and the plans to combine public and private protected land to create wildlife corridors between isolated parks, re-establishing old migration routes, thus reversing some of the effects of human settlement.

Reardon vividly brings this place of stark and wild beauty to life. It’s a must-read for anyone interested in travel, wildlife and the environment.

BRIGHT: Fields of flowering Namaqualand arctotis proudly adorn the sandy gravel slopes of Soebatsfontein Pass. The annual species named fastuosa comes from the Latin fastuosus, meaning haughty, showy or ostentatious, in celebration of the bloom’s brilliant orange florets.

THREAD: In the heart of the Klein Karoo, the 16km through Tradouw Pass has some of the most beautiful and rugged scenery in the Langeberg.

Wild Karoo Mitch Reardon (Struik)