About Rachel Lang

Hi, I’m Rach . If not adventuring in the African bush, the chances are I’m dreaming about it. My childhood played a big role in this passion as I was privileged to travel much of Southern Africa from an early age. Needless to say, I’m happiest barefoot with a sketchbook in hand – watching elephants at a water hole or listening to lions roaring around a campfire. Wildlife, children and storytelling are a big part of my life. Follow my adventures on my blog www.bushboundgirl.com

Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed

Original source: bushboundgirl.com Braving a night-time walk in Laikipia, Kenya, I made my way down a little dirt path through the camp. Suddenly I froze. In the light of my torch shone two little blazing eyes, unblinking, gleaming at me boldly. The bushbabies’ little frog feet clung to a small acacia bush, just two feet …

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Micro-lighting in South Luangwa and the secret trauma of crocodiles

As an aspiring conservationist, I recognise the importance of appreciating all forms of life – the ‘cute’ and the ‘beautiful’, the ‘ugly’ and the ‘ferocious’. But, quite frankly, I have always found it most difficult to love crocodiles. When I was a child I had a recurring nightmare in which I watched hopelessly as my …

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5 Amazing African Trees

When my mum and dad first began dating, my dad was stationed in the Kruger National Park, where he was working on vegetation maps for the army. My mum, desperate to impress her new wilderness man, decided to study the names of trees. It worked! And now, years later, she still surprises us by sprouting …

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Mike Horn The Pangaea

A South African Young Explorer

Ever dreamt of embarking on an extreme, once-in-a-lifetime adventure? What about summiting a previously unclimbed peak? … or having an intimate encounter with a shark? 21-year-old Rick Kotze, who recently took part in Mike Horn’s Young Explorer Program, shared his experience of a brave new world with Africa Geographic. Rachel Lang: Tell me about yourself… …

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Carcharodontosaurus

Africa’s dinosaur bigger than the T-rex!

My parents didn’t let us watch Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park when it first came out. But my dad, whom we begged stories out of nightly, relayed his own version of the dramatic screenplay, in which the Tyrannosaurus Rex was the most fearsome of all – the biggest, strongest, meanest, meat-eating dinosaur of all time – …

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Hedgehog

Southern African hedgehogs: life in a prickly skin!

Cute … kind of ugly … spiny… delightful … adorable – I find it hard not to love hedgehogs! So here’s a bit more about these too oft-ignored little creatures… Stranger Danger! The Southern African hedgehog’s most distinguished feature is the sharp-tipped spines that cover its body like armor. An adult has about 5,000 of …

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Chad Cocking

Chad Cocking: my life in the bush…

Chad Cocking is a passionate wildlife photographer and field guide. He has been charged by big cats, learned to deal with demanding guests and mastered early mornings wake-ups, but this is no ordinary jeep jockey… What inspired the field guide dream? Did you grow up spending a lot of time in the bush? I blame …

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Discovering money beetles in Namaqualand

Biodiversity in Africa: a reason to celebrate!

Yesterday was World Biodiversity Day … so what’s the big deal? Africa has eight official biodiversity hotspots. A biodiversity hotspot is an area that is alive with a rich variety of unique species, many of which are found nowhere else on Earth. Have you been to any of these amazing regions…? Cape Floristic Kingdom, Coastal …

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Dr Ian Player operation rhino south africa

Ian Player: man of the wilderness

Growing up brought with it a certain disappointment for me. Perhaps because, as a child, I always believed that the hero wins, that the good guy comes through in the end. And even if he dies it’s always for a greater good. After all, isn’t that how all great adventure stories end? Frodo destroys the …

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Painted Reed Frog

Frogging About

I was quite amused when first invited to go ‘frogging’. It was while working as a school-teacher at a lodge in the Sabi Sands. Our head ranger, Kate was taking out two trainee rangers to introduce them to the amphibian world. They arrived kitted out with headlamps, gumboots and frog identification books. ‘Do you like …

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