Vrolijkheid Nature Reserve in Breede River Valley, Route62

By Roxanne Reid
You know it’s going to be a good experience when you visit a place whose name means cheerfulness or gladness. I’m talking about the rugged Vrolijkheid Nature Reserve in Breede River Valley, Route62. You’ll find it south of Robertson on the road to McGregor in South Africa. If you love nature, hiking, birding and plants, you’ll get a kick out of this place.

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Anyone who knows me knows how much I love being in nature. It’s also no secret why CapeNature’s ‘conservation first’ and ‘ecotourism’ principles, which responsibly introduce visitors to the wonders of nature, appeal to me so much. There are 25 CapeNature reserves in the Western Cape (read my post about 10 of my favourites), but somehow we hadn’t been to Vrolijkheid before. Once we had planned a trip to McGregor on the fabulous Route62, it was time to remedy that omission. 

This is one of the dams on the Heron Walk and there's a bird hide on the bank

How to get to Vrolijkheid
Take the N1 from Cape Town towards Paarl and Worcester. At Worcester, after about 110km, turn right on to the R60 and travel another 47km to Robertson. Turn left on to Robertson Road through town and keep going on the R60. Turn right on to Reitz Street towards McGregor. Carry on for another 13km and you’ll see the entrance gates to the reserve’s office and accommodation on your right (the entrance on the left is where the mountain bike trail and all the walks start). The total distance from Cape Town is about 175km and should take you 2 to 2.5 hours.

Visit in spring to see the veld come to life with colourful flowers

10 things to do at Vrolijkheid Nature Reserve
Vrolijkheid Nature Reserve is a place that will put a smile on the face of anyone who likes to surround themselves with nature. There’s something for everyone, whether your passion is to knock yourself out with an eight-hour hike or a mountain bike trail, to take it more slowly and soak up the sunshine while searching out interesting plants and birds, or simply to chill with family and friends on an outdoor picnic.

1. Go hiking or walking

This is a reserve to explore on foot, so get out on to one of the trails. There are four to choose from.

The 3km Heron Trail is a circular trail through spekboom, sweet thorn and melkbos plants up to two dams, where you can spend time at the bird hides. Even if you’re really unfit or have small children with you, the Heron Trail is a fairly easy walk and a chance to get some sunshine and fresh air. It should take about an hour – unless you spend a great swodge of time at the hides.

The 1km Braille Trail follows the first kilometre of the Heron Trail, giving visually impaired visitors a chance to learn about the surrounding plant life from the info boards along the way, which are printed in English, Afrikaans and Braille. Smell the blossoms in spring and hear the birds at the first bird hide.

Spring blooms at the point where all the walking trails and the mtb trail start

The circular 10km Agama Trail heads out towards a viewpoint at a dam, following a similar path to the mountain bike trail then turning back to join part of the Heron Trail past a bird hide before arriving back at the starting point.

The circular 19km Rooikat Trail snakes through the Elandsberg mountains and is fairly strenuous so you need to be fit. It should take about eight hours to complete so start out early. Wear strong hiking boots to cope with the rough terrain and carry plenty of drinking water (there’s none on the trail). Because of how long this trail takes to complete, I wouldn’t even attempt it in mid-summer when temperatures can be scorching in the middle of the day.

2. Ride a mountain biking trail

Ride the 8km mountain biking trail (photo: CapeNature)

Head out on the 8km circular mountain bike route through the reserve and return along a gravel road. It takes about an hour – or longer if you stop to enjoy the surrounding vegetation, bird and animal life. In mid-summer (October to March), it’s best to do the trail early before it gets fiery hot.

3. Go birding

Bird hide at the dam on the Heron Walk

Some 200 birds have been recorded in the reserve. Look out for them along your walks or enjoy the bird hides at the dams on the 3km Heron Trail (see above). If you don’t want to walk – although why would you come here, then? – head south towards McGregor and turn left on to the gravel road to Stormsvlei. A short way down this road you’ll see an entrance gate on your left where you can park your car much closer to the hides.

The sunbird is just one of 200 species that live in the reserve

Birds you may see at the dams include little grebe, herons, sacred ibis, African spoonbill, red-knobbed coot, pied kingfisher, weaver, red bishop and spurwing goose. We also heard warblers and black crakes. On your walks in the open veld, keep your eyes peeled for raptors like jackal buzzard or Verreaux’s eagle, and small birds like larks, chats, robins, ciscticolas, buntings and waxbills.

4. Look out for game
While you’re out on the trail, whether on foot or in the saddle, try to stay quiet for a chance to spot some of the antelope that live here, like springbok, grysbok, grey rhebok, duiker, steenbok and klipspringer. You may also hear baboons barking. Caracals occur in the reserve but you’re unlikely to spot these elusive nocturnal cats. Count yourself extremely lucky if you spot the rare Robertson dwarf chameleon.

5. Appreciate the plants

Spring blooms in many colours at Vrolijkheid

The vegetation here is known as Robertson Karoo, which is dominated by succulents and dwarf trees and shrubs like guarri and karee, with very little grass. On the higher ridges and hills you'll find patches of mountain renosterveld, while sweet thorn trees grow along seasonal watercourses. Visit in spring to see some of the plants in bloom. There’s lots of spekboom, which is a marvel of nature. It has high protein content, provides water for browsing animals, and is known to regenerate quickly and gobble up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Melkbos, a member of the euphorbia family, oozes a white sap that the San used as poison for their arrows.

