Lace up your hiking boots, grab your sun hat and walking stick, and get a little closer to the wildlife on your doorstep over the holidays.
While we all appreciate the environment around us, today’s digital age has us focused more on the glow of screens than the fresh air, the melodic echo of birds and the glow of a glorious sunset. Sad really, considering how serene it can be to immerse yourself in nature.
While we are by no means avid hikers, but are nature enthusiasts, we are definitely in need of a great way to unplug! With so much beauty on our doorstep, we were on the hunt for new places to explore when we heard about The Nkonka Trust. This hidden gem is along Haygarth Road in Kloof, and offers the perfect place for you to walk the paths, picnic or enjoy the breath-taking views.
Ideal to visit with friends and family or, if you’re so inclined, a place to burn some extra calories with a run or a hike.
It’s 50 hectares of pure greenery, natural grasslands and, for those lucky enough to spot them, Nkonka is also home to buck, birdlife and other smaller species.
The reserve is made up of two sections, part owned by the municipality and the Mahogany Ridge Property Owners Association, and consolidated under the management of the Nkonka Trust.
On our guided walk, Otto Hirzel, a resident of Kloof and a regular visitor to the environmental reserve, tells us of how it is under threat from alien plant species invasion.
“Originally most of the Upper Highway was grassland interspersed with wooded gullies. This area is classed as Sourveld Grassland, and is one of earth’s natural biomes. With time, most of the grassland has vanished.
The Nkonka Trust was founded in 1998 by volunteer trustees to restore the grassland to its former pristine state, and in so doing, to ensure the safety of the flora and fauna populations on the property.
Today, this is one of the few remaining sites in our urban area where indigenous plants and animals are preserved and can be enjoyed by visitors along the well-managed trails.
Exploring Nkonka makes full use of all your senses, allowing you a deeper connection with the bush as you feel the wild grasses crush beneath your boots and take in the relatively untamed landscape of the reserve with its flourishing vegetation. In spite of this though, Otto says there are threats that grassland areas such as Nkonka face, such as bush encroachment if there is too little burning and bracken encroachment if there is too much uncontrolled burning.
The trustees work on a voluntary basis and have a daily worker on site to assist with primary projects identified. He is trained in identifying and poisoning invasive alien species. Otto says that as these keep seeding from surrounding areas, this is an ongoing task.
“When the area was first rehabilitated, there was massive alien incursion, but step by step the worst areas have been cleared and now it is a case of maintaining those areas and eliminating new pockets of aliens as they are found.”
An ongoing project is in place, to identify and document the various plant and animal species that inhabit The Nkonka Trust, and so far more than 300 plant species and more than 200 animal species have been identified and documented.
“Amongst the mammals spotted using trail cameras are the common duiker, blue duiker, bushbuck, genet, marsh mongoose, white-tailed mongoose, slender mongoose, bush pig, porcupine, cane rat and dassie. There is also a wealth of well-documented bird and butterfly life.”
Nkonka has four trails that have been established which allow anyone to walk through and appreciate what the area has to offer. The Red Trail is an easy 2km walk through the grasslands on its Eastern slopes; the Blue Trail is a steeper 2km walk down to and through the riverine section of the Trust; the Green Trail links these two for a longer walk; and the Krantz Trail circles below the cliffs under the View Site.
“An ever increasing number of local residents visit the site regularly and dogs on leads are welcome. It is completely safe for all to enjoy, with a functioning electric fence along its bottom border near the river.”
There is also an easy walk from the parking area up to the view site boasting a magnificent 360 degree panorama from the benches there. It is perfectly positioned to watch the sun set over the Winston Park peninsula, gin and tonic in hand, as the sky turns red and puts on unbelievably magnificent shows most evenings.
Further to the trails, the Municipality has made available a water point adjacent to their reservoir. This is for exclusive use to develop a little open watering hole for the local animals and birds to access. This is one of the projects where community and local businesses support in cash or kind can help to bring better things to life.
“There is a long-term project envisioned to include the river at the bottom of the property into the reserve and when sufficient funds and donations become available, this will be the next big step. It’s hard to imagine just how much peace and natural beauty can still be found in the heart of suburbia,” says Otto.
Nothing quite encapsulates Nkonka like visiting it for yourself. It is a fantastic way to unwind from the stresses of life that’ll hopefully keep you, like it has us, coming back for more!
The gate to Nkonka is open from 6am to 6pm every day – they can be opened in the evening by arrangement – and local folk and visitors are encourage to take home any bottles, cans and papers they bring with them, leaving only their footprints.
Details: www.nkonkatrust.co.za
