Tygerberg Nature Reserve Hiking Trails Boast New Names

Visitors to the City of Cape Town's Tygerberg Nature Reserve will now be greeted with hiking trails named after plants, animals and birds. Conservation staff, with the help of the Friends of the Tygerberg Hills, planned, constructed and placed signboards on the hiking trails throughout the reserve.

Names such as Tortoise, Golden Mole, Duiker, Bontebok, Wild Olive, Watsonia, Ukhetshe and Induli refer to the unique fauna & flora of West Coast Renosterveld that can be found on the reserve. In line with the three official languages recognised by the City of Cape Town, two of the trails were given Xhosa names. Ukhetshe, meaning hawk, was named after the numerous birds of prey on the reserve including Jackal Buzzards, Peregrine Falcons, Rock Kestrels and Blackshouldered Kites. The Induli trail, meaning "hill" starts at the Plattekloof entrance of the reserve and winds its way up to the picnic area and viewpoint.

Naming the trails and constructing the signboards was a real team effort with all of the staff assisting in some way by sanding, painting, securing and placing the signs. Mr Jurg Zimmermann, Chairperson of the Friends of the Tygerberg Hills, assisted in routing the signboards. The real work started by digging holes for the signs, as the clay soils of the reserve can be quite daunting.

With over 20 000 visitors recorded during 2005, we hope that the trails will now be more accessible and easily identifiable for visitors to enrich and enhance their visit to the reserve.

The Tygerberg Nature Reserve is open to the public from 09:00 to 16:00 from Monday to Friday and from 09:00 to 18:00 on Weekends and Public Holidays. Entrance is free of charge with visitors only required to complete a permit at the permit offices in Meyboom Avenue, Plattekloof ext 3 or Totius Street, Welgemoed.

Issued by:

Directorate: Communication and Marketing
City of Cape Town
Tel: 021 400 2201
Fax: 021 957 0023
Email: media@capetown.gov.za

Media Queries:

Jacques Küyler
Reserve Manager - Tygerberg Nature Reserve
City of Cape Town
Tel: 021 913 5695
Email: jacqueskuyler@absamail.co.za