Way of the wilderness –
Cederberg Conservancy
Cragged sandstone spires with cinched waists
jut into the sky, richly tinted burnt orange and
blood red, to create haunting inverted towers.
Gigantic boulders rest on miniscule right
angles of baby boulders, defying gravity in a
balancing feat. Driving through the Western
Cape’s 500-million-year-old Cederberg mountain range in an open-sided Jeep, searching
for Africa’s ‘Little 5’, mystical ancient San
Bushman rock art and flora of world heritage
status, I’m perpetually distracted by the visual
drama that nature unfolds. Just 200km North
of Cape Town, beyond brilliant beaches, lush
vineyards and the scintillating scent of lemon
trees, scenes transform. Luxurious greenery
gives way to a theatrical Petra-meets-Grand
Canyon desert setting. Unforgiving and harsh,
this land births unique foliage of herbaceous
fynbos, prickly leaves and cactus, making it
seem impossible for life to thrive here. But
it has evolved to find a way. Home to the
world-famous Rooibos tea, the Cederberg
is part of the Cape Floral Kingdom of South
Africa, a World Heritage Site. Between July
and September, witness the largest variety
of wild flower species in the world burst to
life, carpeting the 100km-long horizon in
vibrant shades. King Protea, Blue Lily and
Chincherinchees are the floral stars. Watch
Klipsringers, Cape Zebra, Lynx, Leopard, Cape
Fox and African wild cats leap between the
lands, keeping interests and attentions soaring.
But it’s the ‘Little 5’ I’ve come to see.
‘The Little 5’ - safari
Poking a stick into a small hollow in the sand,
my guide, of Bushmans Kloof private reserve,
shows off his skills when an Antlion’s claws
scratch the surface to clasp on. The miniscule
mottled grey creature is prehistoric-looking,
as the most primitive of insects. Soon after,
we track the miraculous Rhino Beetle, thumbsized and donning an impressive horn on its
head. It can lift 850 times its own bodyweight,
making it the strongest creature on the
planet. Tracing the Little 5 requires an entirely
different skillset to a traditional safari. The
thrilling hunt exposes the hidden charms of
the bush, as I adventure in on land, on foot and
on my hands and knees. The Leopard Tortoise,
Elephant Shrew and Buffalo Weaver complete
The Little 5.
Ancient ancestors
Long before Bushmans Kloof set up its whimsical wilderness reserve deep in the heart
of this magical land, this was the ancestral
primordial stomping ground of San Bushman
tribes, amongst the earliest human inhabitants. Bushmans Kloof inherited custodian
status of their silent stories, depicted in art,
on caves and rocks across the region. 130
extraordinary sites, inscribed using iron
oxides and almost 10,000 years old, portray
the cultural and spiritual tribal lives. My guide
walks me over rocky ridges to one of the most
recent paintings of the people themselves.
Sticks and bows in-hand, the men are clearly
hunters. Women are rather comically portrayed
with well-endowed protruding bottoms and
breasts, which my guide explains could well be
an accurate attestation to the time. Elsewhere,
a more primitive site is emblazoned in hand
prints of different people across a sandstone
cave. Prints half the size of modern day hands
shed light on the size of the San people. Under
the shade of the cave, we also spot leopard
faeces and an outline of a leopard in the sand.
It can’t have been long gone.
Checking into nature –
Bushmans Kloof
Exhilarated but exhausted from the morning
game drive, heading back to Bushmans Kloof
(‘Kloof’ meaning valley in Afrikaans) is sheer
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