Why we love Langebaan: West Coast National Park

Why would one want to stay at the West Coast National park?

Some history: The West Coast National Park was initially proclaimed in 1985 as the Langebaan National Park, with the name later being changed to the West Coast National Park. Situated approximately 100km northwest of Cape Town on the Atlantic seaboard. West Coast Tourism.

The current park totals 47 457 ha and covers terrestrial land, Lagoon, Islands (Marcus Island, Malgas Island, Jutten Island and Schaarpen Island )  and marine protected areas.

Heading off to our location

Like most families, every year we go on holiday somewhere, ideally to a location where we have not yet been.  This year we decided that during December we will make a holiday out of our own surrounding locations.

Having decided that our December holidays in 2019 will consist of short day trips, we were quick to add this very close national park to our growing list of locations to visit. We have been to this park many times, but we have never spent the night.

What is on our things-to-do list?

On the agenda, besides the general exploring of our immediate surroundings, we chose kite surfing at Shark bay, birding and mountain biking to be listed as our target activities for the trip.

Upon Arrival at Geelbek

The Van Breda self-catering cottage is near the famous Geelbek Information Centre and Restaurant (as seen above).  The cottage is a comfortable six sleeper (with electricity) that was perfect for our family and proved to be an awesome choice due to its central location for all our lined-up activities.

With the van packed full of our toys of choice, (camera gear, binoculars, kites, and bikes) we headed off to Langebaan to explore. We had some time to spare, as we arrived too early to have access to our accommodation. We unloaded the mountain bikes and made our way to the Geelbek visitors center for a well deserved West Coat breakfast. It was interesting to learn that The Geelbek restaurant name comes from the yellow-billed ducks from this area (Afrikaans: Geelbek).

Getting our timing right is critical to maximising the fun

Waiting for the perfect tide and wind, our next stop was Shark bay.  Having learned how to kite at this location many years ago, it was wonderful to now bring Keanin back here to practice his jumping. Flat warm water and a strong southeaster was the order of the day. Even our youngest son Andreya got into the action and made a few tacks with me on this very shallow and safe lagoon section.

Explorig the bird hides at Geelbek

Tired and hungry we made our way back to our accommodation for a well-deserved rest and some chill-out time. After unpacking, we decided to do some birding at one of the many bird hides in the national park. Bright sunny skies with amazing cloud formations helped to create a wonderful setting as we took a stroll to the bird hide. With more than 250 bird species recorded in the park, I had my work cut out to get some serious ticks knocked off. First, we tried for the Blue-cheeked bee-eater at Duinebos, but I dipped on that one, bummer.

Visiting the bird hides on the lagoon requires perfect timing with regards to the tides.  You want to be at the hide at mid-tide during the outgoing tide is best to see wonderful waders.  A first for me was the Bar-tailed godwit (This bird is known to be the longest flying bird.  They can fly for over a week without stopping at all). With the family insisting that I spend time with them I also made sure that I had sufficient time to enjoy the birds on offer and made time for some family fun.

The Van Breda Cottage

The recently renovated Van Breda cottage sleeping six was one of the original homesteads on the Geelbek farm. What a great choice this proved to be, as we managed to get nightjars on the road not far away. The same morning, two barn owls and a third one calling just meters away. Well, this was the highlight of the trip for me as both sightings were very special.  The birds were not fleeting and we got to spend some time enjoying the presence of these nocturnal birds.

Cycling in the West Coast National Park

Having promised to complete a cycle around the lagoon some years back, we finally had the morning to ourselves to finalise our promised last section from Churchhaven to Kraalbaai. Not realising that it was New Year’s day we were unprepared for the number of day-visitors to these shores and some re-planning was in order. In the end, we decided to leave the crowds and head off for a lovely cycle to Tsaarsbank instead.

The weather played its part and with blue sunny skies and a cool sea breeze blowing, we were treated to some of the best views in the WCNP.  It was lovely to record a Black Harrier hunting in this area which made for more special memories.

Hartlaub’s and Kelp Gulls are always on the lookout for scraps, with wide-open beaches, and warm water is the way of life on the beautiful Langebaan lagoon.

Kraalbaai, located on the western seaside of the lagoon (to your left in image above) must be the most popular of all the beaches, with crystal clear warm water, brilliant views, and wonderful picnic locations. Well done to Sanparks for recently having upgraded all the facilities in this area.

The Abrahamskraal cottage is located near a water hole and bird hide with the same name.  This was our first choice for accommodation in the WCNP, however, due to the fact that the family insisted on a spot with electricity, we sourced another venue.

If you are looking for 360-degree views of the WCNP, then the Seeberg lookout is the spot.  Here one can see as far as the horison and when its flower season you can enjoy some of the best carpets of daisies from this location.

 

We managed to spot our first Thick Billed Lark scurrying around in the fynbos, my tally for the two days in the park was 82 birds.  This was not too bad considering it was a family outing and that birding was on the side.

Wheelchair friendly boardwalks take you to both the bird hides at Geelbek and are a must for any visitor.  We were rewarded with excellent bird sightings and the most beautiful skies to complement the scene.

 The hides are well maintained and very informative, and is the perfect getaway for any birder.

Another discovery, this beautiful locust (Neobarrettia Spinosa?) was crossing the road, a first for us and proof that there is a surprise around every corner.

 

Looking back over the tail end of the lagoon is Geelbek to your left and the two bird hides stretching over and into the water.

Super early time – is my time, I’m up at 4am to tick off some owls and nightjars, then we head on to Seeberg lookout point to watch the sunrise. We popped into the Seeberg bird hide near the Langebaan park gate, for some more quiet time. This is the boardwalk on the way back from the hide.

The Preekstoel is a well-known rock formation weathered and sculpted by time, and some of the houseboats moored in Kraalbaai, it’s scenes like this that make this section of the park so popular. In the distance, Postberg and the main lookout point in Postberg can be seen.

Arriving back home during sunset offers opportunities to find owls and nightjars, we were super lucky to locate the Spotted Eagle-owl as we turned into the main road from the Abrahamskraal bird hide, and a few Fiery necked nightjars on the way back to Geelbek.

Table Mountain can be seen 100km away

Table mountain shrouded in a wonderful white coat, clearly visible from 100km away (image was taken in the WCNP ).

We cycled to Tsaarsbank on the western side of the lagoon is the furthest point from the entrance to the park.  The famous Postberg Private nature reserve is on this route within the park, but has its own private gate and is fenced in – their gates open to the public during Spring flower-viewing season between July and September every year. Undoubtedly the best location for spring flowers.

We visited the private road from Churchhaven to Kraalbaai a few years back and this was again part of our cycle route today. Exploring the park on a mountain bike offers a whole new perspective to the standard means of transport. The park offers several Trails, Walks, and mountain biking routes. One can get a detailed map from the Geelbek visitors center and choose your activities from there.

Looking back towards the car park and the starting point of the boardwalk for the main Geelbek bird hide are these lovely flooded salt pans which provide the perfect color and tone for images like this.

Our accommodation was located right in the eastern corner of the lagoon and perfectly situated to explore all the corners of this unique National Park

Don’t forget about some of the other activities available, flower viewing, kayaking, you also watch for whales in August and September. Wild animals can also be viewed from the comfort of your vehicle.

Our best sighting to date in the West Coast National Park has been a mother Caracal with a young cub on the road.
Click on the link above to view these wonderful images

How will we rate this venue for a family getaway?

Our decision to spend one night in the reserve proved to be one of the nicest experiences of our December holiday, will we be back, for sure and I can tell you we can’t wait, we loved this venue.