6. Enjoy a picnic

There's a picnic and braai area near the start/end of the trails

Pack a picnic or braai to enjoy in the shady picnic area near the info centre on the eastern side of the road where the trails are. There are picnic tables and benches, fireplaces, bins and toilets nearby. It’s a great place to kick back and relax in the outdoors.

7. Explore the info centre

The info centre used to be a labourer's cottage

At the start of the trails is a small info centre housed in an old labourer’s cottage. To see inside, get a key from the CapeNature office on other side of the road. There’s a display about lichens – those fungi and algae that live together in close association. The fungi absorb water and minerals and provide living space while the algae produce food. Did you know that there are almost 15 000 species of lichen in the world, that the original Scottish Harris tweeds were dyed with lichen, or that litmus used in pH tests originates from lichen? There’s also some info about how vegetation here adapts to survive unfavourable environmental conditions, the geology of the area, and the scat that you might see on your walks around Vrolijkheid.

8. Play tennis or putt putt then cool off with a swim

You'll love the pool in the extreme summer heat

If you’re staying at in the CapeNature accommodation at Vrolijkheid, there’s a small putt putt course and a tennis court for you to use. You’ll find clubs, racquets and balls in your guesthouse. There’s also a swimming pool to cool off in afterwards.

9. Visit the village of McGregor

There are many charming old buildings to enjoy in the village of McGregor nearby

Although it’s a small and laidback village, McGregor – just 5km from Vrolijkheid – offers lots of things to do and is well worth a visit. See the 19th century old buildings, the old leivore (irrigation channels), visit a coffee shop or restaurant, visit an olive farm or go wine tasting with a wonderful view of mountains and vineyards. If you’re staying at the reserve (see point 10) and decide to drive into McGregor for supper or drinks one night, make sure you get a remote for the access gate from the office so you can get back in again afterwards; once the office closes at around 16:00, the electric gate is closed too.
For inspiration, read my post 20 things to do in McGregor in Route62’s Robertson valley.

10. Stay over for a weekend

Luiperd cottage with mountains in the background

Each cottage has a built-in braai on the stoep and a big space in front for kids to play

​For your McGregor self catering accommodation, book a night or two in one of the five houses at Vrolijkheid Nature Reserve, each of which accommodates up to eight people. Unlike the gorgeous units at reserves like Kogelberg, Rocher Pan, Cederberg and Gamkaberg, this CapeNature accommodation wasn’t purpose built from scratch as holiday accommodation. Instead, the units are repurposed staff houses so there’s a slightly old-fashioned design and flow. The sunken lounge, for instance, has no access to the stoep although there’s easy access from the dining area. It does mean, however, that the rooms are big and there’s lots of space.

The sitting area at Luiperd cottage is on a lower level, down a few stairs

One of the double bedrooms

The bedrooms are bright with cushions and throws. We stayed in the house called Luiperd. In the main house are three air conditioned bedrooms and one bathroom with bath, shower and separate loo. There’s another twin bedroom with its own shower and loo above the garage, accessed from an outside door next to the kitchen. 

Relax in the shade in the open area between the houses and the offices

The huge kitchen has a gas stove, microwave and fridge, as well as all the crockery, cutlery and kitchen gadgets you need for self catering. A large stoep, accessed through double glass doors from the dining room, is home to an enormous built-in braai and two large picnic tables with benches made from recycled plastic. Please, folks, don’t put your hot braai grid on the table; it will melt the plastic! 

The five cottages share a putt putt course, tennis court and swimming pool

There’s also a jacuzzi at Luiperd and Rooikat, and a private pool at Ichelesi, though given the ongoing drought and scarcity of water in the region these weren’t in use when we visited. In fact, our jacuzzi was being used to pump recycled grey water.

If you come with kids, there’s plenty of space in front of each unit for them to play.

Need to know

Views along the Boesmanskloof Hiking Trail from McGregor to Greyton

1. None of the trails that start from the info centre at Vrolijkheid Nature Reserve need to be prebooked. Not so the Boesmanskloof Hiking Trail over the Riviersonderend mountains to Greyton, which starts 15km the other side of McGregor. Although it also falls under CapeNature, note that you have to prebook and get your permit ahead of time by emailing reservation.alert@capenature.co.za or phoning 087 0878250. This trail is very popular so if you do want to hike it, try to book at least a few months ahead. I’d recommend you aim for spring (which is when we did it some years back) or autumn to avoid the extreme summer and winter temperatures.
2. Obey the rules of the reserve. Don’t pick flowers or gather seeds and don’t bring firearms or pets into the reserve.
3. To book accommodation at Vrolijkheid, contact CapeNature Central Reservations, email reservation.alert@capenature.co.za, phone 087 0878250 or book online.
4. There’s no shop at Vrolijkheid, so you can’t buy firewood, fuel or any other supplies in the reserve. Rather bring everything you need with you, or pop into Robertson (13km away with a bigger selection) or the little village of McGregor (5km away) if you forget something or need to restock.
5. You need a permit for all the walks and the mountain bike trail in the reserve. You can fill out and pay for this self-issue permit at the start of the trails near the info centre on the other side of the road from the accommodation. A permit costs R50 per adult per day; if you’re staying in the reserve check if this is included in what you have already paid. Also, if you have a Wild Card covering CapeNature reserves, you don’t need to pay again – just write your Wild Card number on the self-issued permit.
6. From November to March, the area experiences very high temperatures so try to set out on your walk or cycle ride early in the morning when it’s cooler. Don’t forget your hat, sunscreen and plenty of drinking water.

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