Ed’s letter: It’s been a blast.

You can count on one thing always: change. That time has come.

Sonya Schoeman pictured with her little brother in Lake Jozini. Captured when she went back to her childhood area. Photo by Teagan Cunniffe.

Change. In a blink it’s here: people you love are gone, new ones you’ll grow to love are born, a former tourism minister is appointed again (welcome back, Derek Hanekom) and Zuma no longer has a job, probably not having ‘saved’ what he thought he should for this day of unemployment he thought he could sidestep forever.

I read about another example of hubris, a man in Japan who thinks his genes are so exceptional that he’s fathered 19 children with different surrogates across Asia. This litter is his gift to us, the rest of humanity, a gift we didn’t ask for and don’t want. Frankly, a man of 28 who has done very little in the world besides inherit obscene wealth and thinks his genes are superior to anyone else’s sounds to me like the very definition of bad genes, and bad manners.

However, the problem about hubris is that often it’s a blind spot, and we simply don’t see it. As I didn’t when I started as Getaway editor, with a pack full of smart ideas. No other magazine has taught me as acutely that an editor is merely a custodian whose task is to listen to what a community wants, and what an incredibly valuable gift that is. As a community, you’ve supported this magazine hugely. Thank you.

Other gifts have been the beautiful journeys all over our gorgeous country and continent, and working with an exceptionally smart and talented team whose stories fill this issue: read deputy editor Tyson Jopson’s wild and funny ‘Ben 10’ success (page 44), Welcome Lishivha’s winding exploration of a rejuvenating Eden (page 74), and Melanie van Zyl’s blissful island holiday (page 84). In Pringle Bay, Getaway’s Matthew Sterne discovers a town wholly committed to being plastic free (see page 117), a sign of how environmental awareness is gathering momentum.

Did you know, for instance, that in London milkmen (or to be gender neutral, milkpeople) are returning with their familiar clink of bottles as millennials eschew plastic? Of course, the issues of waste are far bigger than this, but it’s important to celebrate the small changes; they signal the big ones.

And on that note, I’ve met you on these pages every month for the past four years and am now moving on. To the wonderful Getaway team, past and present, I’ve met you almost every day of that stretch. Thank you for that time. It’s been a blast. And now it’s time to blink.

5 things to look out for in the April issue

1. Kruger’s Big Seven

Camping in the Kruger National Park gets you that much closer to nature. We tested all 13 of the park’s campsites and on page 64 we reveal where to go for the best experience.

2. Mauritius

South Africans have loved this island for years. Here’s a new way to visit, with some great deals (page 84)and a chance to win a holiday there (page 23).

3. Lions

The portfolio on page 58 showcases a remarkable group of lions.

4. Good-news towns

Knysna (page 74) and Pringle Bay (page 117) want to do the right thing, and this makes them wonderful and worthy spots to visit and re-visit.

5. The Good-value star

Each issue of Getaway has several inexpensive accommodation options for under R550 per person (some for less) that we think offer good value. So look out for the star.

This month’s contributors

Nandi Majola – Wish You Were Here, page 14

As a teenager, Nandi wished she could work for a magazine. And now she’s here at Getaway. Her favourite place in South Africa is the Amphitheatre in the Drakensberg, so it was fitting that her first story for us was covering a new route up Lion’s Head in Cape Town (we bet you didn’t know there was one!). For the past year, she’s also been the one behind our Escapes section opener, and this month she tells you why Australia’s Gold Coast is making waves.

Philip Stander and Will and Lianne Steenkamp – Portfolio, page 58

Two decades ago Philip gave up normal life to study the unique desert-adapted lions of the Namib. It wasn’t long before filmmakers Will and Lianne joined him. Now, with two internationally acclaimed wildlife documentaries under their belts, the intrepid trio share with us an astonishing sequence of images of this majestic predator.

Tyson Jopson – Road Trip, page 44

Getaway’s deputy editor finally did it – he closed his laptop for the last time as our second-in-command, seven years after penning his first story for the magazine. His next adventure will take him to the far reaches of Europe, where he’ll be riding and documenting the best adventure-bike trails on the continent. Fittingly, for his final story as a Getaway staffer we sent him to the Eastern Cape Highlands to tackle South Africa’s toughest road trip. Good luck, Tyson. We hope the trails in Europe are rubbish. Instagram: @tysonjopson

Andreas Eiselen – The Final Cut, page 38

Contributing photographer Andreas says he’s happiest in the mountains, a love kindled by hiking in the Drakensberg with his father as a kid. This month we sent him to another set of mountains, Bainskloof, to shoot its hidden hideaways. What he found was ‘an almost otherworldly place with secret rock pools, waterfalls and stunning hikes’. He also shares his top tips to improve your photography in our Masterclass section (page 28).

This story first appeared in the April 2018 issue of Getaway magazine.

Get this issue →

Our April issue features 7 of our favourite campsites in Kruger, a winding exploration of a rejuvenating Eden we like to call Knysna, an affordable cultural exploration of Mauritius and much more.