Mountain Zebra National Park

Mountain Zebra National Park is situated near Cradock in the malaria-free Eastern Cape and was originally proclaimed in 1937 to save the dwindling Cape Mountain Zebra population. Now, at over 28 000 hectares, the park boasts a conservation success story, protecting over 700 zebra as well as wildlife such as endangered black rhino and cheetah. This is also home to the Aardwolf, Cape Buffalo, Brown Hyaena and Blue Crane.


Accommodation
Various types of accommodation, to suite all needs are available and is serviced daily with bedding, towels and soap provided. In addition, Doornhoek Guest House, a restored Victorian homestead, accommodating 6 persons, three bedrooms, en suite bathrooms (bath), fully equipped kitchen is available.

Camping
Caravan and camping sites with communal ablution facilities are equipped with 220V power points. The camping area is sited on a mixture of earth and grass. Lawn-type grass struggles to grow in the park conditions. A maximum of six persons, one caravan with a side tent and one vehicle, or one tent and one vehicle, or one autovilla or one motorised caravan will be permitted per site.

  Mountain Huts
 The Umthombo Mountain Hut can be booked for an overnight stay via the Park Reception, Tel (048) 881 2427 / 3434, email: mountainzebra@sanparks.org). The huts are ideal for a secluded getaway and to experience the tranquil Karoo atmosphere. These huts can only be accessed with 4x4 or 2x4 (with diff lock) vehicles. Each hut has two bedrooms, one with double bed and one with two single beds, and a “hikers bedroom” with 6 bunk beds (own bedding required). The kitchen is equipped with a gas stove, solar-powered fridge/freezer and cutlery, crockery & cooking utensils. A hot water shower and toilet are located outside the hut. There is an outside braai area as well as indoor braai area.

Activities
 There is a 4x4 trail, self-drive game viewing as well as guided walks and tours.

  Facilities
· Fully licensed a la carte restaurant, also serving light refreshments.
· Shop where curios and basic commodities may be purchased.
· No ATM facility available in the park. The closest bank facilities are available in the town of Cradock (24km from the park).
· Two picnic sites with braai facilities.
· Swimming pool for day visitors at picnic site.
· Barbecue and ablution facilities for day visitors.
· Swimming pool for resident guests only.
· Petrol and diesel are available in the Rest Camp.

Conference Facilities
· Full conference facilities for a maximum of 30 people.
· Catering facilities available.

Wedding Receptions
· Facilities available for small wedding receptions, maximum 50 people.
· The conference room and restaurant can be booked for the wedding.
· Bookings and enquiries can be made at the park reception.

History
From prehistoric sites with concentrations of stone artifacts situated along the river banks and rock art panels on the mountain slopes to historic farmsteads and cemeteries, Mountain Zebra National Park has acted as a backdrop for thousands of years of human history.

 From 14 000 to 10 000 years ago, Later Stone Age inhabitants lived in the area now proclaimed as national park. Evidence of their settlements is found along the banks of the Wilger River. There are some 30 sites with pottery and stone artifacts that have been identified through research done by the University of Stellenbosch.

The San people left evidence of their lives about 300 years ago in at least three rock shelters containing rock art in the Park. The paintings show an antelope, baboons, a large cat - possibly a leopard or cheetah - and human figures.

Visitors can view rock paintings in one of the shelters by hiring a Park guide to show them the way. Although a fence protects the painting site, it is quite exciting to be able to stand less than a metre away from ancient artwork.

During the 1800s, British soldiers created a chessboard on the top of Saltpeterskop, a 1514m high koppie in the Park. While hiding out during the Anglo-Boer War, they played chess with their fellow soldiers in the old fort in Cradock, transmitting moves by means of a mirror, which had the official purpose of communicating warning signals.

 The story goes that a certain farmer – unbeknown to the soldiers - picked up the signals and started a game against the soldiers while sitting on the stoep of his farmhouse.

The chessboard and the names of the soldiers are etched onto a flat slab of rock at the top of Saltpeterskop. Names recorded include the 5th Lancashire Fusiliers, the Coldstream Guards and some privates, corporals and a captain.

The legacy of white pioneers who moved into the area and set up farms during the Great Trek of 1836 still stands today. In 1838, one of the first permanent farmhouses in the area was constructed on the farm De Doornkloof, then owned by Hendrik Jacobus van Heerden. The house presently known as Doornhoek, declared a national monument in 1986, was restored and is still used as a guesthouse in the Park. It is popular with those who want a tranquil family getaway overlooking a lake, with spectacular star-gazing vistas at night.

