About Us

About_Us

Chris Marais & Julienne du Toit are award-winning authors and photographers living and working in the Karoo, South Africa’s semi-desert heartland.

They are urban refugees. In 2007 they traded in the skyline of Johannesburg for the wide-angle horizons of the Karoo, and bought a little house in the river town of Cradock.

From here, they regularly venture west into the dry country, returning with stories and photographs from villages, farms and people they meet along the road.

bylines_0004Chris & Julienne freelance for South African markets like SA Country Life Magazine, Sawubona (SAA in-flight) and the SA Tourism website www.southafrica.net. Through South African Tourism, they also have three new blogsites: www.greencompass.co.za, www.safarispot.co.za and www.traces.co.za . Jules is all about wildlife, conservation and fair trade in tourism, while Chris writes about the people they meet on their travels.

Their offshore clients include Suite 101.com (US), Wanderlust UK and The Guardian newspaper.

Their travel books to date:

  • A Drink of Dry Land – Travels Through Namibia;
  • Namibia Space;
  • Shorelines – A Journey Along SA’s Coastline
  • Coast to Coast – Life on SA’s Shores
  • Karoo Keepsakes – A Traveller’s Companion to the Heartland of South Africa
  • 101 Bars of Southern Africa (Chris Marais & Pat Hopkins)

Comments 

 
#13 Ranleigh Delport 2012-01-15 17:54
After watching Carte Blance this evening I became even more disturbed about this. I share this because the Karoo is a place that my family and I have frequented for the past 20 years. There is no place like it in the world. I have literally fallen in love with the place and cannot imagine that we would allow the rich to come and mine for natural gas in the area at the expense of its pristine beauty. What are you going to do about this? If you visit the place you will know exactly what I mean. I would like to know what I can do as a fellow citizen who is totally against this. Who can I speak to?
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#12 Chris Sherwin 2012-01-15 04:28
My Grand-Parents Farmed in Cradock,First At Lake Arthur Then at Guernsey Near Halesowen.Come to Cradock every December,Have Breakfast at Victoria Lodge.Have Your Book,Really enjoy It.My Grand-Parents Were Jan&Blanche Hofmeyr.My Mom Was Schooled in Cradock At The Convent,Then Rocklands.My Mom&Dad Were Married in Cradock in St Peter's anglican Church on the 10th October,1952.We Spent Most of Our School Holiday's in Cradock.
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#11 caroline hurry 2012-01-10 15:07
Thanks a lot Chris and Jules. Was supposed to do some serious work then I stumbled across your magnificent website ... and I Just. Can't. Stop. Reading. I LOVE IT. Well done, you two.
Hugs to you both
Carrie
xx
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#10 willemien v d walt 2011-10-04 07:36
Dankie julle, vir 'n lieflike webwerf.
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#9 Lazlo 2011-08-16 08:10
I want to experience this space, I want to see more than road works and SUV's... yes the soft wind blowing across plains as the sheep just graze in a daze!
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#8 2011-07-08 13:49
Just came across your site after seeing mention of Karoo Keepsakes in the Food & Travel section of the Sunday Times. You simply cannot beat the Karoo and you've released my wanderlust again. The wife and I try and get to Prince Albert at least once a year or De Rust etc .. because, coming from Cape Town, it's only 400km away .. love Chris Nel's book about the Karoo as well .. as well as Dana Snyman's travel books . . . in fact, followed one of his stories into Moordenaar's Karoo last year, from Laingsburg in search of the "mysterious shining ghost light" .. never found the light (well it was daytime) but spent three hours of joy in the nothingness, ancient old quarries, abandoned farm houses .. wandering farmworkers, quantity surveyors helping with directions ... the Flood Museum in Laingsburg ... just can't get enough .. still want to try Cradock .. haven't got that far although the amazing woman who works for us, lives there so have a head start in that area! keep up the good work.
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#7 2011-04-17 20:14
You have a task ahead of of you, but have faith in humanity. If not then..in physics!
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#6 2011-03-27 03:49
Ek onthou nog die Royal en Masonic Hotels
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#5 2011-02-26 18:31
I spent most of my childhood holidays on the Karoo, as I am family of the Clarkes of Hanover. Although I live now in the green scenery of Kent, I will always miss 'die asvaal ou Karoo'! Lately, however, we can get very good biltong locally.
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#4 2011-02-26 18:28
I am family of the Clarkes in the Hanover district, and spent most of my childhood holidays there. I am well acquainted with the road trip from Cape Town. I miss it all, despite the green landscape in Kent, where I now reside. I miss 'die asvaal ou Karoo'. Hoowever, we can buy decent biltong and droewors locally!
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