Story by Don Pinnock. Pictures by Peter Chadwick:
Source: Southern Africa’s top 21 parks taken from the April 2010 Issue of Getaway Magazine.
There are the dassies which eyeball you along the cliff edge, eland that come visiting and the occasional baboon troop that’ll raid you if they can.
But De Hoop Nature Reserve is, above all else, about whales, pelicans and fynbos.
A piping roar awakened me at Koppie Alleen cottage one morning and, in the milky pre-dawn light, I wandered sleepily to a nearby sea cliff overlooking the ocean. The sight was riveting: the whole wide bay was full of whales.
They were spouting or lazily lob-tailing, some with calves close by their sides. Occasionally a show-off would breach, hurling its massive bulk clear of the surface and landing with a whump that left spray hanging in the still morning air.
Another perch on another day – this one above the De Hoop Vlei – offered a spectacular flight of pelicans. At dawn thousands of these lumbering, snow-white angels take off below you heading for their fishing grounds, one behind the other.
The CapeNature reserve is famous for its variety of resident and migratory bird species and more than 260 have been recorded there. In nearby Potberg is the only remaining breeding colony of the rare Cape vulture in the Western Cape.
The reserve forms part of the world’s smallest and most threatened plant kingdom – the Cape Floral Kingdom – and is a wonderland of proteas, ericas, restios and geophytes.
The reserve has 86 mammal species. Most notable are the rare bontebok and Cape mountain zebra, as well as eland, grey rhebok, baboon, yellow mongoose, caracal and the occasional leopard.
Travel Adviser
What to do
During the whale season {June to October), the reserve is a magnet for up to 340 southern right whales, which calve and mate in the shallow bay. Koppie Alleen is an excellent vantage point for watching them leap and wallow.
Within the reserve, you can walk anywhere without danger. There are four day hikes, as well as the Whale Trail, a six-day route over 54 kilometres from Potberg to Koppie Alleen. A great early morning hike is along the edge of the De Hoop Vlei to see large flocks of pelicans and perky dassies.
There are also good roads for slow drives through the fynbos and down to the coast. The area is excellent for mountain biking (ask at the office for a trail map). De Hoop has one of the finest inter-tidal ecosystems in the Western Cape and can be snorkelled at low tide.
Where to stay
There are self-catering cottages on the reserve, several three-bedroomed houses, two luxury manor houses and a lovingly rebuilt fisherman’s cottage, Koppie Alleen. All are beautifully fitted out with everything you need other than food. There are also five caravan and 10 campsites with power points and good ablution facilities. Picnicking is allowed throughout the reserve. No pets, firearms or fishing gear are permitted.
The nearest shop and fuel station is at Ouplaas, 15 kilometers from the reserve. If you like exploring, the quaint village of Arniston is worth a visit southwest of the reserve.
There’s a pont over the Breede River at Malgas, about 30 kilometres from the reserve entrance, and from there you can travel down the river to Witsand at its mouth. Bredasdorp (50 kilometres away) is very much an agricultural town and Napier, 16 kilometres west, is an atmospheric village with buy-me cottages, a lunch restaurant and a good wine shop with interesting local labels.
Text by Don Pinnock. Pictures by Peter Chadwick: This article was taken from the back issue of Getaway. April 2010 Special Edition.
| More info on the town of De Hoop | More info on the town of De Hoop |
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