Dianne Tipping-Woods

Written by Dianne Tipping-Woods
On a challenging multi-day hike through Makuya Nature Reserve in northern Limpopo, Dianne Tipping-Woods and seven other women rediscover their wild natures.
Also read: 5 easy hiking trails in Cape Town
The more subtle you are, the more you’re going to fit into this landscape.’ Did naked in the Luvuvhu River count as subtle? I wasn’t sure, but Lowveld Trails Company guide Wayne te Brake, wasn’t around to ask. He’d given our group of eight loosely acquainted wome...

What do you get when you add Pafuri Tented Camp, cold GnTs, an exhausted mom and daughter, and the wilds of northern Kruger? An unforgettable trip and all the inspiration you need to plan a getaway with your mom as soon as possible.
Written by Dianne Tipping-Woods
My mom Brigid and I have an incredible bond, but we spend much of our shared time taking care of work or life logistics. And lately, the logistics have been hectic – moving country, a robbery, life with Parkinson’s Disease, a new ba...

Mariepskop’s story is as convoluted as its trails, as bumpy as its access roads and as compelling as its endless views, as Dianne Tipping-Woods discovered when she decided to head up the mountain and see the Blyde River Canyon from the other side.
Guide Thabelo Sekome was unruffled by my sensory vertigo. He’s taken enough people up to the top of Mariepskop to know they need a few moments to gush, exclaim or stand in awe of the vistas, the fynbos, the aloes or the proteas, ‘I first fell in lov...

The shadow of Mariepskop stretches long and inviting, a siren call for adventurers and nature enthusiasts alike. As the clouds weave their patterns, occasionally granting a peek into the vastness beyond, the horizon seems to whisper tales from ancient times, especially when the distant view reaches as far as Maputo on clearer days.
Please note: We’ve included the prices as a guideline – but although they were correct at the time of travel, they’re liable to change at the owner’s discretion. P...

“People often worry about lugging heavy and expensive camera equipment on safari—bulky camera bodies, massive lenses, charging packs, and heavy tripods. I used to be one of those people, fretting over every ounce. But on a recent once-in-a-lifetime trip to Botswana’s Nxai Pan, Okavango Delta, and Kwando River, I tossed caution (and most of my gear) to the wind and travelled with just a Samsung S24 Ultra on a string around my neck,” writes Dianne Tipping-Woods.
ALSO SEE: Unveiling the Visual M...

Using cutting-edge technology, researchers are uncovering profound links among ocean health, climate change, and the denizens of the deep

Tag along with WWF scientists as they take CNN on an Antarctic whale expedition...

I loved writing this travel piece for Getaway Magazine about my experience on an unsupported trail through the wilderness that is !Khamab Kalahari Reserve. As always, wonderful insight from Brenden Pienaar and Lowveld Trails Co.

This is a wrap-up piece for Sawubona Magazine, featuring my take on what to do and see on your visit (it extends beyond this snip of the first two pages). Thanks Tami Walker for supplying some exceptional photos and local insight. I hope everyone who reads the story puts your gallery on their must-visit list.

“All I know is that I find bushcraft fascinating. Something happens when you hold clay you have dug from the earth or leather that you’ve tanned, that your body recognizes from thousands of years ago,” said Julie Bryden. She unpacked a bundle of sheep hide, thread, and some hand-carved hardwood needles and passed them around.
Julie Bryden and some of of her wild-tanned leather. Images by Kelly-Mae Wilkinson.
I was celebrating my 40th birthday with a small group of friends on an unsupported, b...

Ovahimba herder Tjimbari Kamendu anxiously awaits news of a pride of lions sighted close to his kraal –or livestock pen— in the village of Omukutu, inside the Anabeb Conservancy in northeast Namibia. It's a wild landscape grazed for centuries by livestock guided by local herders. Here, there are no fences to separate people and wildlife. A nearby seasonal waterway sustains cattle, goats, and donkeys alongside elephants, oryx, and zebras.

The sounds of squabbling baboons and squawking guinea fowl greet Tjavarekua Tjijahura as she rises to prepare breakfast and break camp. She is wearing the traditional clothes of Ovaherero women—petticoats, a voluminous dress with vibrant patterns, and a hornlike headscarf that pays homage to part of her identity: The Ovaherero people are historically cattle breeders, and raising livestock is a common way of life.
While the campsite is far from Tjijahura’s village, she says she feels an affini...

For 21 days each month, rhino ranger Erlyn Tauros's home is a canvas tent in the sun-beaten wilds of northwestern Namibia. She walks up to 19 miles daily and more than 300 miles per cycle across some of Africa's harshest terrain. With about five days between each trip into the field, she sometimes feels like she spends more time in the comp...

The night before we met, an elephant herd passed through Rebecca Adams’ small village in the heart of northwest Namibia's arid Huab River Valley. "They pushed over a fence to raid a small garden. I thought, elephants again. And I decided I would stay in bed and let others chase them away,” she said

I’m with Rebecca tracking these same elephants, having followed their footprints through the village of De Riet to further along the Huab River bed. It's a vast semi-desert landscape ranging from s...

Thanks to Skukuza Airport you can now breeze into the Kruger National Park for a weekend getaway. Here’s what to pack for luggage that is light enough so you don’t even have to check it in. By Dianne Tipping-Woods
There was a time when a trip to the Kruger National Park meant packing the car in the pre-dawn light with cooler boxes of groceries, packs of padkos and a pile of kids. Now though, with the convenience of affordable flights straight into Skukuza and the option of a transfer, car hir...

From the minute they're born, we spend so much of our time and resources keeping our children safe that travelling with them into the wilderness may seem counterintuitive.
Is taking them on safari responsible? What risks will they face? Do I need to worry about encounters with wild animals? Snakes? Illness? Safe transport?
Dangers always lurk at the edge of our comfort zones. But when considering a safari holiday with your little ones, chances are, you're worrying about the wrong things.
As W...