Nature's Valley is a holiday resort and small village on the Garden Route along the southern Cape coast of South Africa. Nature's Valley lies between the Salt River, the foothills of the Tsitsikamma Mountains, the Indian Ocean and the Groot River lagoon. Nature's Valley has a balmy climate and is surrounded by the de Vasselot Nature Reserve which is part of the Tsitsikamma Park, and in turn part of the Garden Route National Park.
History Nature's Valley, and the surrounding coastline, was occupied by Old Stone Age or Paleolithic man from 1 million years ago. Paleolithic man lived in the area in caves and under overhangs, collecting food in the tidal zone and hunting for a rich variety of wildlife. Various glacial periods interrupted this coastal occupation. San hunter-gatherers lived in this area from about 10,000 years ago until they were displaced by Khoikhoi herders from the interior.
The Groot River pass
For a long time travel along the Garden Route parallel to the coastline was impossible, due to the extremely deep and precipitous river gorges blocking all east–west traffic. Charles Collier Michell reported in 1839: "there is no practical way – not even a footpath, from Plettenberg Bay to the Tzitzikamma country". Thomas Bain built a road from George to Knysna, the so-called "Seven Passes Road", which took from 1867 to 1883 to complete. Previously, access to the coastal area which lay further east was possible only via the Langkloof valley, which lies immediately north of the Tsitsikamma Mountains.
Nature's Valley only became easily accessible after Thomas Bain completed the Grootrivier Pass in 1880. He and Captain Christopher Harison (later Conservator of Forests) first explored the route in 1868 to test its feasibility. Harison's interest in the road stemmed from his belief that it could be used to halt the runaway destruction of the forest started by Dutch East India Company woodcutters in 1777 and carried on by their descendants. At the time that Bain and Harison reconnoitred the route, Bain was supervising the construction of no fewer than six passes, so that 10 years would elapse before he could start work on the Groot River Pass. A hundred years later the demands of road transport would dictate the building of a freeway with enormous concrete bridges – a tribute to the skill of engineers, and bringing in its wake considerable collateral damage to the environment.
Permanent settlement
After Bain's completion of the Groot River Pass, the Forestry Department proclaimed three lots in the Valley – one for its own use and the other two sold to private individuals. The first person to settle in the now accessible valley, acquired a 69-hectare lot from Telfer Anderson was Hendrik Jacobus Hermanus Barnardo [also referred to as Hendrick Grootrivier] {uncle of Ignatius Phillip(Naas) Barnardo} who had been a foreman at Bain's Groot River construction camp. Barnardo was an enigmatic character who went to extreme lengths to protect the trees of the area, but enthusiastically led the slaughter of wildlife throughout the region. Barnardo married three times and fathered 19 children.
The names of his wife's,
Magaretha Johanna (Grieta) Van Rooyen; with children(6), Michael John, Christian Henry, Susan Carolina Brown, Micheal Cornelius, Babes en Susie
Jacomina Hendrika (Jackie) Stroebel; with children(8), Harding Jouy, Herculina Henrieta, Isabella Cornelia, Johanna Jacomina Stroebel, Gerhardus Johannes, Herculeen Easy
Luanna Tait; with children(7),Tait, Maggie, Willem, Eddy, Leon, Benny, Ivy. They lived at Covie, just opposite the graveyard. Another member of his family shot the last Tsitsikamma elephant in 1881.
In the face of continued pressure to sell a portion of his farm, Barnardo finally relented in 1941 and sold an area of 1.6963 morgen to a syndicate of ten buyers for the sum of £755. In 1943 Baron Ulrich Behr of Kurland bought the option to purchase the remainder of Barnardo's property from the Van Reenen family, who had acquired the option in the 1920s, but had never exercised it. Behr then went through all the steps necessary to have the land proclaimed for development. In 1953 the township was declared and formally named "Nature's Valley" by Behr, a name that had been used by the syndicate at the suggestion of Wide du Preez of "The Crags".
