The Fernkloof Flower Show is currently running at the Fernkloof Reserve at Hermanus, South Africa. Put on by the local Botanical Society, it displays some of the many beautiful flowers that grow in our region. There are also specimen displays where interested viewers can learn about what they are seeing and so become better at identifying plants in the wild. This is a show not to be missed.
We had the privilege of living in Australia for three years in the late Nineties. What always struck me about the topography of that vast land was the lack thereof. How sad to have access to so much territory, but be denied the opportunity to see mountains.
Namibian scene south of Sossus Vlei
Back in Southern Africa, I look around and topography looms at me on all sides and I realise how lucky we are in this wonderful country. Whenever the more mundane aspects of life get one down, one can inevitably go and sit on a mountain and forget most of one’s problems fairly quickly.
A walk through the veld in the early morning in Namaqualand, South Africa, and taking the trouble to get down close to the ground and see the dew on the tiny plants that are everywhere is like entering a new world. I do not know what the plants are, but am content to marvel at them and enjoy their wonderful earthy colours and forms. I hope that you will appreciate them as much as I do.
Only six hikers visited Flower Farm this morning. For me, it was my first walk with the group since the end of June and I was glad to be back. The weather was clear, but windy ahead of an approaching cold front.
We did the 7 km walk that took us over the mountain and down into the Stinkhout forest, where we availed ourselves of the picnic facilities to have our snacks, but only after we had negotiated what was a veritable obstacle course through the fallen trees!
The flowers were wonderful and we saw many interesting plants in addition to the usual Leucodendrons and Leucospermums that characterise the local hillslopes. Hopefully the names given to those shown below are not too far off the mark.
This gallery contains 18 photos.
I cannot help but share some more images of the beautiful Richtersveld.
Our last stop on our arid parks trip was at the Tankwa-Karoo NP, where we were again with our group from Skikpad, this time staying in the beautiful Elandsberg cottages in the north of the park. We could not wait to travel south to see the daisy fields that had so impressed us in 2013, but were amazed to see not one single flower in the area. It was that dry!! A trip up the Ganagga pass, however, restored our faith in the area and we were rewarded with many beautiful scenes and interesting plants, some of which are shown below. Bird life was also good along the pass, with many sunbirds and even a rare Fairy Flycatcher.
After our visit to the Richtersveld, we travelled south to meet up with six friends for a three night stop-over in the Namaqualand NP, where we stayed in the four well equipped and comfortable cottages at Skilpad. The flowers were magnificent with fields of daisies, whilst other interesting species hid within the scrub. Sandy was in her element and found a number of lifers. Renee and I, on the other hand, were more interested in birds and managed to add a couple of lifers to our list, whilst also seeing many other species.
Hopefully the images below will capture some of the feeling of the area.
Our visit to the Richtersveld National Park, close to the Namibian border brought back memories of our time in the Sperrgebied, when I was a geologist at Namdeb’s operations at Oranjemund. We had not, however, visited this particular area and it was a real eye-opener in terms of its ruggedness and beauty. Luckily we had Graham Williamson’s excellent book with us and it helped us to gain an understanding of the natural history of the area. The roads were rough and ready, so only 4×4 vehicles are allowed. Once in the park, one sees few other people and we were lucky to be completely isolated for much of our time. The solitude and grandeur of the place soon brings one to realise how insignificant we are.
Below are some images which attempt to portray a bit of what we experienced.
The decision to visit three of South Africa’s arid parks in Spring was a good one. We started the journey by driving up to Nieuwoudtville where we visited one of our favourite spots, Papkuilsfontein. As usual, the bulbs there were magnificent, and the hospitality offered by Alri and Marietta equally so.
After a burn at Papkuilsfontein
The next day saw us driving up the N7 to the Richtersveld, but we were only a short way out of Vanrhynsdorp when a rear tyre blew and we were forced to stop for repairs. Luckily we managed to get the only replacement available in Springbok, before we continued our journey to Sendelingsdrif, on the border between SA and Namibia. A night was spent there in the comfortable rest camp, before we set out for the riverside camp of Tatasberg.
Tatasberg panorama
We stayed at Tatasberg for two nights and then proceeded into the middle of the park to another remote camp called Gannakouriep. These are truly remote camps and the accommodation offered was very much in tune with the arid, mountain desert surrounds.
Gannakouriep accommodation
After three nights in this wonderful area, which unfortunately was quite cold, we headed back over the Helskloof pass to Sendelingsdrif for our last night in the Park.
Our next destination was the Skilpad camp in the Namaqualand park. Here we shared four delightful cottages with friends and we were all able to marvel at the spectacular show of Namaqualand spring flowers. We visited the Soebatsfontein and Leliefontein areas, sadly without much work for the inhabitants, who eke out a tough existence and live on Government grants.
Skilpad
From Skilpad we drove south to the Tankwa Karoo National Park and once again shared four wonderful cottages at Elandsberg. The Tankwa was so dry compared with our previous visit and we could not believe the difference, with not a flower in sight where last year there were only fields of yellow and mauve. A drive up the impressive Ganagga Pass, however, rewarded us with wonderful new species and lots of water. The Lodge at the top of the pass would be a fine stopping place for visitors to this area.
Sunset at Tankwa
We returned home having had two wonderful weeks. Catering was of a high standard and each meal prepared by our companions attested to their gourmet skills.
Needless to say we actually spent most of our time birding and were very excited to add two lifers to our list. We saw a total of 122 species, including many larks and a rare Fairy Flycatcher. Perhaps the best sighting, however, was a pair of Verreaux’s Eagles in a bare gum tree near Skilpad.
Verreaux’s Eagles
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