Rondevlei is NOT one of the ‘big game’
game reserves.

Don’t go there looking for the Big 5. Here's a link to Big 5 Cape Town game reserves if that's what you were looking for!

You may spot a hippo at Rondevlei but even that’s unlikely because they’re not too lively except after dark!

This little reserve is all about peaceful enjoyment of nature.


Under that unruffled surface Rondevlei is a game reserve teeming with fascinating creatures great and small. It has to be one of the best-kept secrets in Cape Town and that’s part of its charm for me - it feels like our own private place when we visit.

The other great thing is that it is not a private game reserve, so it has a very modest entrance fee of around R5 for adults, R3 for kids.

Come and enjoy our latest visit there with us.

We arrived at Rondevlei and found all as usual - friendly staff and no other visitors - just the way I like it! First stop inside the gate was a visit to Pippa the Porcupine. She was injured in a road accident, that's why she's in a pen...

Mmm, yummy snack Pippa! We watched her grubbing and grunting through her titbits, then we moved to get a better look at her.

Uh-oh! She raised her quills, rattled them, then turned her back and scooted smartly backwards at us!

Porcupines can't actually 'shoot' quills, but they're pretty fast and accurate in reverse gear!

Five minutes past Pippa I shushed the kids because I had spotted a shy and interesting fellow stroller - a mongoose slinking along the path ahead of us.
Oh no! He spotted us and darted off into the undergrowth before we could get a closer look.

Rondevlei is part of the Cape Flats wetlands so it's an important birding destination. We always visit all the bird hides and climb both the observation towers, just to be sure we've given it our best efforts!

Last time out we saw a Purple Gallinule (now renamed the African Swamphen, way too drab a name for its glorious rich colour), feeding in the reeds at the Bridge hide. What'll it be today? An African Spoonbill! It's the first time we've seen one of those.

Just past the Bridge hide is the Hippo Crossing. We've yet to see a hippo at the Reserve but we have heard them grunting. We've also seen hippo tracks in the mud at the crossing. Tim is dying to spend the night at the Imvubu Island Camp (in the middle of Rondevlei) to have a chance of watching them after dark.

Nature was pleading for a photo call - there were arum lilies flowering all over the place, and restios waving feathery seed heads at the sky. Late winter and spring are great times for fynbos (the Cape Floral Kingdom's Town's famous flora).

We crossed the reed bed bridge to our favourite hide. As we went across we spotted a flock of pelicans heading for a spit of land. They are really majestic in flight, stately wing beats moving them steadily through the air. We stayed to watch them land and then went on with our journey.

On our way to our next stop we passed a ranger with a bird photographer. He had a telephoto lens as long as a telescope!

This is often a tranquil spot. Tim did a close inspection of the minute aquatic creatures by hanging over the edge of the boardwalk! Then we climbed the next tower to take a second look at those pelicans...

The path through the game reserve isn't circular, so when you get to the end you have to backtrack.

That's okay – the living scenery's always changed by the time you pass by in the opposite direction!

On our return journey we found that our tranquil place was overrun by a flock of sacred ibises rooting around in the mud. And we got a look at a second mongoose across the water, mincing along the edge of the bush amongst the ducks. Looking for eggs maybe?

Our last stop of any visit to Rondevlei is always the education centre. The children love the displays of stuffed animals, and the reptile centre. Leopard toads, a cape skink, various snakes, yikes! The first time we went there, the resident 'reptile man' took some of the critters out and let the kids touch them carefully.

Just outside the reptile centre there's a small pond with a pair of yellow-billed ducks in it. The children call them Dibble and Dabble after a couple of ducks in a storybook. This time we also saw a Cape Weaver - hard at work preparing a nest for his lady - and a tiny kingfisher that flashed across the water in front of us.

All good things come to an end and alas, this visit was no exception. One final goodbye to Pippa the Porcupine and then we had to leave the game reserve and head back to the real world!

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