Why you’ll love Grootvadersbosch Nature Reserve

by Roxanne Reid
There’s an enchanting patch of indigenous forest in the Western Cape’s Langeberg region. At 250ha, it’s the largest tract of indigenous Afrotemperate forest west of Knysna. Here you’ll find trees like stinkwood, yellowwood, ironwood, red alder, Cape beech and about 30 other species. Together, they make for a beautiful dappled forest where you’ll want to get out on some of the hiking or biking trails, visit one of the bird hides. Find out why you’ll love Grootvadersbosch Nature Reserve.

Strangely, few people have heard about Grootvadersbosch Nature Reserve, and I really can’t imagine why. There’s something magical and mysterious about the forest here, a place where you might wake to an early mist that transforms the landscape into something otherworldly; a place where, if you’re quiet, bushbuck and baboons might visit the grass near your cottage for a late afternoon snack; a place where all your cares seem to melt away leaving you feeling relaxed and refreshed.

Walk towards a waterfall

Where to find it
Grootvadersbosch Nature Reserve is off the R322 between Swellendam and Heidelberg in the southern Cape. It’s 45km from Swellendam and 22km from Heidelberg. Turn off the N2 onto the R322 either east of Swellendam at Buffeljags River towards Suurbraak or at Heidelberg and follow the signs onto the gravel road. The GPS co-ordinates are S 33 59’ 7.85” E 20 49’ 24.56”.


Things to do at Grootvadersbosch

Along the Bushbuck Trail through the forest

1. Don your hiking shoes and set off on one of the trails through the forest. The trails can be slippery when there has been rain and the first time I visited I was sorry to have brought only running shoes, which didn’t have the grip I needed. Don’t forget to wear a hat and sunblock, and to carry plenty water. Taking some simple grub in your daypack for an impromptu picnic in a pretty spot is always a good idea.

Try the Bushbuck Trail (10km, 3-4 hours), which takes you past the bird hides (see point 3), a waterfall and the redwoods (see point 7). Look out along the way for markers identifying tree species like white pear, candlewood and Cape saffron.

Or hike the tougher Grysbok Trail (15km, 5-6 hours) which takes you out of the forest and into the open along paths where you can see fynbos, sunbirds and wonderful mountain views. Both these hikes are also available to day visitors but you must get a permit from the reception office first.

A bushbuck ram visited the cottages late one afternoon

2. On your hikes keep your eyes peeled and you should see plenty of birds. You might also spot some of the other animals like bushbuck (listen for their barking calls), Cape grysbok, grey mongoose and baboons. The nocturnal large-spotted genet also occurs here. 

The triple-storey bird hide

3. If you’re keen on bird-watching, you’ll get a kick out of Grootvadersbosch, where nearly 200 species have been recorded. Some of the ‘specials’ include the rare striped flufftail and the narina trogon. Others to look out for are Layard’s titbabbler, spurfowl, blue-mantled crested flycatcher, African paradise flycatcher, sunbirds, sugarbirds and both Verreaux’s and booted eagle.

In the forest there are two bird hides worth spending some time in. One is along the Melkhoutpad, about 500m from the reserve road. The other is a triple-storey hide along the Bosbokrand path where you have to climb wooden stairs inside to get to the viewing platform. Both are marked on the map you get when you sign in at reception.

4. Read up in your butterfly and frog guides before your visit, so you can look out for the forest emperor butterfly and a subspecies of the rare ghost frog which occur only here in this forest.

The swimming pool near the cottages

​5. Cool off with a swim in the copper-brown Duiwenhoks River a 3-5km hike from the main office. Don’t fret about the colour, the water is perfectly safe. The reason for the colour is that fynbos plants contain oils called tannins in their leaves to stop animals from eating them. When the leaves drop into rivers the tannins leach into the ground and that’s why rivers passing through fynbos areas are that colour.

There’s also a pool near the cottages (see ‘accommodation’ below) and another is soon to be built near the campsite and glamping tents.

Mountain biking (Photo: CapeNature)

Winding forest roads

​6. Bring your mountain bike to do the challenging 6km trail on the reserve. Vegetation along the route embraces montane forest, mountain fynbos, lowland Renosterveld as well as some farmland. The jeep track sections include patches of sand and rocky stream crossings. This trail is open to day visitors too, but you’ll need to stop at reception to get a permit first.

There’s also a number of mtb trails on the Grootvadersbosch Conservancy next door. Either stop to get a permit at the Conservancy office just before you enter the nature reserve (although it’s not clearly signposted) or ask at CapeNature’s reception exactly where to find it.

Redwoods planted in the early 1900s

A forest stream near the redwoods

​7. Don’t miss a walk to see the huge Californian redwood trees planted between 1897 and 1907. These and other exotic trees were planted to cover areas denuded by woodcutters – an experiment to see which hardwoods were best suited for the South African timber industry. Although CapeNature’s focus nowadays is on reclaiming these exotic patches for indigenous trees, the redwoods are seen to have heritage value and are protected as Champion Trees. The biggest of them has a trunk length of 58m, canopy width of 12.2m, trunk diameter of 1.38m and a trunk circumference of 4.35m. Find the stand of redwoods at GPS co-ordinates S 33 58’ 55.58” E 20 49’ 48”.

