Walking along the Sacramento Trail one can see the sand dunes of Sardinia Bay in the distance the whole time. With about a kilometer to go the old Surf Lifesaving and ski boat club buildings come into view with the walkway over to the parking area.
I'm probably the most overweight, unfit active guy there is. There is no hesitation to go if I get the opportunity to get out and about and because of my love for the outdoors I make an effort to explore and do as much as possible. I've been fortunate that I've had the opportunity to do most of the day walks around Port Elizabeth with the exception of only a few. One of those being the Flamingo Trail in the…
The Swartkops Nature Reserve along with the Aloe Reserve protects the northern escarpment of the Swartkops Estuary. It plays an important part in the protection of Valley Thicket, also known as Valley Bushveld, along the estuary and is quite a good birding spot. The reserve is one of the lesser know reserves in the Nelson Mandela Bay metro with not many people visiting it, but the good folk of the Zwartkops Conservancy does do guided hikes along the Flamingo Trail through the…
Although most people do the Sacramento Trail as a straight forward out and back along the coastal route, there are two very different routes possible. The alternative route heads slightly inland from the cannon through fynbos before heading along the top of the vegetated sand dunes towards Sardinia Bay.
Port Elizabeth has a number of excellent hiking trails to get one out the city while only a couple of kilometers away from it. I've been exploring the Fynbos Trail at Schoenmakerskop a bit more lately and got to walk most of it the other day. Not a trail I'd like to do on a hot day as there isn't any shade along the way, but there are beautiful coastal views and lots of Fynbos and coastal flora to be…
The Van Stadens Wildflower Reserve west of Port Elizabeth is one of the best and easiest accessible areas around to see proteas and other species in the Cape Floral Kingdom. Flowers like the King Protea, South Africa's national flower, and the Pin Cushion Protea is found in abundance and when in flower is a real treat to see along one of the reserve's two trails. I try to visit the reserve at least once or twice a year, even if its…
In 1647 the Portuguese galleon Sacramento ran aground between present day Schoenmakerskop and Sardinia Bay with 72 survivors reaching the beach and only nine making it all the way to Delagoa Bay (Maputo) in Mozambique. That is a distance of 1,300 km on foot. The ship carried a shipment of cannons and these spent the next 300 odd years on the ocean floor until they were salvaged in 1977. 40 bronze cannons were brought up and one of those cannons still stand in Schoenies at the…
The Van Stadens Wildflower Reserve is looking stunning at the moment with loads of Pin Cushions and King Proteas in flower. We went for a short walk through the reserve and eventually Drama Princess and I fell so far behind the Damselfly and Chaos Boy cause she kept on stopping to look at flowers and ask questions about them and other things we saw. I didn't mind though because it gives me a good excuse to snap some pictures as well. …
Visitors to South Africa are treated to the most beautiful views as they travel through our country. Coastal views, views of the land from the sea, looming mountain views, views from mountains, scenic drives, hilly landscapes, flat landscapes, cityscapes, river gorges, animals on the plains and so I can go on and on and on ..... South Africa truly is a country of beauty. This view of the Swartkops River on the Flamingo Trail outside Port Elizabeth is no different.
I was very fortunate to go on a guided walk along the Flamingo Trail next to the Swartkops Estuary the other day and got some great flamingo sightings along the way. After posting the view of the flamingo's from the top of the hill I thought I'll follow it up with a picture taken from the side of the river of the flamingo's wading along.