Cape Town - After many years of travelling throughout southern Africa, I have seen a lot of the “Big Five” and, while I can never tire of their majesty, it’s really good to come across one of the sub-continent’s other natural bounties.
Last winter I hooked up with one of the world’s foremost motorcycle adventurers at a splendid place called the Grootbos Nature Reserve near Gansbaai. Even though I’ve lived in the Western Cape for a quarter of a century, I’d never really understood what was meant by the Cape Floral Kingdom.
Now I do.
My first night at Grootbos was characterised by an amazing sunset that flooded Walker Bay – which stretches from Hermanus to Gansbaai – in a fury of orange, black and silver. I could easily make out Hangklip looming over Pringle Bay and, in the distance, Cape Point and the mountains that constitute the southernmost part of the Cape Peninsula Mountain Park.
The next morning I accompanied the motorcycling team out of the park and down to the beach at Gansbaai. Walker Bay is not only a conservation area where southern right whales come in close to shore to calf each year, it is also the site of Klipgat Cave, home to humans for more than 60 000 years.
The winter light was spectacular, the fynbos lush and the bird-life splendid. As we accelerated away from the sea and into the southern Cape, I told myself I would return to the area to find out more.
I did, and what better way than having Grootbos’ owner, Michael Lutzeyer, several months later, agreeing to extend his hospitality once again.
The Cape Floral Kingdom covers about 91 000km2 and within it can be found at least 9 250 species of flowering plants, 70-odd percent of which are endemic to the region. Botanists stress the “at least” bit because new species are discovered regularly.
Of the total, about 7 400 (80 percent) are fynbos species. Grootbos is 2 500 hectares in extent and, within its confines, more than 760 species of fynbos can be found. Many of them are unique not only to the reserve but to tiny pockets of it.
It also boasts the largest milkwood forest in the world; 23ha of it.
Grootbos Nature Reserve has its genesis in 1991 when Lutzeyer and his father Heiner – a keen and accomplished photographer – purchased a 123ha farm of the same name on which to spend family holidays. Michael gave up his business interests three years later and moved permanently to Grootbos, intending to develop it as a bed and breakfast guest farm.
It wasn’t long before the Lutzeyers realised the potential of Grootbos and decided to build a luxury lodge rather than a B&B facility.
Garden Lodge opened in the late 1990s with 11 free-standing suites situated on the fringes of the milkwood forest. Each suite has a canopied bed, en-suite bathroom, separate lounge with large fireplace (vital for the winter months) and a spacious deck with panoramic views over Walker Bay.
True to the nature of the place, the décor relies heavily on fynbos – from Heiner’s photographic prints on the walls to fresh flower sprigs in the rooms and pots of succulents on the decks.
The lodge itself has also been carefully constructed to ensure that, though it too overlooks the bay, it is not an eco-eyesore.
A second facility, Forest Lodge, opened in 2004. More modern and luxurious than its older sibling, it was razed by a veldfire that devastated Grootbos two years later.
Conservationists will tell you that fynbos… though not luxury lodges… thrive on periodic burning and the veld is now back to its best with only random scarring visible scarring.
Forest Lodge was quickly rebuilt to an even more impressive standard and currently comprises a main lodge with restaurant, bars, conference centre, infinity pool and 10 freestanding suites.
Perhaps the most outstanding aspects of both facilities are the attention paid to detail and the staff’s willingness (even joy) to do whatever possible to make their guests’ stay a pleasure.
But willingness without competence is jarring and much of the experience would be wasted if guests were left with no option but to trudge around the reserve without expert guidance. This was not the case: my young guide, Clayton Niemand, walked me through the milkwood forest and then drove through the reserve providing an informed yet interesting commentary.
Niemand is a native of the greater Walker Bay area, as are most of the full-time staff.
Apart from the forest walk and guided fynbos drive, Grootbos offers hikes of varying length and severity as well as horse-riding, coastal tours (which include a visit to Klipgat), whale-watching, boat trips and shark-cage diving.
The birdlife is fantastic but, with the fynbos being so thick, the birds can be quite shy. Not so for the masked weavers: there are two enormous trees behind Garden Lodge that teem with weavers. I spent hours watching them.
l More info on Grootbos Nature Reserve, see www.grootbos.com. - Saturday Star