There are prizes to be won; the due date is 30 June 2012. Check out the link below for all the competition rules and information, to participate in this awesome competition.

For more information check out West coast National Park’s website.

Writing competition

Go for horse riding on the beach, when it is a lovely evening during sundown. It will be a great outdoor activity, getting fresh air.

Horse riding is near Paternoster on a farm, called . Swartrug. Drikus Horse Riding offer beach and cart rides, stabling and riding lessons, the farm is a short drive from town.  There are different outrides to choose from, like 1 hour short outrides or sunset rides along the beach. Mountain biking enthusiasts and hikers are welcome to enjoy the farm, the salt marshes and on the beach trails. Goes sight seeing on a horse, viewing the beautiful sunset, the birds and the scenery.

For more information:

Swartrug Farm

8 km from Paternoster, 9 km from Stompneusbay / Shelley Point and 22 km from Vredenburg, on the dirt road connecting Paternoster and Stompneusbay.
Telephone: +27 (0)82 748-5596

Websites: http://www.drikus.co.za/index.html

http://www.sa-venues.com/things-to-do/westerncape/drikus-horse-riding/

Go for a drive out to Thali Thali for the day. It is a beautiful scenery with a lot of interesting and fun things to do. It is just less than 1 hours drive from Cape Town, bordering the West Coast National Park.

There is a wide range of game like kudu, oryx, giraffe, red hartebeest, eland, zebra, springbok, black wildebeest, duiker, bontebok, steenbok, etc. There are many different bird species and you can enjoy a walk in the fynbos to view these creatures.

They have a bar, lapa and swimmingpool to go and relax at.

Some things that you can find:

Game viewing

Walking safaris

Vehicle safaris

Quad bike safaris

3D Bowhunting track

For more details

Thali-Thali

The theme for this yer is; Wetlands and Tourism

There are also Downloadable docs for children

For more details:

World Wetlands day

Go for an outing for the day to Paternoster. Paternoster means “our father”. It is a scenic and romantic, small fishing village on the West Coast.

There are many eating places to go to or drink a beverage on the beach. Have a look at the local shop, Oep ve Koep for local delicacies such as fig preserve, snoek, bokkoms, koeksusters (a sweet pastry) as well as local brands. It sits right on the corner as you enter the town. You can also buy the local newspaper “Die Paternoster Koster” and enjoy Tea or Coffee at the coffee shop area.

Visit The Art of Pottery Studio of Gerhard van den Heever. You will see decorative ceramics as well as ceramics handmade on site by the local potter. Visit the Cape Columbine Lighthouse with its beautiful view from the top. The light house is in the Columbine Nature Reserve, just five kilometres outside of Paternoster. You and your family can go for a weekend; there are loads of accommodation possibilities.

For more information: http://www.sa-venues.com/things-to-do/westerncape/bysuburb/paternoster/

http://www.paternoster.info/index.html

Visit Darling for a wine tasting experience and go on a wine tour.

The Cloof offers daily tasting room lunches. Hilda’s Kitchen, the restaurant at Groote Post, is open for lunch on Sundays. Darling Cellars now offer picnic baskets as well as a kiddies’ play area.

On the wine route you will also experience a number of arts in the Darling area. This will be a memorable experience.

For more information:

http://www.darlingtourism.co.za/wineart.php

Wine Cellars

Groote Post – http://www.grootepost.com/

Darling Cellars – www.darlingcellars.co.za/

Cloof Cellars – http://www.cloof.co.za/

Alexanderfontein – http://www.ormonde.co.za/winale.html

Go fishing for the day. Take the children with, they can also try to catch some fish and they can take a swim.

For a day out at the water

Fishing – contact details

West Coast National Park:  
Tel:+27 (022) 772 2144
Fax:+27 (022) 772 2607
geelbekrestaurant@telkomsa.net

33-18 Extreme
Lagoon Fishing Trips
All equipment provided
Family Fun
From just R100 per person
Tel:  079 709 5809
Website

Drink more fluids (nonalcoholic), regardless of your activity level. Drink regularly, don’t wait till you are thirsty.

Don’t drink liquids that contain alcohol or large amounts of sugar–these actually cause you to lose more body fluid. Also, avoid very cold drinks, because they can cause stomach cramps.

Spray away the heat - keep small spray bottles filled with water in the fridge and use chilled in the office or car – a fine mist on your face and pulse points (inner elbows, behind the ears and knees) will cool the blood down.

