Page 33 - Boardwalk_Issue 3_2022

TRAVEL
lthough September is officially
dubbed the start of spring in SA,
Aif you’re keen to get down to the
West Coast to see those spectacular
wildflowers blooming, it’s best to plan
your trip for late July or early August.
August is also the best time for whale
watching, so from the West Coast, plan
a road trip through the Stellenbosch
winelands down to Hermanus. The
coastline around Hermanus and
Walker Bay are known to be a favourite
breeding spot for the southern right
whale. The whales travel up from the
cold waters of the Antarctic to our
warmer waters and migrate along the
coast as far as Mozambique, before Image: Amy Harrison
returning between October and
December, to make their way back to
the South Pole. You’ll be able to get Plettenberg Bay, where you’ll be able spot. So when you get back to Gauteng,
excellent views from the cliffs over to see the resident Cape Fur Seal be sure to round your trip off by visiting
Hermanus, or by joining a boat or colony at their breeding site. one of the nearby game reserves, such as
helicopter tour of the area. the Pilanesberg National Park, Dinokeng
On your way back up to the Highveld, Game Reserve, Bronkhorstspruit Dam
From Hermanus, continue along the be sure to swing past the Wild Coast Nature Reserve, or the Rietvlei Nature
road to Cape Agulhas, where the for some rough and ready experiences Reserve.
Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet. This in the rugged and unspoilt countryside,
part of the coast is actually a Whale amongst indigenous forest and Yes, it’s true, with the fuel cost
Sanctuary Marine Protected Area and, mangrove swamps. sky-rocketing, a road trip around
between July and November, all forms the country might prove to be
of water transport in the proximity Many travel blogs promise warmer astronomically expensive, but there’s
of the whales are prohibited, but you weather in SA during August, but up no guarantee that things will get
will be able to view these magnificent here on the Highveld, the month can better. This could then be an excellent
mammals from the De Hoop Dunes and be brutal, with frost, chilly winds and reason to rather forgo the overseas
the De Hoop Nature Reserve through dust. That said, they say that this is an trip next on your bucket list and live in
binoculars. excellent time for game-spotting as the this moment. What better way to do it
vegetation in the veld is thinner and the than experiencing the wonders of the
From there, follow the Garden Route, wildlife tend to congregate around the wildlife and wildflowers right here at
through Wilderness and Knysna, to water holes, which makes them easier to home?

Image: Garnt Durr

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Boardwalk Meander Estate Issue 3 · 2022

Image: Amy Harrison