Summertide Diary: Arriving at Wilderness

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20 December 2020 (cont.)

Even though we arrived at the Ebb-and-Flow Rest Camp in the Wilderness section of the Garden Route National Park under heavy skies, there was no reason to be gloomy. There’s no doubt that the Garden Route is one of the most beautiful parts of South Africa, no matter the weather.

Wilderness Ebb-and-Flow Cottage 13A
Serpentine wetlands
Serpentine River in front of our cottage

There’s no containing our enthusiasm for exploring a destination once we’ve arrived and not even the threat of a downpour was going to keep us indoors while the expansive Ebb-and-Flow Rest Camp beckoned outside our log cabin, however comfortable it may be.

Unidentified blooms at Ebb-and-Flow
Egyptian Goose (photo by Joubert)
Cape Wagtail
Touw River
This is the enormous nest of the Cocktail Ant
Large Yellow Eulophia (Eulophia speciosa) at Ebb-and-Flow, identified with the kind assistance of Carol from Nature Back In
Greater Red Musk Shrew (photo by Joubert)
Greater Red Musk Shrew
Joubert photographing the Greater Red Musk Shrew at Wilderness
Greater Red Musk Shrew
Scenery in an overcast and wet Wilderness
Brimstone Canary
Natal Plum (or Large Num-num) flower
White Bristle Bush
Glossy Currant berries
Unidentified but most interesting plant seen at Ebb-and-Flow

By now you probably know that we have a propensity to extend our explorations into the hours of darkness. Most of the camps in our national parks are safe to do just that and if you apply some common sense rules like walking with closed shoes you’re likely to be handsomely rewarded with some unusual encounters, like these we had on our first night at Ebb-and-Flow.

Olive House Snake
Raucous Toad
Spotted Eagle Owl

If you’d like to read more about the Wilderness section of the Garden Route National Park, please have a look at this special feature about it that we published a while ago.

 

28 thoughts on “Summertide Diary: Arriving at Wilderness”

    1. de Wets Wild Post author

      Luckily for the snake the owl was quite a distance further along the road, else he may well have been owl-spaghetti!

      I also thought the yellow bloom looks very “orchidy” and hope I get to a book shop or library as soon as it is safe to try and determine which kind exactly. Thanks, Tracy!

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