De Hoop Nature Reserve

[Lisbeth]

It looks lovely I once tried to get in and have a look, but nothing to do, only if you have an overnight booking

[graham]

It looks lovely I once tried to get in and have a look, but nothing to do, only if you have an overnight booking

Lisbeth, there are lots of day visitors but there are restrictions on how far along the beach they are allowed to go.

How is the birding?

We did the Whale Trail. I lugged a biggish lens along hoping to get photographs of Cape Vultures and Black Harriers. A big mistake because the camera just sat in my backpack and I did not take enough photographs. On the second day the lens went in the slack packing box - a bit nerve wracking but it survived the journey. The first two days of the trail are high in the mountains which is a challenge when you are not as fit and not as young as you would like to believe! The last three days are along the coast.

There were fewer birds than I had expected. De Hoop Vlei which is on the other side of the reserve is probably better for birds but we didn't go there. We did get to see some vultures, oyster catchers, a distant harrier plus a few whales and lots of dolphins.

[Richprins]

Great stuff, graham!

Who would have thought there were vultures there!

[Klipspringer]

Indeed, great to get to know of these southern vultures!

So what exactly is the Whale trail like?

[graham]

So what exactly is the Whale trail like?

It was a fantastic experience and I wish I had done it years ago.

Booking needs to be done way in advance. We booked a year before the time for a group of 12 so there were no "outsiders" even though we didn't know everyone. I believe there are guided trails run by an outside party as well.

They say the first day is the most difficult - straight up into the mountains, no water, no shade - and we were a little late in starting because we had had such a good braai the night before. The afternoon sun was killing. Day two was easier. There is a very steep descent where you go down from the mountains to the coast. Toes took a year to recover.

The walk along the coast was a lot cooler and easy going.

I'll try and scrounge some other pictures and put a post together.

You can do the hike from the comfort of your home because it is on google street view - something I only discovered much later.

[Alf]

Sounds interesting Graham

[Richprins]

graham.

[Dzombo]

So what exactly is the Whale trail like?

It was a fantastic experience and I wish I had done it years ago.

Have you done the Otter Trail and how does it compare??

[graham]

Have you done the Otter Trail and how does it compare??

Dzombo, Although I haven't done the Otter Trail, I expect you will find the Whale Trail quite different. First of all no need to carry a heavy pack as you hire a large plastic container which gets transported from place to place for you. This in turn means better food and "refreshments" . I expect the accommodation is more sophisticated as well. The overnight facilities are fairly well kitted out with utensils, cutlery, crockery etc. The vegetation would be quite different as well. On the Whale Trail you have fynbos for the first two days with some unique plants and no trees until you reach the overnight accommodation. You soon realise the importance of flies as pollinators too! After that it is rugged coastline with some long sandy beaches.

It is a must do if ever you get the opportunity.

[Alf]

Have you done this whale trail Graham?