In 1937, 1712 hectares of land was proclaimed as the Mountain Zebra National Park. Thanks to the conservation efforts of farmers in the area, a small herds of the endangered Cape mountain zebra still survived in the area and these provided a founder population for the Park. Paul Michau donated 6 zebra and later Mr H L Lombard donated 11 zebra to the Park. The Park’s Cape mountain zebra herd now numbers over 350 animals.

 The Park at first expanded slowly over the years, but then received a boost with a joint public-private conservation initiative. An artist by the name of David Shepherd kick-started the initiative by donating prints of his works “Mountain Zebra: A Vision in Black and White” in 1996 and “Cheetahs” in 1998 so that money could be raised to buy surrounding farms and expand the size of the Park. SABC’s 50/50 programme shared the story with viewers and encouraged them to support the project by buying prints so that the necessary funds could be raised. The response was fantastic and also caused private individuals and businesses to make donations including The Barbara Delano Foundation, WildAid, Sasol and Vesta Medicines. South African National Parks Trust matched all of the funds that were raised.

Nine surrounding farms were purchased through this process, enabling the Park to expand from 6 536 hectares to 28 412 hectares in size. Following this, black rhino, buffalo and finally cheetah could be introduced to the Park.

Addo Elephant National Park

 

Accommodation at the Main Camp is varied and has beautiful self-catering chalets fully equipped with utensils, bedding, crockery, a small kitchen which has a 2-plate stove and microwave. Each unit has a braai-area outside and a full bathroom with shower, toilet and basin. A unique feature is the waterhole lookout point, floodlit at night, within the camp as well as the underground hide, allowing close encounters with wildlife at the waterhole. Other facilities such as a swimming pool, restaurant and shop are available.

 The original elephant section of the park was proclaimed in 1931, when only sixteen elephants remained in the area. Today this finely tuned ecosystem is sanctuary to over 550 elephants as well as the unique Addo flightless dung beetle, found almost exclusively in Addo.

Addo is the third largest National Park in South Africa and covers an area of about 180,000 hectares with additional land being added, including a 100km stretch of the coast itself with Eco Marine tours available to see the Southern Right whales and Great White Shark.

After being used to the fauna and flora of Kruger National Park, going to Addo Elephant National Park in order to do my educational program was a real treat. Being in the Nama Karoo region, the vegetation is mostly succulents and almost no tall trees are found. This area has very little rainfall and has the extreme temperatures of heat and cold in the summer and winter, but Addo itself, being closer to the coast, is very moderate and even being there in the winter, I found it to be very pleasant although cold at night.

Spekboom Tented Camp is located nearby and also fully equipped but has communal bathrooms and kitchen. There you may catch a glimpse of nocturnal animals drinking at the waterhole.

Camping facilities for tents and caravans is available with shared ablutions and kitchen. All have a Spekboom hedge around them for privacy.

 Matyholweni Camp, which means “in the bush” in Xhosa is located at the entrance gate near the coastal town of Colchester at the Sundays River Mouth, 3km off the N2 highway, about 60km from Port Elizabeth and 40km from Main Camp. Amenities such as shops, restaurants and a fuel station are available in the nearby town. This is a concession camp and the self-catering chalets are luxurious and fully equipped.

 As arid as the region is, it is a birders paradise with Scrub Robin, Cape Robin-Chat , Bokmakierie, Southern Tchagra, Bar-throated Apalis, Cape Bunting being prominent, with Brown-hooded Kingfisher, Fiscal Flycatcher, Fork-tailed Drongo, Spectacled Weaver, Malachite and Greater Double-collared Sunbird also easily found. A trip into the game viewing area will not produce a plethora of birds, but Bokmakierie will once more be prominent, and Martial Eagle, Black Korhaan, Blue Crane, Denham's Bustard, Black-headed Heron and Secretarybird may well be seen amongst a whole long list of other species.

Addo Elephant National Park contributes to the conservation of the endangered black rhino. There are over 400 Cape buffalo and 2000 Kudu to be seen. Six lions were introduced into the park in late 2003 and now there are 10. Antelope such as Gemsbok, Red Hartebeest, Bushbuck, Eland, Steenbok, Springbok and Mountain Reedbuck can be seen. Other species include Spotted and Brown Hyeana, Cape and Bat-eared Fox, Blackbacked Jackal, African Wildcat, the rare Aardvark and a variety of mongoose, bats, shrews, genets, zebra, warthog etc.

