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| Review # 1 |
| Name: | Richard Holmes |
| Email: | Richard Holmes [richard metropolis.co.za] |
| Review: | Four wheeled fynbos safari
Richard Holmes
Posted Mon, 07 Jun 2004
I normally associate quad-bikes with irresponsible riders churning up delicate beach eco-systems, not preserving and learning about the fauna and flora of the Western Cape mountains. But that’s exactly what Brian Pickering of Nature Discovery Tours has set out to achieve with his motorbike and quad tours of the Hottentots Holland reserve, about an hour’s drive from Cape Town.
As wild as you like it!
Based on an organic apple farm in the picturesque and fertile Elgin Valley, 'Nature Discovery' is really what the tours are all about. That and having a great time out on the bikes. After a brief introduction to riding safety (following distances are non-negotiable!) and technique that would make our ride smoother and minimise our impact on the environment we were there to appreciate, we headed off. Four novices on quad-bikes with Brian leading the way on his trail motorbike.
In the saddle
Our semi-automatic Suzuki Ozark quad-bikes were extremely easy to ride and packed a powerful 250cc engine which was more than enough to get us up and over the relatively straight-forward forestry roads we were going to take throughout the day.
The occasional channels of mud proved to be a different story though. There are two different schools of thought I was to learn: charge through at top speed with little chance of getting stuck but get sprayed in the process, or stay dry by taking it slowly and carefully, but risk getting sucked in by the glutinous mud. There were a few close calls, but even for cautious riders like myself the quad-bikes would steadily plough forward until they reached solid ground. Coupled with expensive soft tyres and low emission exhausts, even the bunny-hugger in me felt that we were by no means damaging the environment we were there to enjoy
Our plan for the morning was to ride about as high up the Nuweberg as the forestry roads would take us. With four relative novices behind the handlebars we were going to take it pretty easy, but over the course of the five or so hours out on the bikes we managed to cover an impressive (well, at least I thought so) 50 kilometres of mountain tracks.
Cape Floral Kingdom
The Hottentots Holland reserve is an important sanctuary for the endemic mountain fynbos, hosting over 1500 different species of the world’s smallest floral kingdom. At regular intervals along the way Brian would pull to the side of the road to point out some or other interesting collection of indigenous plants or points of interest. The focus is very much on learning and enjoying the environment around you instead of tearing along at break-neck speed while not seeing anything. Responsible riding is essential and riders always stick to the forestry roads, with no impact on the ecologically sensitive areas.
Much of the day’s ride is through the swathes of pine plantations that still cover these mountains. While the plantations are an ecological blight on the landscape of the Hottentots Holland, on the quad-bike they make for wonderfully smooth avenues to coast along. With the bright autumn sun filtered by the branches and the bumpy road cushioned by a mattress of pine needles, there was definitely a certain beauty in the tracts of pine.
But all in all I’d rather leave the coniferous beauty to the northern hemisphere where it belongs. Thankfully once the pine trees reach maturity and are harvested, they will not be replanted. Some of the land that is suitable for agriculture will be developed into farmland, while the rest will lie fallow to allow the fynbos to regrow.
The evidence of past recovery is quite astounding: leaving the pine behind and driving through areas where the fynbos was rehabilitating itself was a real highlight of the day. Along the way Brian would point out a number of sites that just a few years ago had been covered by pine plantations, but are now swathed in an explosion of restios, protea and erica.
Our highest point for the day brought us to a cul-de-sac not far from the top of the southern Nuweberg range. Had we been here in winter the snowline would’ve been a short walk up the slopes, and a snowball fight is a common diversion for frozen bikers!
Wending our way back to the farm, one of my favourite parts of our half-day out on the bikes was the chance to get stuck in and do our bit for conservation by cutting down a few pine trees. Referred to as ‘hacking’ in conservation circles, our cull of a few dozen juvenile pine trees attempting to repopulate the slopes was largely symbolic in the greater scheme of things, but all the same impressed on us how every little bit helps.
Part of the beauty of the Nature Discovery tours is that Brian is extremely capable of catering to a broad range of experience levels. From relative novices like ourselves out for a day in the mountains to experienced bikers looking for a multi-day off-road adventure, Nature Discovery promises to do just that.
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| IP: | 196.31.249.180 |
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