West Coast National Park

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West Coast National Park

IUCN Category II - National Park

Langebaan lagoon, West Coast National Park.jpg
location South Africa
surface 363 km²
Geographical location 33 ° 8 '  S , 18 ° 3'  E Coordinates: 33 ° 7 '34 "  S , 18 ° 2' 41"  E
mark
Map of southern Africa
Setup date 1985
administration South African National Parks
f2
View over the lagoon on Langebaan
Dorotheanthus bellidiformis
Spring bloom
Dorotheanthus spec.

The West Coast National Park ( English West Coast National Park ) is located 120 km north of Cape Town in the South African province of Western Cape in the area of ​​the local community Saldanha Bay . The national park is 27,500 hectares and includes the 15 km long Langebaan Lagoon (6,000 hectares), which is open to Saldanha Bay; 30% of the South African salt marshes are located here .

Arrival and overnight

There are two entrances to the park: from the north via the village of Langebaan , from the south an entrance branches off the R 27 into the national park.

There are simple overnight accommodations at the Geelbek Environmental Education Center on the south bank of the lagoon. The information center for environmental and nature protection is also located here. A tea salon offers culinary delicacies here.

Hikes lasting several days are offered, with daily stages of 12 to 15 km in length, overnight stays sometimes on campsites.

From Langebaan you can take a boat trip organized by the park administration over the lagoon to Postberg during the spring flower season, with a guided hike through the blooming landscape in this part of the park.

fauna and Flora

The park is particularly important because of its richness in bird species. It is home to around 750,000 birds in summer, many of them migratory birds from the northern hemisphere. The coast of the West Coast National Park is always supplied with nutrient-rich water by the Benguela Current , which manifests itself in a large number of fish species that feed the large flocks of birds.

The birds are particularly numerous on the islands belonging to the park:

The larger mammals represented are: eland antelope , kudu , hartebeest , great buck , zebra , springbok , oryx and white-tailed wildebeest .

The park is also home to the fynbos , a shrub vegetation found almost exclusively in south-west South Africa, and as part of it also Renosterveld and Strandveld vegetation.

The northwestern part of the park ( Postberg Flower Reserve ) is a major tourist attraction in spring - from August to September - when all the flowers start to bloom. This part of the park will then no longer be accessible to the general public from October. The Postberg region consists of three former farms: Oude Post , Nieuwland and Kreeftebai . The northern end of this park area is a restricted military area and closed to the public all year round.

climate

The climate is temperate, with minimum temperatures rarely below 4 ° C and rarely above 34 ° C. Rain falls mainly in the period from May to September.

history

In 1985, the entire area around the Langebaan lagoon and four offshore islands was declared a national park in order to protect the valuable ecosystem of the lagoon. In 1987, the private Postberg Nature Reserve was incorporated into the park with 1,800 hectares. This part of the national park is still privately owned but is administered by the National Parks Board . The park has been designated as a biosphere reserve by UNESCO since 2000 .

Web links

Commons : West Coast National Park  - Collection of pictures, videos, and audio files