With time still on my hands, in part because Nancy got stuck in airport hell on the east coast and was delayed in transit for 2 extra days – argh, I took another short 2-day expedition to the Cape Fold Mountains, this time to the Jonkershoek Nature Reserve just outside of Stellenbosch, about 45 minutes from Cape Town.
I don’t have much to say in this post other than to point out again that there a quite a few private “Nature Reserves” in the Cape Fold Mountains. I put Nature Reserve in quotes because these Reserves are truly multi-use and not always primarily focused on preserving nature. Jonkershoek, for example, is a mountain biking meca, with many miles of tracks, ranging from easy to insane, but it also has some hiking trails too. Some of these Reserves include tree plantations, orchards and other land uses besides just protecting areas from further development. You might notice in some of the pictures below that this Reserve includes non-native pine plantations. On the positive side, the area “protected” by private reserves is substantial and adds to the national Parks and Reserves in a non-trivial manner. On the downside, you have pay for a permit to enter each of these reserves. Here’s some photos to make you Dolores hikers – you know who I am talking too – jealous (at least a little):
Next stop, Cape Point, with the whole gang. See you there!
Cheers