Fernkloof Nature Reserve

Fernkloof runs from the edge of Hermanus up the Kleinrivier mountains, about 1,800 hectares rising from sea level to 842 metres, with roughly sixty kilometres of paths and more than 1,300 plant species recorded - a figure that surprises people given how small the reserve is and that it costs nothing to enter. Paths start from a visitor centre with a small herbarium and fan out along the contour or straight up towards the ridge; the higher you go the better the view over Walker Bay, which between July and November holds southern right whales close inshore, so the standard local experience is to look down on whales from a fynbos slope. There is a small waterfall in the main kloof after rain. The reserve has burnt several times, most severely in 2019, and the recovery is visible as bands of different-aged fynbos across the mountain.

What's there

• Whales from above - southern rights in Walker Bay seen from the mountain paths.
• The species count - more than 1,300 plants recorded in a small free reserve.
• The path network - roughly sixty kilometres of trails from contour walks to ridge climbs.
• The fire mosaic - bands of fynbos at different ages after repeated burns.

When to go

July to November for whales and flowers. Two to four hours. Start early in summer - the slopes have no shade.

Good to know

Paths are steep and rocky above the first contour, and signage is patchy - take the map from the visitor centre. Sections close after fires. There is no water on the mountain. Baboons occasionally move through the lower paths.

Nearby

The Hermanus cliff path runs along the shore below; Stanford is inland.

Key facts