Absolutely spectacular! That is all I can say about this gem. Thousands of vehicles drive past on either side every day, but only a rare few take the time to make it into the gates. I’m talking about the Groenkloof Nature Reserve in Tshwane, Pretoria. It was proclaimed a game sanctuary on 25 February 1895 by President Paul Kruger and was the first game sanctuary in Africa. Its main purpose was to protect the large herds of game found in that area, including the oribi.  

There are various activities in the reserve, including horse trails, mountain bike trails, 4×4 route, picnic area, and of course hiking, which we did. Wildlife in the reserve include zebra, jackal, duiker, kudu, impala, blue wildebeest, blesbuck, red hartebeest, ostrich, giraffe and sable.

 

The three of us arrived just after 08:00 (24 January 2009). It was a cool, cloudy morning – perfect weather for a morning hike. There were three trails to choose from; the yellow trail is 3.5km, the red trail 10.5km, and the white trail which we did is 4.5km. We decided to take it easy on our first visit to the reserve because we didn’t know the area well. Next time we’ll do the red trail.

 

A few hundred meters from the start of the trail we came across some dassies (Rock Hyrax). They were well camouflaged sitting on the rocks, hoping that we wouldn’t see them. We continued on and saw a few hornbills flying between the trees, and although we weren’t fortunate enough to see any buck, we definitely saw traces of them – fresh dung!

 

We found it astonishing that this lush piece of paradise is so close to home and that we never before took the time to experience it. Although we did get a few glances of the city between the trees, and although some areas of the trail took us very close to the highway, it was still as if we were miles away from the city. We stopped a few times to breath in the freshest air in Pretoria. The morning air was crisp, clear and fresh. We could almost taste nature!

 

The trail is well maintained and well marked so you can’t get lost. Although there were many cars in the parking lot when we arrived, we only saw one other couple, and two mountain bikers who came past. We came across the most beautiful colourful flowers. Red, yellow, white, purple, pink, orange! It was everywhere. We also saw the funkiest little dung beetles, the coolest moss on trees, amazing spiderwebs, and big mushrooms. The viewpoints provided views of Pretoria that we had never seen before – fantastic!

 

 I must admit that I am looking forward to returning to the reserve.

 

 

We would love to hear about your adventures and outdoor expeditions, especially if they happen in SOUTHERN AFRICA. Whether it is a chilled outing with the family or a hard core, adrenaline pumping adventure!

Write (blog) about your experiences and send it to clarise@inpura.co.za titled Web Post or write your story in any of the Reply Boxes on the webpage. If we like it we will post it on this website.

Happy Adventures

Clarise

So, you are working hard, family life is keeping you busy and you are trying to fit in a social life somewhere. There is no time left to enjoy the outdoors. Keep telling yourself that and you will continue leading a boring, miserable, and depressed life. What you’ve been telling yourself is absolute nonsense. Nature is all around us, even in urban areas. Here is what we did…

 

 The p.o.a. – plan of action…
The month of December is generally a chilled time for most people as it is all about taking some time off from work, enjoying a holiday, being festive and spending time with family, and it is the same for us. The only problem is that we are so used to working and always being busy that it is sometimes difficult to shut down completely.
Two weeks into December myself, my cousin and his wife decide to get a bit more active. They decided that what they wanted for 2009 was to more frequently take part in various outdoor and adventure activities, so we decided to start off a bit earlier. On Saturday 27 December 2008 we were up at 5 a.m. to get an early start. It wasn’t easy getting up this early but we pulled through. The idea was to go for a chilled hike in one of the reserves in Pretoria. We had two options, but the first one we went to was still closed so we went to the second option which was the Faerie Glen Nature Reserve in Genl. Louis Botha Avenue.

Doing it…
When we arrived at the reserve around 06:20 there were only two other vehicles in the parking lot. We had never been there and we had no idea where we were gonna hike to. There was an aerial map of the reserve which showed the paths in the reserve as well as the contour lines. We decided to just start walking and go wherever we felt, so off we went. 

 
Birds…
It was a cool, crisp morning which made it perfect hiking weather. The hike started slow because we were so in awe of all the beautiful birdlife that we stopped every few meters to look these birds up in our bird book. We had never seen so many brightly colored weavers together, both in red and yellow. The weavers included the Southern Masked-Weaver, Cape Weaver, and Red Bishop. We continued on our walk and also saw the beautiful Red-collared Widowbird with its long tail feathers, the White-winged Widowbird with its yellow shoulders and white wing feathers, but the bird that caught our attention was the Red-chested Cuckoo also known as the Piet-my-vrou (more on that later).

High and mighty…
Our walk took us along a stream, over a bridge, into some grassland, and up a hill known as Renosterkop (or Rhino hill). There were quite a few paths going in different directions but we opted for the routes going up, up and awaaay!! It wasn’t too steep going up but there were one or two sections where you had to keep your footing. It was all worth it when we arrived at the top. We could see the entire Pretoria from there. Lynnwood road was on the one side and Atterbury road on the other side.  Two of the busiest roads in Pretoria and this gem in the middle of both that few bother to visit. We could see all the malls in the area and even Menlyn Mall looked small. 

 

Difficulties…
After a few photos and a snack break at the top, we continued along the border fence. Seems like people aren’t too adventurous because the further we walked away from the cars the harder it was to keep to paths as they disappeared because there wasn’t as much ‘traffic’ going through that area. Sad. Very sad. Our hike was interrupted by a very familiar sound, that of the Piet-my-vrou. We could hear that this very interesting bird was close by, but to see one is a different story. There were females answering to the males calling but still no sight.

More difficulties…
We decided to track down this elusive bird. Easier said than done. At one stage I’m certain we couldn’t have been further than 5m – 8m from the bird, but still no sight. This bird is a pro at camouflage and it was proven again on that day. We weren’t too happy but there will be another day. After exploring the top of the hill, we started heading down. My cousin tripped as he stepped on a rock that gave way under his weight and he fell. Trying not to damage the camera he twisted his knee which hit another rock quite hard. I was stressed because he was clearly in pain and I was concerned about a possible broken leg. Luckily it was just a bruised knee combined with a bruised ego. The outdoors is tough, even when it is just a day outing – remember that!

Down and about…
When we reached the foot of the hill we crisscrossed the paths taking us through spectacular areas. We got so lost in the beauty of this area that we forgot we were in the middle of the city. From grassland, to forest-like areas, rivers, trees, birds, trickling streams, flowers, insects, … As we moved closer to the cars we started seeing more people also enjoying nature. We shared our morning experience with others as they also shared their experiences with us. We decided that we were more than happy with our little expedition, which lasted about 4 hours, and headed back to the car.

Experience…
It is such a pity that this urban and natural combination is so beautiful and we never make time to experience it, even though many of us drive past it every day.