Wild Acacia Collective

28/02/2026

What's one thing you wish someone had told you before traveling with a baby or toddler?

The real stuff. Not the Pinterest version.

16/02/2026

There’s something about a crocodile at sunset that humbles you.

Not the dramatic lunge. Not the splash. Not the teeth.

Just the stillness.

A body carved by time, floating in gold. Ancient eyes half closed. The sky on fire behind it, reflected perfectly on the water’s surface. For a second, you can’t tell where the reptile ends and the sunset begins.

Africa does that. It blurs the line between danger and beauty. Between fear and reverence. Between survival and serenity.

Crocodiles have survived for over 200 million years. They watched dinosaurs disappear. They have outlived ice ages. And yet here they are, motionless in a river that mirrors the sky, as if they too are just admiring the light.

We rush through our lives. Deadlines. Notifications. Noise. But out there, in that golden hour glow, time feels irrelevant. The croc is not thinking about tomorrow. It is not replaying yesterday. It simply exists.

There is something powerful about witnessing a creature so misunderstood, so feared, looking almost poetic in the reflection of a burning African sunset.

It reminds me that the wild is not cruel. It is honest.

And maybe that’s what we’re actually craving when we say we miss Africa. Not just the landscapes. Not just the wildlife. But the raw, unfiltered truth of it all.

Beauty that doesn’t apologize.
Power that doesn’t perform.
Stillness that doesn’t need permission.

Just a crocodile.
And a sky on fire.
And a reminder that some things have always known exactly who they are.

🌅🐊

15/02/2026

Sitting here while my daughter naps in the car.
I think of the children in the world. I wonder what they are doing. Are they safe? Are they fed?

I spend a lot of time advocating for children’s rights in Africa & in the world. When I was sharing a petition to help end the war in Sudan, I was recently told by someone “who cares - worry about your own child!”

My child sleeps soundly, wherever we go. Her tummy is full. She is safe. Why do I need to worry about my child? She’s not living through a war. She isn’t being starved to death by our government. She isn’t being hurt by bad evil men who hurt children. She is safe.

as mothers, as fathers, as parents!!!! Why can’t we collectively band together and protect ALL of our earths children. Why are we not protecting the future?!???

Why are we traumatizing and destroying the people of the future. The people that our children will grow up amongst????

How can we sit here and not do anything about it? Yeah it’s easier to scroll on by, it’s easier to stick your head in the sand and worry about your own child. But when your children have MORE than some children will ever have - how can we live with that?

13/02/2026

This is the video that got 2.2 million views on Instagram… and yes, it’s a hippo aggressively power-spraying its opinions into a river. 🦛💩

Before you ask “why on earth did this go viral?” 😆 that’s exactly the point.

It’s not pretty.
It’s not glamorous.
It’s not a lion at sunset with dramatic music.

It’s raw, chaotic, hilarious, completely unfiltered Africa mixed with my shocked commentary. (I seriously thought it was wagging its tail like a dog at first!)

This is what people don’t always see on travel pages. The weird moments. The loud ones. The ones that make you laugh and say “did that just happen?”

Hippos don’t just sit there looking cute. They mark territory. They spin their tails. They take up space. They are unapologetically wild.

Maybe it went viral because it’s unexpected.
Maybe because it’s funny.
Maybe because in a world that feels heavy and serious, watching a hippo have a full pooptastrophe is oddly therapeutic.

But here’s what I love most about it:

This is real safari life. This is Kruger. This is what happens when you’re actually out there in the wild. You never know what you’ll witness. One minute calm water. The next minute chaos.

That unpredictability is what makes Africa magic.

If this made you laugh, share it. If it made you curious, imagine seeing it in person. And if you’re still wondering why it went viral… maybe you just needed a reminder that nature doesn’t try to be impressive.

It just is.

12/01/2026

Costa Rica officially bans sport and trophy hunting to protect wildlife nationwide 🌿🦜

Costa Rica made global headlines after banning sport and trophy hunting across the country... The law makes killing wild animals for recreation illegal and focuses on protecting natural ecosystems. Supporters say this step strengthens biodiversity and shows how seriously the nation values wildlife. Costa Rica already protects over a quarter of its land... this move adds another layer of environmental care.

