One thing about living in the Western Cape is that just when you think you’ve discovered most of its glories, another paradisical nature spot pops up to surprise and delight. This province is surely the gift that keeps on giving! On a recent trip up the West Coast, I uncovered two new reserves I’d never encountered before: the Cape Columbine Nature Reserve and the Witzands Aquifer Nature Reserve.
Exploring Cape Columbine Nature Reserve
Known locally as Tietiesbaai, the Cape Columbine Nature Reserve spans 263 hectares and lies about five kilometres outside the charming village of Paternoster. Who’d have known you can jump on a bike here and, minutes later, enter a world of nature and history, complete with a historical lighthouse, all within the reserve? Less than an hour’s drive from Cape Town, who’d have dreamt you could jump on a quad bike and take an exhilarating, slightly hair-raising ride through the imposing dunes? Our three-day getaway—sneakily starting on a Sunday and lopping off two workdays—coincided perfectly with the blooming of the West Coast flowers, allowing us to explore both of these treasures and realise how much one can pack into a few days in such a special place.
Adventures at Witzands Aquifer Nature Reserve
The next morning, we had breakfast and took a stroll to the wharf to collect our bikes from WOW E-Bikes, which, besides locally assembling and selling e-bikes built for African conditions, also offers guided e-bike experiences. We bravely opted to do both their routes—the guided beach ride, followed by a tour of Cape Columbine. It was my first time on an e-bike, and having never been much of a cyclist, I was amazed at how much easier it was to cycle with a bit of electric power.
Our ride started on Voorstrand beach, from where we cycled onto a second beach, Mosselbank, so called because of all the black mussels that can be found on the adjacent rocks. Standing beside our bikes on the beach, surrounded by seagulls swooping to find mussels, our guide gave us a history lesson on Paternoster, a village that has become hugely popular for tourists, not least for its whale season during November and December, but also for the flowers that bloom in spring and for its general beauty and hospitality.
Previously, this area was occupied by San hunter-gatherers and was rich in wildlife, including hippos and leopards. Until about 300 years ago, Paternoster was called St Martins Bay. It was later renamed Paternoster, which means ‘Our Father’ in Latin, by shipwrecked sailors who gave thanks for making it safely to shore.
The village has, through the centuries, been well-known for various industries, including fish-liver oil and fertiliser factories, as well as crayfish canning factories and boatbuilding. It’s here that the Redro fishpaste factory was born. Our ride into the Cape Columbine reserve took us along a series of dirt roads and paths that wind through the typical vegetation of this area and along the rugged West Coast coastline. The reserve is characterised by numerous small beaches, big boulders coming out of the sea, and a landscape alive with different birds, including seagulls and sacred ibis. To our right was an island where hundreds of seals have made their home.
Soon after starting our cycle, the lighthouse came into view. Cape Columbine was historically known for its many shipwrecks. The reserve and the lighthouse are named after a British wooden ship, Columbine, which was shipwrecked in 1829. The lighthouse was built in 1936 and is the last manned lighthouse in South Africa. Our guide told us that, on a clear night, you can see the lighthouse for 60 kilometres, and it flashes every 15 seconds. We learned that every lighthouse has its own character and pattern of flashing its light. This is the first lighthouse ships from Europe see before arriving in South Africa.
Seeing the lighthouse close up was fascinating, and we made the most of the opportunity to take photographs of this beautiful structure in its natural surroundings. Lunch beside the fire at the beautifully situated restaurant, Seekombuis, was the perfect end to our ride, and we headed back to our rooms to rest our legs before our next adventure.
