Wanderlust Travel Magazine (UK)
Ask the experts
Discovering all creatures great and small in South Africa, how to spend less and see more in Copenhagen and day trekking in Tasmania – our experts answer your travel queries
Spotting insects in South Africa, spending less in Copenhagen and trekking in Tasmania – our experts answer your travel queries
SPOTTING BUTTERFLIES IN SOUTH AFRICAN GAME PARKS
QWe’re hoping to visit South Africa in September and my partner would quite like to see the Big Five, but I want to spot butterflies and smaller animals (I’ve already done the big ones!); where would be a good place to combine our two demands?”
Pat Halliday, via email September is springtime in South Africa. If you visit the National Parks to see the ‘Big Five’, the bush will be green but the vegetation not thick enough to prevent viewing. It may rain at this time of year, but this is the time to look for special butterflies!
In the parks, if you aren’t allowed to walk, be creative to see butterflies. Animal dung and urine-soaked mud attract the insects and you’ll be able to watch from your car.
Look for areas where you can walk around. Picnic sites on river banks and hilltops are best. In the Kruger NP, Skukuza Camp is a great spot.
Look for ‘spring specials’ to the west of the parks. Try to include a ‘non-big Five’ reserve in one of these areas. Look for beauties like the Hutchinson’s highflier (found near Bela Bela in the Waterberg), or one of the giant Cupids or widows that fly in the montane grasslands. These butterflies like to fly on hills and ridges, so bring your hiking boots.
The best binoculars for butterfly watching are 8x42 close-focusing models, or the Pentax Papilio range. A ‘bridge’ camera with a long zoom and macro features, or a DLSR with a telephoto lens ( 180mm macro), will let you get in close for photography.
Steve Woodhall
ASEEING THE BEST OF COPENHAGEN ON A BUDGET
QI’ve been kicking around going to Copenhagen for years but keep putting it off as
I hear it’s expensive to travel around. Is there a way to keep my costs down when out and about?” Julia Bradford, via email Denmark’s capital has a taste for the high life, from its sharp-end design to Michelin star New Nordic restaurants. However, it doesn’t freeze out visitors on budget. For a start, an easy-going pace and compact inner centre make it simple to get around on foot, or its flat-as-apancake cycle lanes (hire your wheels via the bikeshare app Bycyklen, for £1.50 per 20 minutes).
Further afield, 24 hours on any metro, train or bus costs from £10 with
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DAY TREKKING THE OVERLAND TRACK IN TASMANIA
QWe’re planning a week in Tasmania and were hoping to try out a day on the Overland Track. Is there an easily accessible day trek on the route?”
Gareth Watkins, via email
Not everyone has the time or inclination to walk the whole 80km Overland Track, making a day trek an excellent option for experiencing the grandeur of the Cradle Mountain – Lake St Clair NP.
I would recommend the 14km hike from Cradle Valley to the summit of Cradle Mountain, walking a portion of the north end of the Overland Track. While it’s challenging, it’s suitable for most trekkers.
Access is through Launceston, before taking a 3-hour bus or car ride to Cradle Valley, then catching the free shuttle bus to the start of the Overland Track at Ronny Creek.
The track follows a valley etched with waterfalls, streams and pools – before a tough climb to reach an alpine plateau and a landscape of huge dolerite peaks, tarns and cushion plants. it’s another difficult climb to the top, but the view from the summit makes it worthwhile.
Warwick Sprawson
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