The decision has sparked strong debate worldwide... Wildlife experts agree endangered species need strict protection. Others point out that some animals require controlled conservation. In places without natural predators, populations can grow too fast. That can lead to disease spread, crop damage, and dangerous road accidents. Many countries use science based hunting rules to manage this balance responsibly.

Costa Rica chose a different path by prioritizing preservation over population control... Officials say eco tourism brings more long term value than hunting revenue. Visitors travel to see animals alive in their natural habitats. The country hopes this ban inspires stronger respect for wildlife while encouraging other nations to review how they protect and manage animal populations.



References:
BBC News: Costa Rica bans sport hunting to protect wildlife
National Geographic: Why Costa Rica leads global conservation efforts
Reuters: Costa Rica outlaws trophy hunting nationwide
World Wildlife Fund: Preservation versus conservation explained
Smithsonian Magazine: How wildlife management differs around the world

11/01/2026

Some lives don’t fit into a single job title.
This is what I mean when I say, “I’m the daughter of a conservationist.”

He moved easily between worlds because he met people where they were. He spoke Zulu, Shona, and Afrikaans fluently — not as a skill to display, but as a responsibility he took seriously. Many of the men caught up in poaching didn’t speak English. My dad believed they deserved to understand what was happening to them. To know their rights. To be spoken to in their own language, with clarity and dignity, at one of the most vulnerable moments of their lives.

He never confused individuals with the systems behind them. He understood that many people involved in poaching were human first — often vulnerable to the far greater evil behind it: the organisations funding and profiting from destruction.

That same ethic carried into the quieter, everyday parts of his work. He noticed wild peach trees growing along mountain roads — fruit going unused — and saw opportunity rather than waste. He taught local Zulu women how to make peach jam and sell it alongside the baskets they already wove and traded. It wasn’t charity. It was added value. A way to strengthen what already existed, create additional income, and make a real difference in people’s daily lives.

My dad began his career in conservation in his early thirties, during what many call the glory days of conservation in South Africa — the 80s and 90s — when Natal Parks Board later became Ezemvelo, and conservation meant long days, deep responsibility, and quiet leadership.

That worldview shaped my childhood.
Conservation wasn’t loud or performative in our home — it was practical, patient, and deeply human. Solutions were local. Relationships and connections mattered.

These images explain why I move the way I do.
Why I question extractive travel.
Why I care about who benefits, who protects, and who is left behind.

This isn’t the past.
It’s the groundwork.
This is for all the children of conservationists - mothers and fathers that were not only our heroes, but the heroes of life itself🦏🌿

08/01/2026

Life in Umdloti moves to a different rhythm.
This small coastal town just north of Durban sits between the warm Indian Ocean and pockets of coastal forest, where nature isn’t something you visit — it’s something you live alongside.

One of Umdloti’s most familiar residents is the vervet monkey. They move confidently through the area, travelling between trees, rooftops, and balconies as part of their daily routes. Their presence is a reminder that this coastline is shared space, and that coexistence here means awareness, respect, and adaptation.

With rocky shores, tidal pools, and year-round swimmable water, Umdloti remains quieter than the city and less developed than many beach destinations. It’s a place defined by community, wildlife, and a slower, more grounded way of coastal living.

📍Umdloti, KwaZulu-Natal 🇿🇦

07/01/2026

Now this I can get behind! If I was a celebrity, all I would do is do things for humans & nature.

𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐒𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐁𝐨𝐭𝐬𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐚’𝐬 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐆𝐞𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐢𝐜 𝐃𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬

Will Smith trades Hollywood for an untamed adventure in Botswana, exploring the vast Kalahari Desert and the lush, winding waterways of the Okavango Delta in the new National Geographic docuseries Pole to Pole.

Guided by San bushman Kane Motswana, he joins the San community on traditional hunts, discovering how ancestral knowledge and resilience keep one of the world’s oldest cultures thriving in extreme landscapes.

The seven-part series follows Smith on a 100-day global journey, from Antarctica’s icy expanses to the Amazon’s wild rivers, showcasing courage, curiosity, and the thrill of exploring the planet’s most extraordinary places.

Pole to Pole premieres on National Geographic (DStv 181) on 14 January 2026.

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