Bontebok National Park
Text by Petra Vandecateele. Photographs by Paul Godard
Source: This article was taken from the April 2011 issue of Country Life
This National Park is the smallest in the country, but offers all of us, including the bontebok, some space and tranquillity
What was planned as a weekend of doing absolutely nothing at Bontebok National Park takes an unexpected turn when I suddenly brake with all my might. We all suffocate in the dust that blows up from the dirt road to fill the vehicle. i’m enduring the indignation of my fellow passengers as I wait for the dust to settle and a chance to explain my need for testing the car’s ABS. I’m saved from a husband’s lecture by the children’s squeals, “A racing tortoise! Mommy, this is so cool, you saved it.” I sure did, and I sit back with a big smile on my face.
Bontebok National Park, near Swellendam, may be the smallest of the 19 national parks in South Africa, but the experience it offers is one of a kind. Contrary to what I expect from a stay at a national park, Bontebok somehow evokes the simplicities of pastoral living and the enjoyment that comes with it. As I sit in the shade of a large sweet thorn tree and watch the children play in the Breede River, my mind wanders off to the Hessequa Khoi Khoi – Hessequa meaning ‘people of the trees’ – who made this area their home some 2 000 years ago. This clan of herders lived on the banks of the Breede River, and I can imagine how their large herds of fat-tailed sheep and long-horn cattle enjoyed a good graze on the fynbos and renosterveld, which undoubtedly, even then, gave the meat its distinct flavour, the trademark of today’s karoo lamb.
The Hessequa khoi khoi settlements were controlled by a captain, and it was right here, where the Bontebok National Park is situated today, that two Hessequa captains and their followers lived. One of them was Lang Elsie, a remarkable female chieftain. Between 1734 and 1800, she lived in the southern part of the park with her clan, in a kraal of woven reed huts. They let their stock graze all the way to the Buffeljags River. Today the park’s new rest camp Lang Elsie’s kraal 0is the very first rest camp in SANParks to be designed and built according to ‘Touch the Earth Lightly’ principles, and to top it all, it’s also wheelchair-friendly.
it’s close to midday and the temperatures start soaring, so I decide to trade my space in the shade for a refreshing dip in the river while Paul, my husband, organises our picnic. We’re staying at the immaculate camp site, right behind the bushes that separate it from the picnic area, on the banks of the river. Enya, James and I paddle all over the river hoping to surprise a Cape clawless otter. Every now and then we jump out of the boat to indulge in the deliciously refreshing water, with its warm and cold currents. “Stretch your toes and try to reach the bottom,” James insists. “The water is colder down there, it’s really nice.” Swimming here is sheer bliss. A family staying in one of the chalets also seeks refuge from the heat and dive in too. And when their children throw a tube in the water, we all share in the fun. No otter or any other wildlife would stick around with that much splashing.
Bontebok National Park is aptly called a ‘colourful’ conservation success story. There are now about 200 bontebok roaming the park, sharing their protected territory with red hartebees, grey rhebok, grysbok and 22 of the endangered Cape mountain zebra. Today’s global bontebok population is approximately 3 500, but in the early 1800s there were only 17 left, due to over-hunting and extensive killing as pests. Fortunately there were people like the Van der Byl, Van Breda and Albertyn families who, at the time, set aside portions of their properties to form a temporary reserve for the bontebok. And so we now have the incredible privilege of enjoying the beauty of this exquisite chocolate-brown antelope, with its white underbelly, a white stripe from the forehead to the tip of the nose, and a distinctive white patch around its tail.
The very first Bontebok National Park was proclaimed in 1931, but was originally situated in the Bredasdorp region. The Swellendam area, however, proved to be a more suitable habitat for the bontebok, and it was decided to translocate the fragile herd and create the new conservation area that we know today. it was a good move because many re-introduced bontebok populations to other protected areas originate from these herds. This is necessary as the park can only support a maximum of 250 bontebok and must translocate surplus animals to maintain balanced biodiversity conservation.
Here you really don’t need to make an effort to see the bontebok – they spend hours on end at Lang Elsie’s kraal and if it were up to me, I’d be happy to relax in my chair all day and watch them as they graze. But then again, the scenery is magnificent, with the Langeberg mountain range as a backdrop, and I wouldn’t want to miss out on the lovely hikes in the park. Enya and James take the lead and decide to walk the Acacia Trail first, and follow the Bushbuck Trail in the morning. Situated in the Cape Floral kingdom, the Bontebok National Park showcases fine examples of fynbos, but also renosterveld, of which there is only four percent left in South Africa. Enya is fascinated by the fiery spines on the Aloe ferox as we follow the path through the many aloes along the Breede River, which forms the western border of the park.
James, as always, fills his pockets and backpack with pebbles of all sizes and weights. The air is filled with the pleasing calls of the countless birds. At times like these I wish I knew more about birds, but James is a great bird lover, so I’m confident that very soon he will not only show me his beautiful drawings, but also be able to teach me more about the birds we hear.
It’s absolutely great to see bontebok everywhere, as well as red hartebees. Tortoises too and for some unknown reason, they all seem to be in an incredible hurry. But there’s no trace of the Cape mountain zebra. Perhaps the tortoises know what happened to them? At night I thrive on the absolute silence that reigns in this land. unfortunately there’s no hint of caracal or aardwolf. But they are there. The children are eager to wake up in the middle of the night, grab their torches and search for fresh spoor. But after a day of hiking, mountain biking and swimming, I’d rather stretch my ears to hear them than stretch my legs to see them.
We’ve travelled thousands of kilometres with our children, yet the smallest of all South African national parks, at a mere two hours drive from home, is a winner for Enya and James. it just shows that you don’t need to go far or make it complicated to spend quality time, whether you’re on your own, as a family or with friends. As with many things in life, bliss is right on your doorstep. Just beware of the tortoises *
Did you know?
- Bontebok are not good jumpers, but excel at crawling under things.
- There are two bontebok subspecies – the endangered bontebok (Damaliscus pygargus pygargus) occurring naturally in the fynbos and renosterveld areas of the Western Cape, and the blesbok (Damaliscus pygargus phillipsi) occurring in the highveld.
- Today only about 1 500 bontebok actually occur within their native historical range. (Lloyd, P. & David, J. 2008 in IUCN 2010)
Bontebok National Park
028 514 2735, Sanparks Bontebok
The park is accessible from the N2, and its day visitor area ‘Die Stroom’ is a great stop between Cape town and the Garden Route.
Interesting read: Van Rensburg, A.P.J. (1975) Die geskiedenis van die Bontebok Park, Swellendam Koedoe, Vol. 18, 165-190
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