A Blaze of Colour
The most impressive aspect of the rugged Groot-Winterhoek range is its abundance of flowering plants, most numerous of which are the many species of Erica. Since a fire in 1988, which ravaged the entire range, the veld has erupted in a blaze of colour.
Masses of daisies (genera Aristea, Euryops, Senecio and Anthanasia), mauve watsonias, yellow wachendorfias, orchids and a number of Proteaceae provide a festive welcome for those who visit the region.
Where they have survived burning, the proteas present a magnificent floral display of species such as cynaroides (king), magnifica (bearded), nana (mountain rose), grandiceps, laurifolia, nitida (waboom), repens (sugarbush) and witzenbergiana, which can be equalled in few places.
Game and Birdlife
Game and birdlife in the Groot-Winterhoek region are nowhere near as obvious as the floral attractions, but hikers are likely to see baboon, grey rhebok, klipspringer and grysbok among other mammals.
From spoor and dropping counts, it has been established that at least nine leopards share the territory. The most conspicuous birds are rock kestrels, jackal buzzards, an occasional black eagle, ground woodpeckers and rockjumpers, yellow-rumped bishops in the vlei areas, and some frustratingly obscure warblers and cisticolas.
By David Bristow
The Groot Winterhoek Mountains stretch north, towering above the villages of Gouda, Saron and Porterville, rising up to 2,000 metres above s...