The Valley and surrounding area
A network of trails covers the surrounding hills and beaches. The lagoon offers sheltered water for sailing and canoeing, without powerboating and beach buggies. A walk along beaches and a rocky path leads to the Salt River Mouth after crossing Pebble Beach, a large area completely covered in sea-smoothed cobbles.
East of Nature's Valley is the Groot River Lagoon, which marks the end of the Otter Trail, starting at Storms River Mouth, 60 km further east. This 5-day trail is considered by many hikers to be the finest in South Africa, being strenuous, scenic and extremely varied. The route meanders along the coast through evergreen forest, past boulder-strewn beaches and frequently crossing tannin-stained streams. Huts are available for the hiker at the end of each day, but bookings have to be made well in advance.
The Brenton blue butterfly, Orachrysops niobe, was first described from Knysna by Roland Trimen in 1858, and was not seen again until discovered in 1977 at Nature's Valley and shortly thereafter in 1979 at Brenton-on-Sea. The Nature's Valley population was assumed to be extinct when no more sightings were made after 1984. The cause of this decline was felt to be the absence of fynbos fires causing a shortage of the butterfly's foodplant Indigofera erecta, and accordingly a controlled burn was carried out in April 2003, with a reintroduction of butterfly eggs in August 2005.
In 2000 researchers from the Albany Museum in Grahamstown discovered a number of aquatic insect species new to science in the Salt River, which lies at the western end of Nature's Valley. The isolated position of the river, a lack of fish and its acidic and unpolluted water are thought to have been factors in ensuring the undisturbed survival of these primitive forms. New housing developments within the catchment area of the Salt River may threaten the continued existence of these unique insects.
Wildlife Mammals
Duthie's golden mole, Chlorotalpa duthieae Hottentot golden mole, Amblysomus hottentotus devilliersi Amblysomus iris Forest shrew, Myosorex varius Greater red musk shrew, Crocidura flavescens Egyptian fruit bat, Rousettus aegyptiacus leachii Geoffroy's horseshoe bat, Rhinolophus clivosus Cape horseshoe bat, Rhinolophus capensis Egyptian slit-faced bat, Nycteris thebaica Lesser long-fingered bat, Miniopterus fraterculus Lesser woolly bat, Kerivoula lanosa Cape hairy bat, Myotis tricolor Kuhl's pipistrelle, Pipistrellus kuhlii Long-tailed house bat, Eptesicus hottentotus Vervet monkey, Cercopithecus pygerythrus Chacma baboon, Papio ursinus Scrub hare, Lepus saxatilis Verreaux's mouse, Myomyscus verreauxi Woodland thicket rat, Thamnomys dolichurus Vlei rat, Otomys irroratus Brant's climbing mouse, Dendromus mesomelas Spectacled dormouse, Graphiurus ocularis Woodland dormouse, Graphiurus murinus Cape porcupine, Hystrix africae-australis Cape dune mole-rat, Bathyergus suillus Cape mole-rat, Georychus capensis Common mole-rat, Cryptomys hottentotus Honey badger, Mellivora capensis Striped polecat, Ictonyx striatus African clawless otter, Aonyx capensis Cape genet, Genetta tigrina Egyptian mongoose, Herpestes ichneumon cafer Cape grey mongoose, Herpestes pulverulentus Marsh mongoose, Atilax paludinosus African wildcat, Felis lybica Serval, Leptailurus serval Caracal, Caracal caracal Leopard, Panthera pardus African bush elephant, Loxodonta africana Cape hyrax, Procavia capensis Bushpig, Potamochoerus porcus Grey rhebok, Pelea capreolus Bushbuck, Tragelaphus scriptus sylvaticus Blue duiker, Cephalophus monticola Klipspringer, Oreotragus oreotragus Cape grysbok, Raphicerus melanotis
Birds
