Fernkloof Nature Reserve
If you love nature you will love the reserve
Perfect for walking; running; cycling on the yellow route; birdwatching; photography; picnics; discovering fantastic flowers; enjoying great views; staying in the Galpin Mountain Hut; buying local plants; or go geocaching.
The Fernkloof Nature Reserve (Fernkloof) is up the road from the circle at Voëlklip. The information centre at the top of the parking lot is very helpful and interesting and some of the flowers that can be found in the veld are permanently maintained at the Visitors’ Centre.
Various walking trails offer magnificent and unequalled views of Walker Bay, the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley and Maanskynbaai. The walks in the reserve are all clearly marked and vary in distance, catering for all fitness levels, or depending on how much time you have to hike.
The reserve covers 1800 ha in the Kleinrivier Mountains above Hermanus and ranges in altitude from sea level to 842 m. In late 1957, the reserve was proclaimed by the Provincial Council of the Cape. It protects the coastal area, the fynbos and a small patch of evergreen forest. Parts of the coastal area include the Cliff Path Nature Area, the Mossel River valley and the area from De Mond to Kettle Point, including the mouth of the Vogelgat River and part of the Klein River lagoon. This means that the coastal area with its unique fynbos, different from the fynbos on the mountain slopes, as well as the sensitive lagoon area, are protected linking the mountain and coastline.
Fernkloof comprises 0.002% of the Cape Floral Kingdom but contains 18% of its plants in just 18 square kilometres. There is no other place on earth where so many different species can be seen growing in such close proximity. More than 1 250 species of plant have been collected and identified in the reserve itself.
The name of the principal vegetation type of this region, Fynbos, is derived from the Dutch word ‘fijn bosch’ which is the collective name for a myriad of evergreen shrub-like plants with small firm leaves, often rolled – but also includes woody plants with hard leathery leaves, usually broad, often rolled. The direct translation means fyn: fine/delicate; bos: bush.
The protea is part of the fynbos family,
Photographs ©KH.
Grey rhebok, Cape grysbok, klipspringer, baboon, mongoose and dassie are present in small numbers. Others such as porcupine, genet and hare are nocturnal and these mammals are seldom seen. Although not as rich in bird-life as other areas in South Africa, 100 bird species have been recorded. Species most likely to be seen include the Cape Sugar Bird, Sunbirds, Rock Thrush and Rock Jumper. Raptors include the Jackal Buzzard and Black Eagle.