Salmonsdam Nature Reserve is a

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

in the

Overberg __NOTOC__ Overberg is a region in South Africa to the east of Cape Town beyond the Hottentots-Holland mountains. It lies along the Western Cape Province's south coast between the Cape Peninsula and the region known as the Garden Route in the ...

region of the

Western Cape The Western Cape is a province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of , and the third most populous, with an estimated 7 million inhabitants in 2020 ...

province of

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

. It contains the mountain catchment area of the Paardensberg River in the Akkedisberg mountains. The reserve is administered by

CapeNature CapeNature (officially the Western Cape Nature Conservation Board) is a governmental organisation responsible for maintaining wilderness areas and public nature reserves in Western Cape Province, South Africa. Parks managed by CapeNature Wes ...

and covers an area of .

History

Local tradition claims that Salmonsdam was named for Robert Salmond, captain of , which sank at

Gansbaai Gansbaai (Dutch/Afrikaans for "bay of geese," sometimes referred to as Gans Bay or Gangs Bay) is a fishing town and popular tourist destination in the Overberg District Municipality, Western Cape, South Africa. It is known for its dense populatio ...

in 1852. The area was declared a nature reserve by the Cape Provincial Administration in 1962.

Geography

Salmonsdam is located in the Overstrand municipal area, east of Stanford and about southeast of

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

. It encompasses the valley of the Paardensberg River and the surrounding mountain catchment area. The river flows from northeast to southwest, starting in a gorge called Keeromskloof and spreading out lower down into a

marsh A marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous rather than woody plant species.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p Marshes can often be found a ...

y area known as "Die Weivlakte". Various smaller tributaries join the river; notably the Watervalkloof stream which passes over a series of small

waterfall A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in severa ...

s called the "Zigzag Falls". On the eastern side of Keeromskloof can be found the Elandskrans Caves and Leopard Cave. The highest point in the park is the base of the radio mast at its northeastern corner, at a height of above sea level. The Perdeberg peak on the northern edge of the park is lower.

References

External links

Salmonsdam official website
{{Western Cape Provincial Parks Provincial nature reserves of the Western Cape Nature reserves in South Africa Protected areas established in 1962