Gansbaai
not just a visit ... but an adventure
GANSBAAI TOURISM :: WESTERN CAPE :: SOUTH AFRICA
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THE FYNBOS MEANDER
Connecting the Whale-Coast to the Southern-most tip of Africa The "Fynbos Road" is an initiative of the Agulhas Biodiversity Project ("ABI") and runs for about 100 km from the birding hotspot of Stanford to the Agulhas National Park, the future home of all the animal species that roamed the Agulhas Plains until a little over 100 years ago. The Fynbos Road circumvents urban areas and meanders through peaceful rural lands and the pristine nature of one of the richest areas of the Cape Floral Kingdom, in itself the region with the richest plant-life on earth. Directly from the Fynbos Road one has access to more than 10 reserves and conservancies (each larger than 100 hectares) that are open to the public, either for day-visits (hikes, horse trails, 4x4 routes) or for residential guests (lodges, cottages and farmhouses). Via its several side roads, the Fynbos Road connects to yet another 10 reserves and fynbos-estates. The Fynbos Road meanders through a unique botanical area: more than 9 fynbos- vegetation types and over 5 non-fynbos-vegetation types. Of the thousands of plant species, many are endemic to the area of the Fynbos Road with some plant species localised to a single mountain as the only place in the world where they can be found.    The Fynbos Road is the entrance-road to the Agulhas National Park. The Agulhas National Park is not only a sanctuary for rare plants, but also the future re-creation of the "Serengeti of the Western Cape". Not much more than 100 years ago, the Agulhas Plains and surrounding mountains was the habitat of countless animal species including the extinct "bluebuck", the first zebra to be spotted by Europeans ("Guagga") and the local lion-subspecies, the Cape Lion. With everything the Fynbos Road has already on offer, it is still a product under construction. The road from Uilkraal (on the R 43 from Gansbaai to Pearly Beach) to Bredasdorp will be tarred from 2005 to 2008 (the Fynbos Road will follow a large tract of this road.) In this process, the sides of this road will be cleared from alien invader trees, creating a unique "fringe reserve". Work is done to get the remaining non-protected areas around the fynbos under conservation-schemes. In a few years, practically the whole length of the fynbos road will cross through land under conservation. Though the lands under control of the Agulhas National Park have expanded enormously in the last couple of years, the largest part is not yet open for the public. Work is still being done on the infrastructure in the park, especially to anticipate the re-introduction of the Black Rhino, Hippopotamus, Hartebees and many other animal species. A detailed map showing the Fynbos Road in conjunction with the surrounding lands is at the moment being made and will be released at the end of 2005. A website dealing with the natural features of the land around the road and describing the reserves and estates bordering the road will be online in the course of 2006.    However, without a map it is already easy to drive the Fynbos Road:
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