Situated approximately 60km west of Queenstown and 30km south-east of Tarkastad, Tsolwana Nature Reserve is nestled on the edge of the Winterberg range. A mountainous area, with grass plains and acacia thornveld, Tsolwana is home to a wide variety of fauna and flora. Tsolwana Nature Reserve, 8 500ha in size, marks the start of the Karoo plains. The name “Tsolwana” is derived from the Xhosa word “Spike” as it is characterised by a prominent hill within the reserve.
Thomas Baines Nature Reserve is situated approximately 12km from Grahamstown off the N2 highway to Port Elizabeth. Thomas Baines Nature Reserve has been somewhat of an institution amongst Grahamstown residents since the 1960’s albeit that, at the time, it consisted of a mere 257ha of municipal land. In 1980 it was increased to 1024ha. Thomas Baines is named after the well known artist, naturalist and explorer who spent much of his time in the area. The Thomas Baines Goldfields Environmental Education centre caters for up to 60 learners at a time.
Silaka lies in a forested valley only 7km south of Port St Johns. A small but beautiful coastal reserve, Silaka stretches from Second Beach to Sugarloaf Rock, covering 400ha. The Gxwaleni River flows through the reserve and forms an estuary, which enters the sea at the beautiful main beach. This exquisite reserve comprises grassland, a dramatic piece of coastline and a magnificent indigenous coastal forest with huge trees, offering a pristine coastal setting and exceptional bird-watching.
Extraordinary sunsets and landscape consisting of vast, open grassland with low “koppies” (small mountains) makes Oviston Nature Reserve truly part of South Africa’s “Big Sky” country. Situated in the north-eastern part of the Eastern Cape Province along the southern shoreline of the mighty Lake Gariep, Oviston covers an area of approximately 16 000ha and stretches from the dam wall in the west, to the Bethulie railroad bridge in the east. Lake Gariep, which spans the borders of the Free State and the Eastern Cape, lies approximately two hours south of Bloemfontein.
Activities:
Camping
Self-drive game viewing
Bird-watching
Picnicking
Walking trails
Hiking
Rock art
Fishing (permit required from Free state Post office only)
