https://audioboom.com/posts/7697193 Beyond Expeditions are supported by Isuzu and Dunlop Tyres. Photo by Jacques Marais. In this episode of the Diverge Podcast Seamus Allardice speaks to Jacques Marais about the Beyond Lockdown expedition. In August 2020 Marais, Peter van Kets, Zane Schmahl and Peter Kirk set out on a 9 00km, 9 province, tour [...]
“This is our BEYOND LOCKDOWN Story: 9000km, nine diverse provinces, a dozen ecosystems, hundreds of handshakes and hugs, and a thousand smiles … this is exactly what ‘With You for the Long Run’ is all about." The ‘Rainbow Nation’. This is how the irrepressible Archbishop Desmond Tutu often referred to South Africa, and with good [...]
Leg 9 of Peter van Kets and Jacques Marais’ Beyond Lockdown, Beyond Expedition, was their final destination on the ‘long drive to save South African tourism’. The stop was on the Transkei coast, at Coffee Bay and Hole in the Wall, two locations synonymous with Eastern Cape adventures. "I am fundamentally an optimist. Whether that [...]
During leg 8 of Peter van Kets and Jacques Marais’ Beyond Lockdown, Beyond Expedition, they lingered in iSimangaliso and Kosi Bay. The vast Wetland Park is located in the far north eastern corner of KwaZulu Natal, where the coastal vegetation is a verdant sub-tropical bloom and the waters are warm. “Kosi Bay is an incredible [...]
Leg 8 of Peter van Kets and Jacques Marais’ Beyond Lockdown, Beyond Expedition, took them to iSimangaliso. Located on KwaZulu-Natal’s far north coast this massive park stretches from St Lucia in the south to the Mozambique border. Lake St. Lucia is its centre piece, but the adventures the region offers don’t end on the lake [...]
Leg 7 of Peter van Kets and Jacques Marais’ Beyond Lockdown, Beyond Expedition, took them to the Mariepskop. Its sandstone massive booms from the lowveld plain to create a biosphere unique in the region. One that’s perfect for trail running, hiking and mountain biking, as well as slowing down to take a closer look at [...]
Leg 6 of Peter van Kets and Jacques Marais’ Beyond Lockdown, Beyond Expedition, took them to the Magoebaskloof. This indigenous forest is located in the heart of the Limpopo province and is home to spectacular bird watching. 'Kurisa Moya' loosely translates as 'The Place of Tranquil Spirits', and it is easy to understand why when [...]
Leg 5 of Peter van Kets and Jacques Marais’ Beyond Lockdown, Beyond Expedition, took them to Jozi, the City of Gold. After 9 days of back country travelling, they spent the 10th day exploring South Africa’s financial hub; Johannesburg. “Imagine a city where graffiti wasn't illegal, a city where everybody could draw whatever they liked. [...]
Leg 4 of Peter van Kets and Jacques Marais’ Beyond Lockdown, Beyond Expedition, took them to the Groot Merico. A landscape made famous by Herman Charles Bosman’s Oom Schalk Lourens stories. Where the bush veldt comes alive with leopards, ghost stories and tales of lost love. "There is no other place I know that is [...]
Leg 3 of Peter van Kets and Jacques Marais’ Beyond Lockdown, Beyond Expedition, took them to the confluence of the Northern Cape and the Free State provinces. There they were treated spectacular African sunsets, awe inspiring starlit skies, a paddle on the Seekoei River and an extreme gravel grinding adventure. "Africa ... You can see [...]
