Van Stadens Wild Flower Reserve Hot

This reserve seems to be rather under utilized and is just a few minutes from Port Elizabeth. Great picnic araes and walks within the reserve. Entrance is free.

The reserve is run by the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality.

The 450 hectare Van Staden's Wild Flower Reserve is situated 40 km from Port Elizabeth along the N2 towards Cape Town, and is considered to be one of the finest destinations to see lowland fynbos, flowering Proteas and a variety of other endemic fynbos . The reserve was proclaimed in 1951, making the Van Staden's Wild Flower Reserve the oldest of its kind in the country. The reserve is home to an amazing variety of bird, animal and plant species, with the main objective of the Reserve being to protect and propagate the unique indigenous flora.

Visitors can expect to see up to a 170 various bird species in the reserve, making it a popular birding hotspot. The rocky gorge provides avid birdwatchers with excellent opportunities to view a number of raptors in their natural habitats. Raptor species to be seen in the Van Staden's Wild Flower Reserve include Forest Buzzard and Jackal Buzzard, Booted Eagle, African Crowned Eagle, African Harrier-Hawk, Peregrine Falcon, Lanner Falcon, Black Sparrowhawk and African Fish-Eagle. Near the Van Staden's River, which run through the gorge, there is a tract of indigenous coastal forest, which is also home to a large number of species, including Knysna Turaco, the Blue-mantled Crested-Flycatcher, the Forest Canary, the Narina Trogon, the Knysna Warbler, the Terrestrial Brownbul, the Sombre Greenbul, the White-starred Robin, and many more.

Keen plant enthusiasts will surely not be disappointed when visiting the Van Staden's Wild Flower Reserve. Aside from the abundance of magnificent Proteas and excellent fynbos specimens growing in the reserve, visitors will find a multitude of other species while passing through the various habitats, which include indigenous coastal forest, striking rocky gorges, river bank vegetation, heavily wooded slopes and a large plateau, all of which display a distinct and different vegetation type. Visitors can look forward to seeing an abundance of succulents, ericas, leucadendrons and other indigenous flora.

The Van Stadens Wild Flower Reserve houses a nursery which sells indigenous flora, as well as scenic picnic sites on the plateau connected by a number of paths and tracks as well as by road, and an ablution block near the entrance.Other features include two hiking trails, the four kilometer River Walk and the slightly longer 6 km Forest Walk, which allow visitors to view the awesome scenery of the reserve while moving through it. Mountain bikers are welcome to explore the plateau section of the reserve. There are a number of flat gravel roads and tracks running through the reserve, which are ideal for exploration on a mountain bike. The area provides ideal riding terrain for the novice mountain biker, or the family on a cycling outing.

Contact the Reserve Manager on (041)9560155 for more information.