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Turtle Travels Need a tour guide to guide you or your group around Cape Town Contact Geoff Fairman
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Cape Town Tours and Holiday destinations
Tygerberg Nature Reserve
Some of the fynbos that flowers in the park in spring. In Cape Town we have a number of nature reserves and the Tygerberg is one of them. Most visitors who fly into Cape Town will fly down the west side of the Tygerberg as they prepare to land at Cape Town International airport. Its a long range of hills which has been left virtually untouched along its upper reaches although of late there has been quite a bit of building activity on its western slopes. The reserve however is important as it is one of the few places you will find the extremely endangered species of renosterbosveld. ( Rhino bushveld). On the eastern side of the reserve is the main entrance gate which is extremely difficult to find if you don't know where to look for it. Near the gate is a conference centre which is used by the Bird club. They have their monthly meetings in the hall where members and visiting speakers show slides and lecture on birds and wildlife they have photographed and seen. There are a number of different pathways to the viewpoint which wind their way up the hillside and give you a close up view of the plantlife growing on the hillside. There is also a wide tar road which is used by vehicles transporting equipment to the many TV and radio masts sited on the hill. Its a sweat to get to the top but the effort really worth while. The Tygerberg hills have a fantastic unhindered view of the Cape Peninsula. The view towards the west over Cape Town and Table Bay is absolutely splendid and you can watch the changing moods of Table mountain as the sun moves to the west. To watch a sunset from here is something to die for. From your vantage point you can see as far as Cape Point, the second most southerly point of Africa. Due south you will see False bay shimmering in the distance and in between you and it are the Cape Flats with its thousands of houses and shacks. Home to many thousands of Capetonians. To the east you can see Somerset West and the mountains of Stellenbosch and the mountains which formn the eastern seashore of False Bay. At the highest point of the Reserve there is a picnic area and a look out point. From here you can look down on the planes as they fly past on their way to the airport. Although there are a number of small buck in the reserve you are not likely to see them as they hide themselves away. There are however are a number of bird species to be found. They are the Lanner Falcon, Rock Kestrel, Cape Franklin, Alpine Swift and Ground Woodpecker. On the west side of the hill looking down towards Bloubergstrand is another pathway winding its way up the hill. Along this path there are a number of dams which are filled with fish. 
The fish pond in the Nature Reserve Ducks and water fowl live on the dams and people who have stale bread and feel like some exercise walk up to the dams to feed the birds. When they throw the bread onto the water the water comes alive as the fish in the water fight for the food. The mud fish are quite big, about 18 inches long and fat like large Koi. I asked the game ranger, a black man who controlled the entry gate whether one could catch the fish and he sheepishly told me "No!". He then went on to tell me that he had tried to catch some for himself and had been caught and received a written warning. I found that rather amusing because as a fisherman I would have done exactly the same. In the summer months one should find plenty of snakes in the reserve as well. Snakes such as the dangerous Cape Cobra and the Puff Adder. The Puff Adder lies in the sun and does not move when something approaches. If you should step on it it will give you a nasty bite which is extremely poisonous. For somebody looking for a strenuous afternoon stroll a visit to this park is a good idea. Not only do you get exercise but a fantastic view of Cape Town thrown in. See you here soon. Geoff Fairman **
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