Year in the Wild Blog
Posts with tag yellow wood trees
Seahorses and sewerage…the delicate balance of Knysna estuary
Knsyna is famous not only for its indigenous forests, but also its estuary, which is the biggest – and most ecologically important – in the country. According to several scientific studies relating to birds, fish and plants, it ranks higher than all other estuaries in terms of its natural importance.
Incredibly, according to research supplied by SANParks, it hosts 43% of all of South Africa’s estuarine natural life – all the more incredible, because the Knysna estuary is just 1 800 hectares
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The ellies of Knysna…the mystery of the reality
The Knysna Forests…home to the southern-most elephant population in Africa, and the only free-ranging, unfenced elephants left in the country.
Yesterday I went for a walk with Gerrit Slinger, a field ranger in the Goudveld section of the forests. About thirty kilometres behind Knysna in the foothills of the Outeniqua mountains, Goudveld includes both indigenous forests, commercial pine plantations and swathes of fynbos.
Gerrit and I walked down a steep gorge to the banks of the Homtini
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Circles in a wild forest
The so-called “Wilderness” section of the Garden Route National Park is astoundingly beautiful. It consists of a series of large lakes fed by the Touw River, and these lie between the traditional Knysna forests and a beach more than 30 kilometres long.
The four lakes are world renowned birding sites, and two of them – Langvlei and Rondevlei – are RAMSAR sites, an international accreditation, meaning that they are protected from all human interference or development. You’re not even allowed
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Arriving in heaven
I think we have arrived in heaven. For the next two weeks we are staying in the Garden Route National Park, in the four different sections of the park – Storms River Rest Camp, Natures Valley, Wilderness and Knysna.
Storms river rest camp was very kitted out for tourists, and is a popular international stay-over spot. There are a variety of different types of accommodation (all self-catering), with a shop and
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