National Parks & Reserves • West Coast National Park • West Coast Fossil Park • The Cape Columbine Nature Reserve

West Coast National Park

A pristine piece of nature nestling the shores of the lagoon, this park is the pride of our region. The stunning lagoon (a protected wetland) provides a safe haven for thousands of birds and thus the park is aptly referred to as a "birding paradise" and forms part of the Flamingo Bird route. Apart from birding, the area comes alive during the Flower Season when the Postberg Section of the park is open to the public (August and September) and the flower display is breath-taking. Whale-watching is also possible from Tsaarbank and swimming and picnicking are popular activities at Kraal Bay. The park also houses the historic Geelbek building, where today an award winning restaurant serves delicious food to visitors. There is also an information centre and curio shop at Geelbek. Important fossil deposits are to be found in the park, with "Eve's Footprint" near Kraal Bay estimated to be 117 000 years old. Cycling enthusiast can enjoy the cycling routes and for those who wish to stay longer, there are unique overnight accommodation options such as Duinepos or even a houseboat. This park is a definite when visiting the Cape West Coast Peninsula.


West Coast Fossil Park

The West Coast Fossil Park is situated on the R45 and offers daily tours of the digging sites with professional and well informed guides. The many thousands of fossil bones from the digging sites continue to attract world-wide attention and a fascinating array of mammals are represented, including The Africa bear, saber-tooth cats, giraffe, horses and even extinct elephant! Apart from the excellent tours, the Park also boasts a visitor centre, tea room and small shop. Horse riding trails and bird watching are other popular ways of spending time at the Fossil Park.


The Cape Columbine Nature Resreve

The Cape Columbine Nature Reserve, which includes Tietiesbaai, covers an area of 263ha along the rocky stretch of coastline with numerous inlets and coves. The entrance is about 5km from the fishing hamlet of Paternoster. It was declared a nature reserve in December 1973. The vegetation of typical West Coast veld range from the well-known West Coast fynbos to succulent Karoo. During spring, from August to September, the area is covered in a bright tapestry of wild flowers.

The name, Cape Columbine, is the name of the last manually controlled lighthouse to be built in South Africa. It, in turn got its name from the British wooden ship "Columbine" which was wrecked in 1829, 1.5km north of the lighthouse. It is usually the first South Africa lighthouse to be seen by ships sailing from Europe. The lighthouse was built in 1936 on Castle Rock. The light stands at a height of 80m above sea level and casts a beam, which is visible for about 50km. The reserve offers hiking, angling, bird-watching, diving, kayaking and a beach campsite.