A breathtaking new addition to the growing range of ecotourism activities in the Cape Winelands is the new Babiana Trail and bird hide at Vondeling Wines. It offers visitors an opportunity to view an array of birdlife in one of most unique settings in the Western Cape.
Vondeling Wines is located on the foothills of the Paardeberg Mountain, which overlaps the magnificent Cape Floral Kingdom, and which has been recognised as a “biodiversity hotspot”.
This means the estate is ideally situated to providing nature-based and eco-tourism activities, including bird watching or birding, an increasingly popular nature-based tourism activity worldwide and one ideally suited to this region.
South Africa is a world-renowned birdwatching destination, boasting 850 species, and the new Vondeling Wines Babiana trail and bird hide allows visitors to see as many as 30 different species of birds, some endemic only to the Cape Floral Kingdom, such as the Cape Sugarbird.
Named after the rare babiana noctiflora flower found in the area, the Babiana Trail is a short walk that starts at the Vondeling Tasting Room, meandering along the almond orchards, past “Drie Bos”, three old olive trees by an ancient fountain, and through the amazing flora and fauna with the beautiful Paardeberg as backdrop, to lead visitors to the estate’s new Lambert bird hide situated alongside a peaceful dam where one can view an astounding array of bird life.
The Cape Sugarbird is also the emblem identifying the 55 WWF Conservation Champions, who have stepped forward as custodians of the precious Cape Floral Kingdom, including Vondeling Wines.
“We hope to influence visitors by reconnecting them with the natural world and reconnecting with themselves,” says Julian Johnsen, Owner and General Manager of Vondeling Wines.
“There is something incredibly healing and inspiring about engaging with the natural world that we seem to forget about when we’re caught up in life’s cobwebs!
“We’d like to offer visitors an escape, a sigh of relief, a miniature retreat to the wild nook that we’re lucky enough to call our home, the Voor-Pardeberg!”
“This initiative shows that commerce need not exclude or degrade nature,” added Matthew Copeland, winemaker of Vondeling Wines. “By creating a dam, that we need for farming, we are also creating space for nature to flourish. A fact clearly illustrated by the rapid expansion in quantity and diversity of wildlife that the dam supports.”
To experience the breathtakingly beautiful views and to truly connect with nature, please contact Vondeling Wines on 021 869 8595 or info@vondelingwines.co.za, or visit their website www.vondelingwines.co.za.
