Tucked away behind the Potberg Mountains you’ll hardly believe this vast expanse of land with its captivating fauna and flora exists. Down in the valley De Hoop Nature Reserve beckons, experience the tranquillity of nature.
Only three hours from Cape Town in the Overberg region, near the southernmost tip of Africa along the world renowned Garden and Whale Routes. It’s a destination favoured by hikers, cyclists and bird watchers the early winter and summer ideal for whale watching. Few other reserves offer as complete an outdoor experience as this. Sea, sand dunes, the vlei, a floral sensation of rare fynbos plants, diverse antelope and the Potberg Mountains. Nothing less than a three night stay will do.
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Experience it best in the lap of luxury at the Melkkamer Manor house. Fully-catered 5-star service in a beautifully restored “Ostrich Palace” built from indigenous limestone. The perfect destination for discerning guests who seek the privacy of sole-use villa accommodation, comprising four magnificently appointed en-suite bedrooms. All meals are included and prepared in the manors kitchen by a private chef with butler service the ideal base for a tailor-made De Hoop experience complete with a private guide and transportation. Update (According to their website this feature is no longer available.)
With a very rich history, favoured by government officials as a well kept secret it only opened to the public many decades later. The Potberg Mountains are home to the only remaining breeding colony of the rare cape vulture. Hikers and cyclists have close-up encounters with bontebok, cape mountain zebra, eland, baboons and ostrich. The many terrestrial habitats support 86 mammal species, most notably the grey rhebuck, yellow mongoose, caracal and the occasional leopard. Famous for its variety of resident and migratory bird species more than 260 species have been recorded.
The Wetland Area
Catch the morning sun while enjoying a delicious breakfast on the spacious veranda overlooking the cottages and wetland area called, the vlei, a Ramsar site and birders paradise. Observe wading birds on its shores while setting off on the
vlei trail, workup and appetite and have lunch on the banks.
If you skipped the cruise a chose the hike instead the perfect unwind awaits at the
De Hoop Spa or take in an
Art workshop for those artistically inclined.
The Guided Eco Boat Trips provides a sunset cruise, paired with champagne,
canapés, great company, and guides to both inform and test your wildlife knowledge.
The Coast
The adjacent De Hoop
Marine Protected Area extends three nautical miles (5 km) out to sea, one of the largest marine protected areas in Africa. Providing a sanctuary for a vast and fascinating array of marine life mammals such as dolphins and seals occur in the waters off the coast and southern right whales calve and mate in the sheltered bays of De Hoop each year between May and December.
At least 250 species of fish occur in the marine protected area. When to go Summer time preferably at the new or full moon when the tides are high enough to expose the magnificent rock pools at the coast line. Explore it with a
Guided Interpretive Marine Walk. World-renowned as one of the best land based whale-watching spots this coastline is transformed into one of the world's most important nursery areas for southern right whales. Whale watchers regularly stand in awe at the sight of more than 50 of these sea giants lying a mere kilometre from the coast.
World-renowned as one of the best land based whale-watching spots this coastline is transformed into one of the world's most important nursery areas for southern right whales. Whale watchers regularly stand in awe at the sight of more than 50 of these sea giants lying a mere kilometre from the coast.
My Favourite Activity by far
The perfect after dinner experience, stargazing, merely a few metres from the lights of the manor house enveloped in total darkness with nothing but the night sky glittering above. The stars loom so close and luminous it seems you can reach out and touch. With our guide pointing his laser beaming up into the night sky we start our informative star gazing activity.
What to expect
Some of the greatest celestial sights, the nearest stars to our solar system, two close dwarf galaxies, and some drop-dead gorgeous clusters. South Africa is right above the Antarctic a mere 15 degrees from the prime meridian the galactic centre of the milky way providing a view of billions of stars. The Southern Hemisphere has 11 circumpolar constellations including six first-order magnitude stars. The Northern Hemisphere has only five none of which are very bright.
Showcasing our closest star system the Centaurus constellation with the third brightest star in the night sky, Alpha Centauri comprises more than one star — Alpha Centauri A, a Sun-like star, and its companion, the slightly less massive Alpha Centauri B, actually form a triple with Proxima Centauri (technically the nearest). All three stars appear as a single point to the naked eye, but a 3-inch telescope with 100× magnification can split Alpha Centauri A and B.
Circumpolar constellations appear closer to the North and South Poles and are only visible in its corresponding hemisphere staying above the horizon all night orbiting the poles. The Southern Cross is the brightest and most iconic constellation in its Hemisphere. Within it the jaw-dropping Jewel Box Cluster showcases colourful stars that look like precious stones twinkling in the night sky. The colours come from a red supergiant amongst very bright blue supergiants and other brilliantly coloured stars, some of which have luminosities 80,000 times that of the sun.
Milky Way’s Largest Satellites
The large and small Magellanic clouds tare the largest dwarf galaxies in the Milky Way arguably the most amazing objects in the night sky anywhere in the world. Easily mistaken for ordinary clouds they are big, white, and puffy, until you realise they are in the same spot night after night two entirely different galaxies visible with the naked eye. So close they appear much bigger than anything else visible from Earth. The larger cloud is a gigantic view of the fourth largest galaxy in the universe.
Because it’s brighter in the Southern Hemisphere the dark nebulae within it are more pronounced. Situated between the two brightest stars of the Southern Cross is the most prominent nebula the Coalsack best viewed with the naked eye or binoculars. A brighter nebula Eta Carinae is home to the most massive star in the galaxy which is one of the most exciting stars because it is unstable and thought to be the next star to die in a supernova.
Other constellations include Vela harbouring a neutron star, the Vela Pulsar, rotating 11 times per second its intense magnetic field emits audible pulsating radio signals. Centaurus boasts the greatest number of visible stars. Next to the Jewel Box is Omega Centauri, the second brightest globular cluster in either hemisphere with the most massive concentration of stars orbiting the centre of the Milky Way.
The
reserve provides nature lovers and the outdoorsy with unique comfortable overnight accommodation situated at spectacular locations. East of Bredasdorp the reserve can also be accessed via Swellendam and is an ideal stop over enroute from the Cape Winelands to Plettenberg Bay.
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