CATEGORY:

ACCOMMODATION, NATURE & SCENERY, WILDLIFE & ANIMALS, WATER ADVENTURE, OUTDOOR ADVENTURE 

LOCATION: BLOEMHOF

DESCRIPTION:

Regarded as the Free State’s top birding spot, Sandveld Nature Reserve lies on the Free State side of the Bloemhof Dam roughly 200 kilometres northwest of Bloemfontein.

Interestingly, the Bloemhof Dam lies where the Vaal and Vet Rivers meet, right on the border between the Free State and North West Province. All the surrounding area of the dam is proclaimed nature reserve, confusingly resulting in the Sandveld Nature Reserve on the Free State side, and the Bloemhof Dam Nature Reserve on the North West Province side of the dam.

The Sandveld Nature Reserve is roughly 37 000 hectares, named after its mostly sandy soils, although there are areas of thornveld savanna and the camelthorn tree makes its presence felt throughout the reserve. For birders the main attraction is the Kalahari thornveld, which gives rise to a host of sociable weavers and occasional sightings of the pygmy falcon.

But the fawn-coloured lark and the tinkling cisticola, fondly known as rooitinktinkie, are also easy to spot in the reserve especially in spring and summer; waxbills, gabar goshawks and tits all put in an appearance, and the pied barbet is fairly common. Even white-backed vultures breed in camelthorn trees in certain parts of Sandveld.

Sandveld Nature Reserve is not about birds alone. The reserve also boasts a large variety of antelope, including springbok, gemsbok, red hartebeest, blue wildebeest, giraffe and eland, as well as other large herbivores such as rhino and giraffe. The soft sandy beaches fringing the dam and the abundance of fish make Sandveld a paradise for anglers.

CONTACT:

Telephone: +27 (0)53 433 1702

Fax: +27 (0)53 433 1090

information sourced from http://www.sa-venues.com/game-reserves/fs_sandveld.htm