It is great that history speaks of great explorers, such as Sacagawea and James Cook, but it is just as awesome that there is still a generation of intrepid explorers among us, and two of them can be found circumnavigating the many paths of the Melville Koppies Nature Reserve.

Meet Ruby Walters-Miles and Liam Carey. This best friend duo are the newest tour guides at the nature reserve, and all about navigating visitors on paths that lead them to loving the nature around them.

When 14-year-old Ruby was introduced to the internet five years ago, the first thing she googled was snakes. A fascination that, even though it surprised her parents, they still supported.

“My dad saw that I kept researching snakes, so he got me my first snake book and I fell in love. It was a book on snakes of South Africa and I was obsessed. I memorised every single page.”

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Just as passionate about the world that lies beyond his Parktown home, is Liam, who was encouraged by Ruby to be a tour guide just like her.

“I just really love being outside in nature. It makes me feel connected in some strange way.”

Growing up, he spent a lot of time at his dad’s farm, close to the Vaal River.

“I went there a lot, and did endless nights of fishing, canoeing, and hikes.”

With slight dishearten in his tone, Liam shared how, after the family sold the farm, he didn’t have the same escape into nature – until Ruby came with this awesome idea.

Now, this duo knows, and loves, every corner of the Koppies, and they find great pleasure in exposing others to all that they have come to appreciate about the land, whose geology goes back three billion years.

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