Stay indoors and, if at all possible, stay in an air-conditioned place. If your home does not have air conditioning, go to the shopping mall or public library–even a few hours spent in air conditioning can help your body stay cooler when you go back into the heat. Call your local health department to see if there are any heat-relief shelters in your area.

Close the curtains. While the sun is out it pays to draw curtains and close blinds. If the air outside is hotter than inside keep the windows closed.

Head for the basement/ ground floor. Remember that science lesson? Hot air rises. Stay on the ground floor or below if your building has a basement, even for short breaks, It is cooler.

Electric fans may provide comfort, but when the temperature is in the high, fans will not prevent heat-related illness. Taking a cool shower or bath, or moving to an air-conditioned place is a much better way to cool off.

DIY Aircon. Got no aircon but have a box fan?  Place a tub of ice water behind the fan and wait. The cool air will be pulled away from the tub and cool down your home.

Flick a switch. Lights and appliances in your house, when on, can actually raise the temperature indoors. If you’re using fans and air con you’ll be using more electricity anyhow, so balance things out by switching off all unnecessary lights etc during the day.

Get a haircut. Seriously, long and / or thick hair acts like a wooly hat and if your head and feet are hot, the rest of your body struggles to cool down. If you’ve been considering a chop now’s the time to do it.

During very hot days try to wear lightweight, light-colored, loose-fitting clothing.

NEVER leave anyone in a closed, parked vehicle. It gets extremely hot in the car with temperatures that rise very quickly. Make sure young kids and especially babies drink a LOT more fluid, especially water. Use sunblock and sunhats and sun shades and don’t let them play outdoors between 10 a.m and 3 p.m.

Although any one at any time can suffer from heat-related illness, some people are at greater risk than others. Check regularly on people that suffer from the following conditions:

- Infants and young children

- People aged 65 or older

- People who have a mental illness

- Those who are physically ill, especially with heart disease or high blood

Pressure

- Visit adults on a Regular basis at risk twice a day and closely watch them for signs of heat exhaustion or heat stroke. Infants and young children, of course, need much more frequent watching.

If you really have to be outdoors or work in an outdoor environment try to limit your outdoor activity to morning and evening hours.

Do fewer exercises during these extreme hot days. If you must exercise, drink two to four glasses of cool, nonalcoholic fluids each hour.  A sports beverage can replace the salt and minerals you lose in sweat. Warning: If you are on a low-salt diet, talk with your doctor before drinking a sports beverage.

Try to rest often in shady areas.

Protect yourself from the sun by wearing a wide-brimmed hat (also keeps you cooler) and sunglasses and by putting on sunscreen of SPF 15 or higher especially with UVA/UV B protection.

Sleep with an ice block. No, really, this works. One of those ice packs used for cooler boxes can be wrapped in a hand towel and kept in the bed, basically as the opposite of a hot water bottle.

Don’t forget your pets. Pets feel the heat in a big way. So would you all covered in fur from nose to toes. Put out buckets of water for the day if you’re not around your pets and as with kids, whatever you do DON’T leave dogs locked in cars.

Enjoy an ice cream. . .

Go enjoy a boat trip to cool down in the heat. There are a few options, to go to. Contact them to make a booking for you and your family for an awesome boat trip.

Look forward to a boat trip on a sunny summer’s day, to cool down after a hot day.

1. Islander Boat Trips:  
Tel:+27 (022) 772 2326
Fax:+27 (022) 772 2326
2. Schaafsma Charters:  
Tel:+27 (022) 714 4235
Fax:+27 (022) 714 3896

 slipway@mweb.co.za

3. Bugaloo Adventures
Berth No. 1, Club Mykonos, Langebaan
Tel:+27 (0)21 876 3603
Fax:+27 (0)21 876 2830
Cell:+27 (0)82 055 9000

Visit the bird island as a bird lover or if you are interested to see and learn more about birds, especially the Cape Gannets.

Visiting Hours:
Visiting hours are from 07h00 to 19h00 in summer, and until 17h00 in winter. Entrance may be prohibited if rough seas make it too dangerous to cross the breakwater. Visitors are however warned to be very careful at all times.

Take a drive to Lamberts Bay,  and visit the bird island. Enjoy a summer’s day in Lamberts Bay area. Visit small shops, eat ice cream on the beach and go for a swim. Also stay for lunch.

More information