8. Plans are afoot to construct a raised boardwalk or ‘skywalk’ in the forest to link the two bird hides and the copse of redwoods. That will extend your time up in the tree canopy and I for one am looking forward to it. I don’t know when this will be completed, but was told it’s a medium-term project, with the glamping tents and a swimming pool near the campsite to be completed first.

Fynbos grows along the hillsides above the forest

9. If you’re interested in plants and flowers, go looking for some of the 1200 species on the reserve, most of them mountain fynbos. There are ericas, proteas, leucodendrons, reed-like restios and geophytic plants (plants with a bulb, tuber, corm or rhizome). The Grysbok Trail and the exit road from the cottages are good places to look for them. Remember that you’re not allowed to pick flowers or take cuttings.

10. Even if you’re not staying overnight, you’ll love to spend time having a picnic or braai in the specially demarcated day visitors’ area. Come early and go for a walk in the forest beforehand.

11. Pop into the small info centre next to reception to read up on some interesting aspects of Grootvadersbosch’s ecology like the fynbos species, trees like ironwood and Cape beech (and the exotic redwoods), as well as birds.

12. Stay over for a few nights to enjoy the full magical forest experience. There’s camping and self-catering cottages, with glamping tents about to open soon. See more about accommodation below. If bushbuck or baboons – or any other animals – visit you at your cottage or campsite, please don’t feed them.

13. Remember to bring your Wild Card so that you don’t have to pay the daily conservation fee.

​
Grootvadersbosch accommodation
If you want to stay over at Grootvadersbosch Nature Reserve – and you really should – there’s something to suit just about any budget and travel style, from self-catering cottages to glamping and camping.

Self-catering cottages

Self-catering cottages built using recycled materials

​For me, the best thing about the self-catering cottages is that you get to them by driving for a few kilometres along a winding road through indigenous forest. The two rows of cottages sit on a ridge with forest on either side, the higher ones looking out over the valley, the lower ones with a view into the forest. CapeNature gets the broad strokes right, a balance between eco-responsibility and comfort. The cottages are on the same footprint as the old staff cabins and a lot of the building materials have been recycled to achieve a rustic look.

They’re spacious with lovely wooden floors, two bedrooms (each with an electric fan) sharing a large bathroom with shower. You might wake in the first pink of dawn to the sound of a nightjar calling, or see swallows swooping through the early morning air. 

The kitchen at the cottages

​There are granite tops in the kitchen, which has everything you need from a fridge/freezer, gas stove and microwave to long table and colourful chairs. All the crockery, cutlery, pots and pans you need to self-cater too. Plonk into an easy chair in the open-plan lounge or make a fire in the cosy fireplace on cold winter nights.

The open-plan living room with fireplace just out of picture to the right

Choose between not one but two braai areas at your cottage. Braai outside while you relax at the picnic table and benches under a shade umbrella, or have an indoor braai in the special room at the back (nicknamed the ‘kuier kamer’). It has a built-in braai, large table and benches, and two walls of canvas blinds that can be rolled up for an indoor/outdoor feel. 

The braai room has two canvas walls (behind the photographer) that roll away for an indoor/outdoor feel

Glamping tents
The five new glamping tents weren't open yet, but when we visited in March 2021 the platforms and shade roofs above the tents were nearing completion. Once the canvas tents were in place under the roofs and the site was cleared – in October 2021 – CapeNature started taking bookings. And I can’t wait to try them.

Campsites

The campsites with their wooden decks

Just a short walk from the office are nine campsites that each has a wooden deck incorporating lights, plug points, kitchen area with shelves for your camping boxes and a scullery. There’s also a braai pit, picnic table and benches. Screens between the sites give some privacy from your nearest neighbours. Communal ablutions include hot water showers. There’s also a communal lapa and fridge. If you have kids, they’ll be nagging to go to the play area and jungle gym nearby.

• Note that there’s only space for one vehicle at each campsite.
• Note also that only small trailer tents, camping trailers or 4x4 trailers are allowed on the campsites with wooden decks. As space is limited, rather check dimensions beforehand or consider going traditional with a good old-fashioned ground tent or roof tent.
• There are five other sites that will accommodate larger trailers and camper vans. These are currently not available for bookings, to limit visitor numbers during the ongoing pandemic. 

A waterfall on a side track off the Bushbuck Trail, about a 20min walk from the cottages

Climate
Grootvadersbosch Nature Reserve lies in a transitional area between the winter rainfall of Cape Town and the all-year-round rainfall of the Garden Route. It gets an average of 1050mm of rain a year, the wettest periods being February to April and August to November. In the drier months of May, June and July, berg winds might blow through the reserve.

It can be cool in the forest at any time of year so bring a warm top even in summer. When we visited once in October (that’s summer, right?) it was 8 degrees Celsius one misty morning but warmed up once the mist cleared.

Need to know

• Don’t leave food visible or windows open when you’re not at your cottage; these may attract the unwelcome attention of baboons.
• Book via CapeNature, tel 087-0878250, or email reservation.alert@capenature.co.za
• Alternatively, you can make online bookings. (Remember that if you’re looking for the senior citizen discount of 30%, this can’t be applied by online booking so you need to phone or email instead.)
• For more information, see Cape Nature’s Grootvadersbosch Nature Reserve website
  
  

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