The quiet village of Koringberg, 20km north of Morreesburg on the N7, and an hour from Cape Town, is surrounded by wheat fields, sheep farms and Swartland wine farms. The landscape is framed by the Koringberg and Piketberg mountain ranges and carpeted with wild flowers from July to October.
Koringberg is situated close to the Misverstand Dam, which is used for water sport training, canoeing, swimming, water-skiing and boat races. The dam is fed by the Berg River which is navigable for about 12km upstream from the dam wall. The Berg River is also a popular spot for fly fishing. Take a sunset boat trip down the river with its abundance of birdlife before pitching your tent at the camp site or booking into one of the chalets for a peaceful sleep far from the hustle and bustle of city life.
The Koringberg mountain biking trail is bringing attention to this lesser known Swartland community. This 45km guided bike trail in the mountains takes in panoramic views and a lightning fast descent.
For those who would prefer to do it on foot, there is a 5 kilometre hiking trail to the top of Koringberg, where the vistas include Table Mountain on a good day, and the Cederberg and Winterhoek Mountains in the distance. For those that prefer to wing it, this area has become very popular with paragliders.
The wheat fields attract flocks of Blue Crane and the odd Secretary Birds, and the area has a Renosterveld habitat attracting the typical species – Cape Longclaw, Capped Wheatear, Zitting Cisticola, African Pipit and Pied Starling. Listen out for Southern Black Korhaan and Common Quail, which can all be found in the vicinity of agricultural fields. Other ground birds occurring in the area include Grey-winged Francolin, Cape Spurfowl and Namaqua Sandgrouse. Together with the occasional loose flocks of Grey-backed Sparrowlark, a number of lark species occur within the area including the Large-billed Lark, Red-capped Lark and the recently described Cape Long-billed Lark and Cape Clapper Lark.
A visit to the Doll Collection and the Old Blacksmith’s Shop are a must. Also of interest is the Autshumao (‘Herrie-die-Strandloper’) spring, used in Van Riebeeck’s time by the local Khoi San people to water their livestock and still visible today.
Koringberg, with its clear skies and twinkling stars, is just asking for you to bring your telescope. It may even seduce you, as your place to get away from it all, whether for a weekend break or a place to retire.
