We embarked on a month-long road trip to see more of South Africa, and in particular 5 national parks.  From Gordon’s Bay we travelled several hours east so we could explore the first park and surrounding area. 

Bontebok National Park – This is the smallest and one of the oldest national parks in the country. And it was our first visit to the 2,800 hectacres located between the Langeberg mountain range and the Breede River. Unlike most other South African national parks we have seen, Bontebok includes hiking trails and designated swimming areas in the river. So we didn’t have to spend the majority of our time in this park confined to our rental car.

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During our afternoon visit we walked along one of the shorter trails by the river and then drove along the main roads looking for animals. We saw a few of the endangered Cape Mountain Zebras. But our primary search was for Bonteboks, the rarest species of antelope on the earth. The park is home to about 200 Bonteboks and another 2,800 live elsewhere in the world. We did find about 50 bonteboks, but at a far enough distance that our photos are not very high quality. 

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Grootvadersbosch Nature Reserve– Also in the Langeberg mountain range is a 250 hectacre forest that includes hiking and cycling trails, a picnic area, a campground, and cabins. Even though the weather was a bit rainy when we arrived and cars were only allowed on a very short road near the entrance gate, we decided to spend the afternoon seeing as much of the reserve as possible. Fortunately the weather improved near the end of our hike and we were able to enjoy about 30 minutes of sunshine. 

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As we started walking along a 3 kilometer loop on the bushbuck trail we encountered a troop of about 20 baboons.  We hung back a ways and after 10 or so minutes the last one moved off the trail and into the forest so we could proceed at a more reasonable pace.  

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The trail included two elevated bird hides which we explored, but we weren’t successful in seeing birds while up in the hides. A bit later the trail passed through a grove of giant redwoods, also called California redwoods. The 40 meter tall trees were planted about 110 years ago as part of a forestry station area for exotic (for South Africa) tree species, including camphor, Australian blackwood, ash, and oak. The variety of trees were planted to replace a forest cut down by loggers. The redwoods reminded us of home, even though they are not as giant or aged as the largest one in the US, standing 100 meters tall and 2,600 years old. 

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