The Nature’s Valley Trust is a small community-driven NPO working at the cutting edge of integrated conservation in South Africa. Nestled in the magnificent Garden Route, and situated in the world-renowned Nature’s Valley, we are a passionate group of conservationists...
by Ben Wilson RENT A CANOE OR KAYAK An all-time favourite activity in the valley is paddling out on a kayak or canoe (rented from the De Vasselot camps site) and taking in the serenity of Nature’s Valley. There is an opportunity for everyone to enjoy the lagoon,...
by Anna Kilmova Spotlight: The African Penguin Photo: Ben Wilson When you think of penguins, you probably imagine them being surrounded by ice and frigid water with a dash of howling winds thrown in. But there’s a species of penguin that is just at home on a tropical...
by Caitlin Judge Today is the last day of National Marine Week. However, the month of October is still “National Marine Month”, as well as we - the global population - should try making small changes that will help ease the pressure on the marine and coastal...
by Brittany Arendse What are winters in Nature’s Valley if not the perfect time to comb the coastline, at sunrise, for the most delicate paper nautilus shells? Argonauta argo or the ‘paper nautilus’, so called for its thin shell and similarity to the true nautilus are...
by Mia Otto My grandmother must have loved this mountain. As I sit on the back stoep of our little wooden house in Forest Drive looking up at the mountain, in which the shadow of this little town lies, I try hard to imagine what she must have been thinking when she...
by Jackson Werts With the approach of January 20th, the conservation community is celebrating Penguin Awareness Day. Before I get into penguin awareness, I would like to just explain the importance of all Awareness. Awareness is the knowledge or perception of a...
by Brittany Arendse September saw our third White-fronted Plover breeding season take flight as part of our Coastal Impact Programme. The previous season’s stats painted quite a dreary picture, with less than 10% of the breeding attempts actually yielding successful...
by Jennifer Parker There I was, up to my elbows in a bucket of live fish, desperately trying to catch one and measure it in the name of conservation. This was one of many lifetime firsts for me as I helped the NVT with their quarterly fish netting surveys in the...
by Mark Brown Big news in recently was the national launch of the new IBA Directory for South Africa, along with the first status report for the country's IBAs. Hang on you say – what is an IBA? And why is it relevant to the Nature’s Valley Trust? Well, I am glad you...
by Brittany Arendse During my Master's I received a lot of interesting feedback on what people pictured when they heard about my work. One particularly hilarious conjuring includes me standing in the field, my hair a tangled mess (I imagine much like a mad scientist),...
by Brittany Arendse Hiking to Salt River Today was a perfectly sunny and warm winter's day in Nature’s Valley, one longed for after the cold and rainy days and nights. My hiking plans have been stunted by a combination of, rainy days, full office days and, I’m...