Hitekani Mbatsana

Bias aside, South Africa is the most beautiful place on the planet. There’s a such a variety of landscapes, sceneries, and bodies of water. Although I am for sure a city girl, I relish the opportunity to head out into nature and spend time taking it in. The lockdown and pandemic has made the option of international travel precarious and in some instances pricey. I hope that means taking the time to explore the pristine coast and wilderness like a quiet beach day at the De Mond Nature Reserve.

The view of the reserve from the top of the viewing spot.

Pristine Coastal wilderness

De Mond Nature Reserve is a gorgeous reserve at the month of the Heuningnes River between Arniston and Struisbaai. We stopped off for a day trip on our way to our long weekend getaway in Cape Agulhas. The nature reserve is part of the cape floral region, which makes it a UNESCO World Heritage site. That just felt like a bonus to a truly gorgeous spot.

Many people come her to enjoy the fishing. We spotted many shoreline and estuarine anglers along the river. I haven’t been fishing before but it seemed like a good day out. There’s still a lot of activities to keep you busy or relaxed.

…enjoy the beach

As we walked from the fishing area towards the ocean, I was increasingly in love with just how much space there was around us. It felt like we were the only two people on the planet. Even the birds looked quizzically at us, as though they wondered what we were even doing there.

  • A quiet beach day in De Mond Nature Reserve
I couldn’t help but run across the sand. It was a bit windy but still sunny enough to take in the beauty and have fun. So, we did our own mini- photo shoot – which I would be too self-conscious to do if there were whole families about!
…go for a walk

The reserve has a 7km circular route that takes you through vegetation, sand dunes and to the estuary mouth. We didn’t do the full route but the picturesque, natural beauty here is incredible. We we also joined by different birds along the way. So, it’s a nice birding spot, too. I didn’t really know what to expect here but walked about happy and excited to return.

  • A walk along the board walk at De Mond Nature Reserve
  • A quiet beach day in A quiet beach day at De Mond Nature Reserve
We walked along a board walk for part of the way, also along the sand and through brush vegetation. It was a varied walk.
…have a picnic

The plan for our quiet beach day was to go for a walk, a swim and then have a lovely picnic. It was too cold for a swim but a short walk and mini photo shoot instead. Followed with a picnic lunch. There is a picnic area with tables and benches under a big tree bit we opted for a blanket and picnic along the river.

  • De Mond Nature Reserve Picnic area

Honestly, I don’t even have all the words to describe this place. This was one of my best days in 2020.

Getting there

De Mond Nature Reserve is about a 200 km drive from Cape Town along the N2 to Hoop street, Caledon. Then continued on the R316. It is situated just outside Bredasdorp and in between Cape Agulhas and Arniston.

Permit

Parking is outside the reserve and you need buy a permit to enter. We bought ours through CapeNature Central Reservations. However, they can be purchased for R50 per adult and R30 per child at the reserve office.

Where to stay

The De Mond nature reserve has accommodation on site that you can book out. However, the reserve is close to many small tourist towns such as L’Agulhas, Arniston and Struisbaai which have many establishments and other tourism opportunities to explore.

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