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| Home / Articles / Wildlife / Wildlife Safaris in South Africa: The Western Cape |
| Wildlife Safaris in South Africa: The Western Cape |
Boasting a dramatic coastline, made up of two oceans, namely the Indian and Atlantic Oceans, the Western Cape lays claim to almost 1,000 kilometres of unspoiled beaches and scenic beauty. While not your typical African Safari province, there is so much to do in the fair Cape, that fitting a safari in makes this province the perfect all-rounder.
Blessed with unsurpassed natural beauty, with abundant flora and fauna, one of the most popular attractions for any visitor to the Cape’s blue shores is the Table Mountain National Park , encompassing the unique flat-topped Table Mountain and the legendary Cape of Good Hope.
So what makes the Western Cape a special safari destination? A perfect place to do just about anything you’ve ever wanted to on holiday, including a safari! This is your one-stop-shop province if you’re looking for more than just safari.
POPULAR GAME RESERVES:
Table Mountain National Park
Encompassing the breath-taking Peninsula from Signal Hill in the Cape Point ,the Park comprises a strip of land with stunning valleys, beaches and bays.
Home to two famous landmarks, Table Mountain and the Cape of Good Hope, Table Mountain National Park is globally recognized for its abundant, diverse and indigenous flora. Nowhere else in the world does an area of such rich bio-diversity exist almost entirely within a metropolitan area. (Cape Town)
Take a cable up Table Mountain and the funicular to Cape Point. Watch the Southern Right Whales frolic in the bay, and visit the Jackass penguins at Boulders Beach.
West Coast National Park
Just inland from the Saldanha Bay harbour, is the blue waters of the Langebaan Lagoon, in West Coast National Park. The park surrounds the Lagoon, a world Ramsar site (sites deemed to be of global significance to wetland bird species).This bird-paradise with stretches of golden beach and salt marshes, is home to thousands of birds, including migrant waders from the northern hemisphere.
Postberg Reserve in the Park, has the largest concentration of mammals, but is only open to visitors seasonally. Eland, red hartebeest, Cape grysbok, caracal and rock hyrax are all found in the Park, and along the coast you might spot some whales and dolphins.
If you're a bird-lover, you'll be pleased to know Knot, Sanderling, Little Stint, Ruff, Marsh, Terek and Curlew andpiper,Turnstone, Ringed and Grey Plover, Greenshank, Whimbrel, Curlew and Bartailed Godwit are easy to spot most days. Flamingoes and White Pelican frequent deeper water, and there is chance of seeing Osprey. Another isolated hide west of the Geelbek educational centre overlooks a salt pan that is an excellent place to see Chestnut banded Plover. The best time to visit is summer, when every bird wants to show off their feathers.
The Cederberg Wilderness Area
About 200km north of Cape Town, this vast region stretches from Citrusdal to Clanwilliam, made of up truly rugged, mountainous terrain. The Cederberg mountains are part of the Cape folded mountain series, consisting mostly of sandstone, with weathered sandstone formations typical of this area. There are hundreds of rocky overhangs and caves with fine rock art. The paintings could be anything from 300 to 6 000 years old, and one of the reasons the Cederburg is a conservation area.
Most of the flora in the Cederberg is fynbos. Known for the endemic Canwilliam cedar, found in cliffs and overhangs, another flower specific to the region is the rarely seen snow protea. Baboons, dassies, grey rhebok, klipspringers, duiker and grysbok are fairly common, with that beautiful solitary cat, the leopard being the biggest predator. Also home to a variety of bird-species (more than 100), the Cedarberg has other scaly citizens , like the armadillo lizard, for eg. And 16 snake species including berg adder, puff adder and black spitting cobra.
A rough and tough nature-lover’s haven, it goes without saying that hiking and rock climbing, is popular.
Cape Of Good Hope Nature Reserve
Forming part of Table Mountain National Park, the Cape of Good Hope is not, as many might claim, the southern tip of Africa!
The slightly less glamorous title-holder is the Cape Agulhas. This said, the Cape of Good Hope is one of two world-renowned landmarks within the Table Mountain National Park. Part of a must-see especially on your first visit, the Cape of Good Hope certainly has its charm. This part of the park is home to an array of fynbos, over 250 species of birds, buck, baboons and Cape mountain zebra. There are numerous picnic spots, paths on which one can set off on foot or mountain bike, and tidal pools on almost isolated beaches.
Read more on Game Lodges & Safari accommodation in the Western Cape
OTHER GAME RESERVES IN THE WESTERN CAPE:
Agulhas National Park
Anysberg Nature Reserve
Aquila Nature Reserve
Assegaaibosch Nature Reserve
Beaverlac Nature Reserve
Bird Island Nature Reserve
Bontebok National Park
Bushmanskloof Wilderness
De Hoop Nature Reserve
Fernkloof Nature Reserve
Gamkaberg Reserve
Groot Winterhoek Reserve
Heuningberg Nature Reserve
Hottentots Holland Reserve
Jonkershoek Nature Reserve
Kammanassie Nature Reserve
Karoo National Park
Kogelberg Nature Reserve
Ko-Ka Tsara Game Reserve
Limietberg Nature Reserve
Marloth Nature Reserve
Matjiesrivier Nature Reserve
Pakhuis Conservancy
Riviersonderend Nature Reserve
Rocherpan Nature Reserve
Salmonsdam Nature Reserve
Sanbona Wildlife Reserve
Silvermine Nature Reserve
Swartberg Nature Reserve
Verlorenvlei Reserve
Vrolijkheid Nature Reserve
Waenhuiskrans Nature Res
Walker Bay Nature Reserve
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| Safari information that may interest you: |
Wildlife in South Africa
Top Ten Game Reserves in SA
Game Lodges and Safari Accommodation: Western Cape
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