The Double Mouth Nature Reserve, part of the greater
East London Coast Nature Reserve, is a coastal reserve in the
Wild Coast region of the
Eastern Cape
The Eastern Cape is one of the provinces of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, but its two largest cities are East London and Gqeberha.
The second largest province in the country (at 168,966 km2) after Northern Cape, it was formed in ...
. Alongside it are the
Quko River mouth
and the 50-metre high Morgan Bay Cliffs.
Biodiversity
The mouth of the Quko River which forms an estuary and the nearby forested dunes host a large number of birds and animals.
Mammals
This includes the
Cape bushbuck,
blue duiker
The blue duiker (''Philantomba monticola'') is a small antelope found in central, southern and eastern Africa. It is the smallest duiker. The species was first described by Swedish naturalist Carl Peter Thunberg in 1789. 12 subspecies are ident ...
,
mongoose,
vervet monkeys,
porcupines
Porcupines are large rodents with coats of sharp spines, or quills, that protect them against predation. The term covers two families of animals: the Old World porcupines of family Hystricidae, and the New World porcupines of family, Erethizont ...
,
legavaan,
jackals
Jackals are medium-sized canids native to Africa and Eurasia. While the word "jackal" has historically been used for many canines of the subtribe canina, in modern use it most commonly refers to three species: the closely related black-backed ...
and the endangered
African clawless otter
The African clawless otter (''Aonyx capensis''), also known as the Cape clawless otter or groot otter, is the second-largest freshwater otter species. It inhabits permanent water bodies in savannah and lowland forest areas through most of sub- ...
.
Birds
Raptors such as the
African fish eagle,
Cape vulture,
spotted eagle-owl
The spotted eagle-owl (''Bubo africanus'') also known as the African spotted eagle-owl and the African eagle-owl, is a medium-sized species of owl, one of the smallest of the eagle owls. Its length is and its weight is from . It has a wingspan. ...
and
African wood owl
The African wood owl (''Strix woodfordii'') or Woodford's owl, is a typical owl from the genus '' Strix'' in the family Strigidae which is widespread in sub-Saharan Africa.
Description
The African wood owl is a medium-sized owl which has the typ ...
.
Activities
The Double Mouth Nature Reserve offers fishing,
camping
Camping is an outdoor activity involving overnight stays away from home, either without shelter or using basic shelter such as a tent, or a recreational vehicle. Typically, participants leave developed areas to spend time outdoors in more nat ...
, dolphin spotting, mountain biking and hiking trails. On the Bead Beach in the reserve
money cowries, Chinese
Ming porcelain
The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...
and
Carnelian beads can sometimes be found; this is thought to come from the Santo Espirito shipwreck in 1608.
Nearby is the protected village of
Haga Haga
Haga Haga is a village on the Eastern Cape Wild Coast of South Africa, 60 km east of East London.
The village has been declared a conservancy owing to a number of rare indigenous species found in the area, such as the Cape clawless otte ...
, the Morgan Bay Cliffs and
Cape Morgan Nature Reserve.
See also
*
List of protected areas of South Africa
The protected areas of South Africa include national parks and marine protected areas managed by the national government, public nature reserves managed by provincial and local governments, and private nature reserves managed by private land ...
References
{{reflist
Nature reserves in South Africa
Tourist attractions in the Eastern Cape