Cape spurfowl Red-necked spurfowl Common quail Helmeted guineafowl Egyptian goose African black duck Yellow-billed duck Red-billed teal Scaly-throated honeyguide Greater honeyguide Lesser honeyguide Brown-backed honeybird Knysna woodpecker Cardinal woodpecker Olive woodpecker Crowned hornbill African hoopoe Green wood hoopoe Narina trogon European roller Half-collared kingfisher Malachite kingfisher Brown-hooded kingfisher Giant kingfisher Pied kingfisher Speckled mousebird Red-faced mousebird Red-chested cuckoo Black cuckoo Klaas's cuckoo African emerald cuckoo Diederik cuckoo Burchell's coucal Alpine swift African black swift Little swift Horus swift White-rumped swift Knysna turaco Barn owl Cape eagle-owl Spotted eagle-owl African wood owl Fiery-necked nightjar European nightjar Rock dove Lemon dove Laughing dove Cape turtle dove Red-eyed dove Tambourine dove Emerald-spotted wood dove Speckled pigeon African olive pigeon Denham's bustard African finfoot Buff-spotted flufftail Striped flufftail Common moorhen Red-knobbed coot Common whimbrel Common greenshank Marsh sandpiper Wood sandpiper Common sandpiper Ruddy turnstone Sanderling Ruff Water thick-knee Spotted thick-knee African black oystercatcher Black-winged stilt Grey plover White-fronted plover Blacksmith lapwing Black-winged lapwing Arctic skua Kelp gull Grey-headed gull Caspian tern Swift tern Sandwich tern Roseate tern Common tern Arctic tern Osprey Black-winged kite African marsh harrier Black harrier African harrier-hawk African cuckoo-hawk African goshawk Little sparrowhawk Rufous-chested sparrowhawk Black sparrowhawk Palmnut vulture Steppe buzzard Forest buzzard Jackal buzzard Black eagle Booted eagle Martial eagle Long-crested eagle African crowned eagle African fish eagle Rock kestrel Peregrine falcon White-faced whistling duck Little grebe Red-tailed tropicbird Cape gannet African darter Reed cormorant Crowned cormorant White-breasted cormorant Cape cormorant Little egret Cattle egret Grey heron Black-headed heron Purple heron Green-backed heron Black-crowned night heron White-backed night heron Dwarf bittern Hamerkop Lesser flamingo Hadeda ibis African sacred ibis African spoonbill Great frigatebird African penguin Indian yellow-nosed albatross Southern giant petrel Pintado petrel Blue petrel White-chinned petrel Black-headed oriole Fork-tailed drongo Blue-mantled crested flycatcher African paradise flycatcher Black-backed puffback Southern tchagra Southern boubou Olive bushshrike Cape batis Cape crow Pied crow White-necked raven Southern fiscal Grey cuckooshrike Black cuckooshrike Barn swallow White-throated swallow Greater striped swallow Brown-throated martin Rock martin Common house martin Black saw-wing Cape bulbul Sombre greenbul Terrestrial brownbul Cape grassbird Victorin's warbler Long-billed crombec Little rush warbler Knysna warbler Yellow-throated woodland warbler Willow warbler Cape white-eye Grey-backed cisticola Levaillant's cisticola Neddicky Karoo prinia Bar-throated apalis Bleating warbler Cape rock thrush Olive thrush Southern black flycatcher Fiscal flycatcher Spotted flycatcher African dusky flycatcher White-starred robin Cape robin-chat Chorister robin-chat White-browed scrub robin African stonechat Red-winged starling Black-bellied starling Wattled starling Common starling Orange-breasted sunbird Grey sunbird Amethyst sunbird Malachite sunbird Collared sunbird Southern double-collared sunbird Greater double-collared sunbird Cape sugarbird Cape weaver Yellow bishop African quailfinch Swee waxbill Common waxbill African firefinch Pin-tailed whydah House sparrow Southern grey-headed sparrow Cape wagtail Cape canary Brimstone canary White-throated canary Protea seedeater Streaky-headed seedeater Cape siskin Golden-breasted bunting
Amphibians
Breviceps fuscus - Plain rain frog/blaasoppie Amietophrynus rangeri – Ranger's toad Cacosternum boettgeri – Boettger's dainty frog Hyperolius horstockii – Arum frog