Untouched Paradise
The sleepy Overberg farming community of Heidelberg, situated on the N2 in the shadows of the majestic Langeberg Mountains, serves as your main entry point into the remote beauty that is the Grootvadersbosch Nature Reserve and Conservancy. Although only around 250 hectare in size, this provincial Cape Nature Reserve constitutes the largest block of intact, primary indigenous forest other than that near Knysna.
This may sound like a smallish place, but then there’s also the adjacent Boosmansbos Wilderness Area, which adds a massive swathe of untouched paradise. Historically, the area where the forest is now situated was originally assigned to Roelof Oelofse in 1723. He named his farm Melhoutskraal, and is the original ‘Groot Vader’, or ‘Great Father’ to whom the reserve’s moniker refers. The Boosmansbos Wilderness Area was proclaimed much later, in 1978, after Grootvadersbosch became part of Cape Nature’s conservation portfolio.
Neighbouring farms have since joined the Conservancy in their droves, and local farmers have in fact become the major driving force here as far as all conservation matters go. The Moodie clan from Honeywood Farm have lived here for years, and their ecotourism initiatives are a case in point.
How to Get There?
Take the N2 from Cape Town towards George. Just past Swellendam and Buffelsjag River, take the left-hand turn-off for Suurbraak/Barrydale. Turn left and continue through the town of Suurbraak and past the turn-off for Barrydale via Tradouwpass. The tar road becomes a dirt road. Continue until a T-junction, turn left and keep left at the next fork in the road. The Grootvadersbosch Nature Reserve is well signposted and the road ends at the entrance gates.
The 250-hectare indigenous forest at Grootvadersbosch is thick with yellowwoods and stinkwoods. Forests such as this used to cover the Lange...
Grootvadersbosch is set in a mountainous region that falls within a transitional zone between winter-specific and year-round rainfall, so le...
The Grootvadersbosch Conservancy Cycle Trail traverses a challenging route through conservancy farmland and within the adjacent Grootvadersb...