Activities besides self-drive game viewing include horse riding, guided walks and tours, 4x4 trails and the PPC trail which highlights some of the flora found in the Park. 

Wild Coast Sun Resort

This amazing hotel is situated on the main Bizana Road a few kilometers south of Port Edward and it was my pleasure to stay there for a week in June to do a survey of the fauna and flora on the property.

It is on the beautiful beach of the Wild Coast and offers families a wonderful weekend getaway with facilities for weddings and conferences in these luxurious surroundings.

Entertain there is for everyone ranging from a golf course, casino, restuarants and bars, cinema and live shows, water park and Wild Waves theme park, swimming pool, spa, walks, horse rides on the beach, games area for children, etc.

The tranquil gardens are a haven for all kinds of birds and plants and a feast for the eyes not to mention the wonderful walks on the beach which includes many excellent fossil sightings.

Wild Waves Water Park is a must for the whole family and be enjoyed by all ages, not just the young. There are numerous slides guaranteed to thrill everyone.

I am leaving the piece on meals till last as everying there was so scrumptious, it is going to take pages to describe. LOL!! The choice and variety at each meal ensure that even the most discernable palates are satisfied.

I would like to thank Alec and Sonja for their extreme kindness and hospitality during my stay. I definitely need to return there and spend more time when the summer season comes around.

For reservations and more information, please go to:  http://www.suninternational.com/wild-coast-sun/Pages/default.aspx

Butterfly Valley, Ramsgate

I spent the best part of amazing day at Butterfly Valley situated on Fascadale Road in Ramsgate. What a wonderful place with hosts Dave and Cheryl giving me a tour around and allowing me to take pictures.

 All the butterflies are indigenous and fly freely in a very large domed enclosure with places to sit and relax and just enjoy the sights and tranquillity.. The tour includes going to the breeding centre where many types of pupa and larvae are on display.

 Butterfly Valley offers a unique opportunity to view the life cycle of the butterflies as most of them have been bred on the farm. By attending the informative presentation, one has a better appreciation for the fragile world of these colourful creatures.

Butterflies sense the protection of the flight dome and will generally not fly away from you as they would in the wild. This allows for really close encounters and offers the opportunity for that elusive close-up photography.

 There is a lovely River Walk outside the dome and one can see and appreciate nature at its best with sightings of more butterflies, flowers and vegetation.

 After all this, a stop at the tea garden is a must with a chance to visit the lovely craft shop afterwards.

If you are in the area or even passing nearby, it is well worth taking the time to stop by and spend some time at Butterfly Valley.

 For information on how to get there and their contact details, please visit their website www.butterflyfarm.co.za or email them on butterflyvalley@ymail.com

Petrified Forest Tour - Port Edward

Even if you miss everything else, a tour with Benny on the beach at Wild Coast Sun to see, learn about and enjoy the fossils are an absolute must!!

Below: you can judge the size of the ammonite below by the R5 coin which we places on the top left of it. (About the same size as a $1 coin)

 The sedimentary rock is rich in fossil remains which can be explored at low tide and ancient remains of huge claims can be seen in the walls of the caves made by wave action dug in the towering cliffs.

 Petrified Forest: Trees become petrified (turned to stone) by having the organic material replaced by minerals (mostly silica and quartz) while retaining the original structure of the tree. The process occurs while the tree is buried under sediment and begins because of the lack of oxygen. It takes at least 100 years for it to completely petrify.

 The most wonderful sample is a trunk in the middle of a huge bolder and on one side the age rings of the tree can be seen.

 Ammonites: These are related to squid and the ones here are estimated to be at least 85 million years old but have now become extinct. Their preference was for warm, shallow water. Females grew to be much larger than the males and they estimate that the nautilus shells comprising of individual chambers, grew in size as the creature developed. The chambers were secreted at a rate of about 12 per year and ammonites lives for approximately 2 years.

 Sharks teeth: Embedded in many of the rocks are sharks teeth which can be seen.

 A highlight for me was seeing this petrified turtle perfectly preserved in the cliff wall.

 Benny is not only very informative and knowledgeable about the fossils but has an outstanding knowledge of the vegetation, fish and birds etc. of the area which he passes on so everyone can benefit and learn a lot on his guided tour.

 He can be contacted directly on +2779 1985 975 or through the Wild Coast Sun Hotel. His tours leave at 9am every morning (Tuesday to Saturday) from the hotel and if fossils have never peaked your interest before, it sure will be after being with him.