De Hoop, Southern Right Bliss!
Posted by Karen in News
When I received a little envelope in the post, yes with a real stamp on it and saw it was sent all the way from the other side of the country (lots of stamps on it actually), I felt a sense of secret anticipation as this was definitely going to be good! Upon opening it I saw it to be a wonderful gift of a week spent away in a nature reserve! No electricity, sketchy cellphone signal, huge log fires and old friends! My excitement was palpable.
De Hoop Nature Reserve was a destination I had heard of but didn't know much about. Just four leisurely hours drive from Cape Town, in the Bredasdorp direction, is an absolute gem of a place. Truly unique in its simplicity, luxurious yet down to earth and the scents of the blooming fynbos, sublime! The sounds of birds chattering away and...wait!...what was that sound?!
One secret not shared, and quite by chance for us, was that it was whale season! That sound was the deep blowing and breathing of the mothers, calves and bulls. Now, I have spent a few 'whale seasons' in little towns along the Western Cape coastline that boast amazing whale watching spaces...but nothing prepared me for the sight that lay before me. If I say that I saw at least thirty Southern Right whales bobbing in the water, it might just be a gross underestimation...as one pops up, the other dives down deep with their little calf playfully following.
We stayed in Koppie Alleen. Built in the old fisherman style, the cottages are luxuriously decorated with comfy couches, large 4 poster beds, a fully equiped kitchen and a lovely courtyard. The bathrooms are spacious with both a shower and bath, although they are shared. This didn't worry me at all, but did bother a heavily pregnant friend who had to slip through my room in the night to say 'Howzit to Horrace'. Koppie Alleen is set ontop of a little hill, quite seperate from the other accommodation found in the reserve, hence the name :) Within walking distance of the beach, an early morning stroll to watch the whales playing is perhaps the most wholesome way to start the day; or the lazy option which I indulged in once, is to stay in bed with a steaming cup of coffee and hear the Southern Rights playing that way.
There is such rich flora and fauna in the reserve with eland, ostrich, bontebok and rhebok graciously grazing on the veld. We went for a sundowner drive one evening as we had a farmer with us who wanted to check the lay of the land, so we all piled into the bakkie and took a leisurely cruise. At one stage we stopped to view the eland, and as they were walking we heard this strange 'click click' sound. I was convinced it was their knees, but the others told me my theory was silly and that it was rather their back hooves clipping the front ones as they walked. Well, my curiousity was peaked and our farmer friends called a fellow farmer friend who has some eland on his farm...so this is the story: "Male Eland demonstrate their prowess via a bizarre knee-clicking signal. This signal is used to establish mating rights without the need to resort to physical fighting" (www.wildlifeextra.com) We were stunned, how marvellous is nature?!
I loved spending time at De Hoop. The beaches are amazing and there are lovely little rock pools that would entertain the kids for hours at a time. There are mountain bike trails in the reserve and wonderful hikes where one can take in the fresh air, watch some birds and quite frankly, just connect with the earth and be. De Hoop is a place where the most stressed individual is probably the dung beetle fighting for his share of the ...!
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