1, 2, 3 no a Dozen of Whales!

03 August 2009

The whales are now here in dozens, tailing and splashing in the Koppie Alleen bay, close to shore! With the long winter nights almost gone, the sun rises just before 7am and the birds are already shaking their feathers to cheer good morning, and whilst you open the curtains the nightjars give a tirp. Mornings are still chilly, but by mid morning there’s no need to stay indoors as we are experiencing lovely sunny days with just a breeze of wind. A trip to Koppie can be undertaken at leisure to watch the spectacular whales from the pristine white sand dunes which lures into the distance of Arniston. These perfect days can also be spent hiking one of the Vlei Trails, or hiring a mountain bike to do one of the four mountain bike trails at leisure. Be sure to bring you bino’s and water bottle with, as you’ll loose track of time riding amongst the beautiful Fynbos with Erica’s, Buchu and Proteas in bloom. The Eland and Bontebok are lazily grazing, and will nod their heads as you travel by. You might even be as lucky to see on of two newborn Cape Mountain Zebra foals. The first little foal is about two months old, and the second is a very shy and wobbly two week old foal which is sighted on the beginning of the circular drive. Also look out for the Grey Rhebuck which is easily identifiable by the white bushy tails when they run off.

Also bring your daypack or small back pack so that you can carry one of our delicious packed lunches, or picnic baskets for your nature experience, available from the Fig Tree Restaurant. When the night skies fall, the clear skies brings about a chill, but also one of the few opportunities to have a good view of the milky way and various other constellations, as there is no light pollution.