The Vaalkloof Private Nature Reserve is situated in the Western Cape, South Africa. The Reserve, sized 5500 hectares, lies on the northern side of the Bontberg Mountain range — height ranges from 1446m above sea level at the summit, to 640m above sea level on the flat plain of the Ceres Karoo. Vaalkloof lies east of Ceres and north of Touwsrivier. The Nature Reserve lies 180km from Cape Town and 60km from Ceres. During summer the climate is warm and dry, with beautiful evenings. In the winter it can get very cold, but not as wet and unpleasant as the rest of the Boland. The winter days are very pleasant. Vaalkloof is the largest Natural Heritage Site in the Western Cape — out of 49 sites. In South Africa, Vaalkloof is site number 308, out of 325 sites, and the 15th largest site in the country. A unique combination of Acocks veld types are found on the same property, Vaalkloof. Acocks 69 — Fynbos Acocks 43 — Central Mountain Renosterveld Acocks 31 — Low veld succulent Karoo A number of rare endemic species exist in the area due to its unique bio-geographical features. These include proteas, such as Protea witsenbergensis. The area provides habitat to a number of red data bird and mammal species, such as the Black Stork (Ciconia nigra), Martial Eagle (Polemaetus bellicosus), African Wild Cat (Felis silvestris) and the Aardwolf (Protelus cristatus). Rock paintings of the San and the Koi were discovered towards the end of 1998. One unique example is a fine lined painting of the extinct Cape Kwagga. Directions to the Vaalkloof Private Nature Reserve Looking back on Vaalkloof's rich history   Copyright © 2002 Vaalkloof Nature Reserve. All rights reserved Best viewed with IE in 800 x 600 screen resolution Site Design & Maintenance by ROBERTSON VALLEY TECHNOLOGIES