Water Wheel May/June 2024: Wetlands

Abstract

WETLANDS A narrow path of white sand snaked before us as we hiked through the fynbos, pausing to watch /f_ive browsing eland before continuing on in our quest. Surely we should have reached it by now… had I taken a wrong turn and led my friends astray? Moments later, a surge of relief and excitement as I glimpsed a /f_lash of blue through the rocks ahead. We had come to see Sirkelsvlei, the largest permanent waterbody in the Table Mountain National Park’s Cape of Good Hope section, more commonly referred to as simply Cape Point, after the iconic tourist site at the tip of the Cape Peninsula. Having hiked and cycled in Cape Point on a number of occasions over the years, I had not been to Sirkelsvlei for more than two decades. My visit then had been discouraging – after a long trudge from the Cape Point gate in particularly blustery and overcast weather, the windswept vlei had appeared grey and unwelcoming. What a difference a day makes!

Categories