Text: Magriet Kruger. Pictures: Alessandro Bonora. Article from the Summer 2011-2012 issue of Wild Magazine.
Lazy days along the shore, soaking up the sun and feasting on everything the season has to offer. Sound appealing? Then take a tip from Siberia’s birds and head for the West Coast.
The water of Langebaan Lagoon is glassy, a still aquamarine stretch among the rose-coloured salt marshes and the darker splotches of fynbos. But the calm surface of the scene is misleading: baby fish dart amid the safety of dense reed beds; in the mudflats molluscs and prawns burrow and multiply. For a bird that has flown thousands of kilometres down the length of Africa, the West Coast National Park is paradise. The teeming waters and surrounding veld an enormous outdoor buffet.
Every year thousands of shorebirds make the trip to this spot when their Siberian homes grow cold and hostile. It’s a journey of up to 15 000 kilometres that takes them several weeks to complete. Along the way they have to weather storms and the vastness of the Sahara Desert, but at the end lies this sheltered lagoon and a seasonal flush of food. In summer the number of birds making their home in the park grows to 40 000 or more, easily 10 times the population in winter.
At the southern edge of Langebaan Lagoon are two hides where visitors can come to view the birds. I choose the one furthest from the Geelbek farmstead, which is now a visitor centre, shop and restaurant. The boardwalk to the hide projects out over the changing landscape of the salt marshes, every few strides bringing plants that can cope with more flooding. When I get to the hide, the tide is high and my lookout is perched over the water.
I’m surprised to learn what I can see in front of me isn’t actually a lagoon. “It’s really a protected sliver of the Atlantic Ocean, what we call a coastal embayment,” explains Pierre Nel, the senior section conservation ranger. “It has the same salt content as the open sea, but there’s no wave action.” Twice a day the tide brings in nutrient-rich cold water, which supports a lengthy food chain stretching from tiny phytoplankton to the migratory waterbirds.
It’s because of this that Langebaan Lagoon is a massively important area for biodiversity. A Ramsar-recognised wetland, it accounts for around 40 per cent of South Africa’s salt marshes and supports more birdlife than any other wetland in the country. Specials include chestnut-banded plover, Eurasian curlew and red knot, but I’m happy with my first sighting of South African shellduck.
Birds aren’t the only ones who flock to the West Coast National Park. The lagoon’s also a magnet for city folk who come to swim, kayak, windsurf, kiteboard and sail, or simply relax on the beach.
On a summer’s day the place to be is Preekstoel, a postcard-pretty bay where soft white sand seams the turquoise water. I notice a striking rock pillar with a broad flat top that juts out of the water; it’s the stone pulpit that earned this spot its name. Elsewhere the wind may be blowing but down on the beach everything is calm, thanks to a vast dunefield that offers shelter from the southeaster. Little kids play in the shallows and a closer look at the sun-dappled water reveals a hermit crab scuttling along the bottom.
SANParks have made the most of the setting: there are seven stone-built braai stands with seating alongside, each with its own view of the lagoon. It’s a lovely spot to spend the day with the family as the kids can have the run of the place. There are also new information boards at Preekstoel, something senior tourism officer Ashrell Oliphant is especially excited about: “It’s a way for visitors to learn more about the amazing array of animals we have.”
Specials include chestnut-banded plover, Eurasian curlew and red knot.
The West Coast National Park might not be famous for game viewing, but if you take your time there are wonderful sightings to be had. We see a group of kudu close to the road, their white tails flashing us as they bounce away. A steenbok stands stock still so we can admire her; the bontebok is shyer, shepherding her fawn-coloured lamb away when we stop. Ostriches are plentiful and it’s a delight to see these big birds gingerly pick their way through clumps of wildflowers.
Eland now number 250, after a start-up group was moved here from Postberg, the contractual park that is open to the public during the wildflower season. I imagine the relocated antelope were homesick, because a group of them tried to return. Pierre tells me that when a northwesterly wind carried Postberg’s scent into the park’s southern parts, the eland made their way north, only to find themselves on the wrong side of the lagoon. Eight antelope ran into the water and swam for the far shore; they reached it safely, but exhausted.
Since then the remaining eland have settled into their new home and if you follow the mountain bike trail around Mooimaak you may come across them. “I once rode right through a huge group of eland,” Pierre says. “Somehow when you’re on a bike, they’re not scared of you. The eland trotted alongside us as we cycled.” In addition to the mountain-bike trail, cyclists can take advantage of the good tar road for a 70 kilometre return trip from Langebaan Gate to Kraalbaai. Be sure to keep an eye out for other road users – we spotted several padloper tortoises (angulate tortoises) which they seem to have an uncontrollable urge to cross the road at any opportunity.
West Coast National Park is close enough to Cape Town for a day trip, but staying in the park is something special. “Each place is unique, yet they are all tranquil,” Ashrell says. “Jo Anne’s Beach Cottage has a view of the lagoon and is great if you want to be out on the water. Abrahamskraal is the most secluded.” You can’t get closer to the lagoon than staying on one of the houseboats. The Nirvana is a luxurious double-decker that sleeps 24 people; the Larus has room for six.
We spend the night at Abrahamskraal, an old farmhouse close to a waterhole where yet another hide awaits birders. But there’s an unbeatable birding show happening in the back yard. Dozens of Cape weavers have built their nests in a large tree behind the house. I sit for a long time watching birds flit to and fro; males with long strands of grass which they use for running repairs, females with succulent worms to feed their demanding babies.
When night falls the darkness is complete. Solar panels provide lighting after dark but there’s no television, air con or even plug points. It’s early to bed. I want another dozen days that end like this one: the taste of salt on my skin, a soundtrack of frogs in the background. I have to leave in the morning, but I know that I’ll be back. Like the birds that journey from the frozen north, I’ll return for my fill of summer.
Trip Planner
Getting there:
The West Coast National Park is about 100 km north of Cape Town on the R27. Travel along the N1 and N7, turning onto the M19 to Melkbosstrand and then the R27 if you wish to avoid the traffic lights and slow-going through the suburbs.
Weather:
The park enjoys a mild coastal climate. Rainfall occurs mainly between May to August. Dry summer days are often accompanied by a coastal mist and southeasterly or southwesterly wind.
Accommodation:
Abrahamskraal sleeps six.
Jo Anne’s Beach Cottage sleeps eight.
Larus Houseboat sleeps six.
Nirvana Houseboat sleeps 24.
Duinepos chalets sleep two or four each.
Activities:
View flowers and antelope species in the Postberg section in August and September.
- Observe the waterbirds from the Geelbek, Seeburg and Abrahamskraal bird hides.
- Cycle the two mountain-bike routes of 13km and 17km or along the tourist roads 70km.
- Hike the two-day Postberg Trail or the 13,9km Steenbok daywalk, also in Postberg. In the main section of the park hikers can follow the 4,6km Bakoor and two-day Strandveld Trail.
- Picnic at Kraalbaai and Tsaarsbank, which are designated sites.
- Head to Kraalbaai for watersports such as kayaking and kite boarding.
Contact: Central Reservations 012-428-9111, Park 022-772-2144 website
More info on the town of Langebaan | More info on The West Coast area |