Want a traveler’s advice on must-do experiences in Southern Africa? Patrick Cruywagen is your man

Patrick, please tell me a bit about yourself?

I grew up on the Weskus of South Africa and loved my rural upbringing. There were none of the stresses and strains associated with city life. All we had to worry about was where the next snoek or crayfish were coming from. I then spent several years in the military, which was good, as it taught me a few things about discipline and working in a team. I have a degree in Military Science from Stellies and a degree in Photojournalism from Rhodes in the Eastern Cape. My first real journalism job was for SA 4×4 Magazine where I was the Bush Editor for almost a decade and now for my sins I live in the UK where I work as Features Editor for Land Rover Monthly.

I see you are a keen sportsman and have taken up the Comrades three times before. I take it that you like pushing yourself to the limit?

I think the army taught me to run like Forrest Gump and, yes, I have done the Comrades three times and am the proud owner of one silver medal. I have also covered the race as a journalist several times. It is a great event and like no other race in the world. Only South Africans are mad enough to run so far. I once ran 250 km across the Kalahari in the middle of summer, as I love the Northern Cape, especially the bits along the Orange River. The scenery and isolation made this race enjoyable.

However my proudest sporting achievement was when I got Hashim Amla out, he nicked the ball and was caught at first slip in a club game in Durban. I got his brother out in the same game. I love how far our country has come as teams such as the Proteas and the Boks are truly representative of our rainbow nation. We just need to do the same to the jukskei, swimming and lawn bowls teams.

Do you have a motto in life?

The Land Rover motto is “One Life, Live it” and I suppose that I like to live by it. Not always easy when you have a full time job, but I am lucky in that my job takes me to great places. I have just spent the last few days doing a travel feature in Wales and today I got to interview Lawrence Dallaglio as he is a Land Rover brand ambassador.

Where and when did your flame ignite for adventure travelling and travel writing?

I always thought I would be a sports journalist, but one Monday morning there was advert for a travel writer in the Cape Times. I got the job and my first assignment was to take a Mercedes ML320 and drive to Okavango Delta to catch a Tiger fish. I did one of these sort of assignments each month for ten years. It was heaven on earth.

This was not taken in the London Zoo! Real elephants in the wilderness. #LiveFearless pic.twitter.com/BqKYU7WMYf

— Patrick Cruywagen (@patcruywagen) May 30, 2014

What has been your favourite destination or experience in Africa, and the UK?

I am bias and have a very soft spot for the West Coast of South Africa. So having a snoek braai at Tietiesbaai is just as lekker as watching the Serengeti wildebeest migration. As for the UK, there is a peninsula on the west coast of Scotland called Knoydart. You can only get there by boat and it is occupied by 100 people and 50 Land Rovers. It is called the last true wilderness in the UK.

How did a Weskusklong end up being the Features Editor of one of the biggest 4×4 magazines in the world?

I had the same sort of experience in the UK where I saw an ad on a website. I was lucky in that I had a pretty decent CV and my former publisher put in a good word. Plus I had owned Land Rovers and adventured in them all over the world. It was like I was meant to work at LRM and it has gone pretty well.

What’s been your most dangerous or challenging drive? Are there any ones people should avoid?

When I was young and dumb I just wanted to drive the roughest tracks and trails no matter the consequences. When you get older you rather drive around a problem than through it or else you build a road. I did once drown a VW Touareg in a swamp in the Delta and had to leave it behind. Then one Sunday we almost lost an Isuzu to the Save River in Mozambique. It was a miracle that we got it out again. I see these incidents as life lessons.

Please tell me more about your book Your Bucket List: 150 Must-do Experiences in Southern Africa. What inspired you to write it?

When I took the decision to leave South Africa, I knew that I had a book in me and thankfully I found a good publishing house that agreed with me. You cannot adventure non-stop for a decade around Africa and not do anything with that knowledge gained. The book was a natural occurrence.

What would you say the most important item on one’s bucket list should be visiting Southern Africa?

I think you should rather cover a smaller area properly than try to cram in too much. You could spend a week in the Kruger National Park hiking, biking, 4x4ing and doing game drives.

I know you have just returned from testing a vehicle in Snowdonia – So what’s next on your destination list?

I have a very long list of places to see and things to experience. 2015 will be a massive year and I have 4×4 trips planned to Scotland, Morocco, Albania, Iceland and I would just love to go to India. Then as usual I go to the Makgadikgadi Pans in July as I organise a MTB event across the pans.

Which destination is on your bucket list?

I have done almost all of the things in my book except climb Kilimanjaro so I would like to do that still. I would like to watch the Proteas play cricket in India, so that too is an option.

Where can one buy the book?

You can get the digital version of my book on Amazon of course and if you want the printed version see www.mapstudio.co.za. I have just heard that the first print run of my book has just about sold out and they will be doing a second run in the new year.

Here are some reviews of Cruywagen’s book:

“The tagline is 150 Must-Do Experiences in Southern Africa… turning the pages through this book and there is absolutely something for everyone: Great adventures for adventurous spirits, and lesser adventures for those who just want to relax… this book is a list of the “best of the rest” of things to do in our part of the world. It is packed with beautiful colour photographs. Each event get a full page of coverage with the when, the where and the why. There is plenty of information, to make your experience just that little bit better… tips and tweaks as well as special information like relevant websites and similar experiences. I love that the author has “been there and done that,” how much better is it to read a guide by someone who has actually experienced all the events themselves…”

Se7ev

“Patrick Cruywagen has released a new book filled with adventurous and scenic destinations that will fit into any traveller or thrill seeker’s back pack. Your Bucket List provides readers with 150 must see destinations which includes activities across Southern Africa. Each page contains a different destination, detailed map of each location and informative summaries. Those with a love for beautiful destinations and travelling will love the fascinating photographs of all the different locations.
The book has plenty of background information on all the different locations and activities that can be done in South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana, Namibia, Mozambique, Madagascar, Angola, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania and Kenya.”

Women 24

Photos courtesy of Patrick Cruywagen