Wakkerstroom

Wakkerstroom is a small village at about 1,750 metres surrounded by high grassland and a large vlei, and it has become one of the two or three most important birding destinations in South Africa for a specific reason: several grassland endemics with tiny world ranges live in the surrounding hills, and local guides know exactly which field to stand in. Rudd's lark, Botha's lark and the yellow-breasted pipit are the sought-after three, all threatened, all difficult, and all findable here with someone who knows the ground. The wetland itself has a boardwalk and hides with crakes, rails and cranes - blue, grey crowned and wattled cranes all occur in the district. Guiding is a village industry, and the guides are largely local men trained through a birding-based development programme, so hiring one is both the practical and the useful choice.

History

Dirk Cornelis Uys laid out the settlement on the farm Gryshoek, and President Pretorius proclaimed it in 1859; in 1904 it took the name Wakkerstroom, awake stream, from the Zulu name of the river. Its bridge of 1893 was built of German steel, and H. Rider Haggard wrote She while living on Hoog Street (Wikipedia, Wakkerstroom).

Highlights

• The three specials - Rudd's lark, Botha's lark and the yellow-breasted pipit in surrounding grassland.
• The wetland boardwalk - hides over the vlei at the edge of the village.
• The cranes - all three South African crane species in the district.
• The local guides - village men trained through a birding development programme.

When to go

October to March, when the grassland birds are breeding and displaying. Two days.

Before you go

Without a guide the specials are very hard to find - the birds are small, scarce and in featureless grassland. Roads to the sites are gravel and rough. Winter mornings are freezing at this altitude and many birds are absent. The village has limited facilities.

Nearby

Chrissiesmeer's lake district is north; Volksrust is on the main road.