Activities
Pearly Beach
Whale watching:
Pearly Beach is part of the
Whale Coast
Route, which runs from Bettys Bay to Die Dam,
and you can get an excellent view of the whales from various whale-viewing
points in Pearly Beach as well as up on our Whale
Deck. They come to our bay between July and December, when they migrate
from Antarctica to the sheltered bays around the south-west coast of
South
Africa to give birth to their young, and
to mate.
If you would like to get
even closer to the whales, ask us to book you a boat-based whale trip from
nearby Kleinbaai. (See Day Trips
below)
Beaches:
Relax on the long, unspoilt
stretches of beach in the sunshine or, if you are feeling energetic, it is
safe to swim in the sea. The beach is excellent for
children and ideal for building sandcastles or paddling. There are over 20kms of beach in
both directions.
Rock and surf fishing:
Pearly Beach is an excellent area for fishing with very good
angling spots from both the beach and the nearby rocks. Pearly Beach has its own boat-launching
site (permits must be obtained from the local angling club prior to
launching). Alternatively, you can charter a boat from nearby Kleinbaai.
Ask us if you want more details.
Bird Watching:
Mr Noah has personally
sighted more than 80 different varieties of birds around Pearly Beach, of which over 50 species have
been seen in The Ark's garden.
Ask us for one of our Bird Lists and see how many you can spot
during your stay here.
Walking and Hiking:
Take an easy hike along the
unspoilt beaches from Pearly Beach. You can walk in either direction
as far as you want to go. One way will take you to Pearly Beach Reserve
(about 5km) or even further, the other way will take you to
Uilenkraalsmond (about 15km) and
beyond.
Pearly
Beach is now the centre for
South
Africa's latest Green Flag accredited
slack packing trail, the Perlemoen Trail. So come and stop at the
Ark and
enjoy one of the best new hiking trails in SA. For more details go to www.perlemoentrail.com or contact us
direct.
Fynbos:
The main vegetation in
the area is fynbos. This is the popular name for the shrub-like vegetation
found all around the southern tip of Africa. this region, which is also
known as The Cape Floristic Region boasts a rich diversity of species and
many of the plants are found nowhere else in the world. Fynbos is
characterized by four main plant species: colorful proteas, bell-shaped
ericas, reed-like restios and geophytes (plants with bulbs, tubers or
corms). Most plants flower in winter and spring (June to September) and
displays are beautiful, but there is something to see all year round. As
we are in a Conservancy, great efforts are being made to clear land of
invasive foreign plants and to restore it to its pristine
condition.
Day
Trips
Great White
Sharks:
Get
face to face with the Great White Shark, one of the most beautiful and
misunderstood creatures of the world. Put on a wet-suit and get into the
protective cage. You do not need scuba experience. We do deal with a
company that has constant air supply in the cage, for those who are
comfortable with a regulator. If you don't feel brave enough to get
into the water, then opt for surface viewing from the boat. You will still
get a very good view of the sharks.
We
can book you on to one of these trips - let us know in advance. Let us know if you would like more
details.
Boat-based Whale
watching:
Whale watching season is from July until
December. Ask us to book you a whale-watching trip to see these huge,
awesome creatures. It is the experience of a
lifetime.
We
can book you on to one of these trips. Again, let us know if you would
like more details. They do
book up early, so give us plenty of
notice.
Worth a day trip
out:
L'Agulhas Area: (1 hour's
drive)
Cape
Agulhas - southernmost tip of Africa
Agulhas National
Park
Struisbaai
harbour
Lighthouse at
Agulhas
Interesting towns: (less than an hour's drive
away)
Elim - Mission
Station
Baardskeerdesbos holds an Art Route 3
times a year - Autumn, Spring and New
Year
Napier - Patat Festival held in June
annually, (co-inciding with the Napier Half Marathon and Fun
Run).
Bredasdorp - a sleepy agricultural
town with museums and churches to
explore.
Swellendam - an old historic town. Has
2 nature reserves close to the Breede River.
Other places of interest:
(half an hour or less)
Platbos Forest - southernmost indigenous forest in
Africa (some trees over 1000 years
old)
Flower Valley
Birkenhead Breweries - Beer tasting and good
food
Klein River Cheese - local produce.
Children's playground and animals.
Picnics.
Other local activities:
(half an hour)
Several wine estates for wine
tasting
Quad
bike excursions
Horse-riding and
Trails
Boat
trips on the Klein River
Golf
- there is a 9-hole course in
Gansbaai
Kayaking at De
Kelders
