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South African West Coast
Tourism Portal |
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ATTRACTIONS |
| There are many atractions that you can see on the West Coast. These range from the old fishing styled houses in Paternoster and Church Haven, to the amazing Wild Flowers at the start of September to sunsets that will dazzel and amaze you.
We also have a really interesting Fossil Park that is a must see for historically minded visitors to the area.
Complex Steel processing plants lay next to the deepest Port in Africa
and they are both surrounded by some of the most amazing bio-diverse environment available.
There is also the fishing industries or if you want a more authentic manner you can organize with one of the local fisherman to accompany them or even bring and launch your own boat.
Fishing permits are available at a reasonable cost at all local post offices
There is also the Cape Colombine Light House, this is one of the last manned light houses on our coast. The National Ports Authority now offers a light house tour which is extremely interesting.
For the more adventurous types there is also wreck diving as offered by Cammo Adventures, our coast is know as the Grave Yard of ships, with many historical wreck laying within easy reach of our coast.
The South African West Coast the visitor a wide range of atracctions to experience during their stay here |
| THE WONDERFUL BERG RIVER WETLANDS |
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“Why is the Lower Berg River so special” and “Why should it be protected” are often asked?
In fact, the whole of the West Coast is a birder’s paradise all the year round.
There are the thousands of waders which come from the Russian Arctic to spend their summers feeding on the prolific mudflats of the Berg River estuary. |
Other summer migrating birds include the several species of Terns with their pirating Skuas in attendance. Then there are the Barn Swallows, European Bee-eaters and other migrating land birds that pass through the Berg River System.
The Benguela System that drives the West Coast is a great up welling of cold nutrient rich ocean with its own endemic bird species such as Hartlaub’s Gulls and Swift |
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terns that breed on the Berg River.
In winter Greater and Lesser Flamingoes, Red-knobbed Coots and other species migrate from the central regions to escape the cold or drought and use the estuary.
This myriad variety has led to a list of over 250 species being identified of which 127 are waterbirds.
The Lower Berg River Wetlands has been designated an Important Bird Area (IBA SA 104), which means that it has met certain internationally agreed criteria, holding more than 1% of a biogeographic population of a waterbird specie or holding on a regular basis more than 20,000 of a coastal bird specie. The Lower Berg River Wetlands meet these requirements many times over with more than 10 species listed. There are also 12 Nationally or Globally near-threatened species, Caspian Tern, African Marsh Harrier, Chestnutbanded Plover which can be be regularly seen and Blue Cranes now breed in the wheatlands near by.
For the birder, especially the less mobile the birds are accessible either viewing from the car or with only a few metres walk on good surfaces. There is a hide on the mudflats above the Carinus Bridge where rareities are often seen.
Most of the records available are of the birds that use the area for feeding, however there are also the birds that use it as a safe sanctuary for a night roost, for example over 30,000 Cape Cormorants have been counted coming in nightly. |
| The bird life of the Lower Berg River Wetland is complex and unfortunately it does not enjoy any legislative protection and this prime source of eco-tourism must be protected from anything that could cause it to deteriorate for future generations to benefit from. |
Keith Harrison.
(West Coast Bird Club – Chairman,
Tel 022 – 7133026) |
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