and a variety of wild birds and mammals , including eland , bontebok and springbok antelopes , mountain zebras and ostriches . For me the day ’ s highlight was a group of male weaver birds , hanging upside down from their beautifully woven nests , flapping their wings and calling to attract females .
Later , we stopped to enjoy the brilliant turquoise waters of Langebaan Lagoon . Large numbers of waders are known to winter here . We dined outdoors at the Geelbek Restaurant and Visitors Centre and watched hundreds of Greater and Lesser Flamingos feeding in the wetlands nearby . Swirls of light and dark pink with black and white accents made for a spectacular
display as they circled overhead .
On our last day as a tour group , we visited the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens at Table Mountain to see century-old trees , beautiful flowers and a variety of birds including the Cape Sugarbird with its incredibly long tail and double-collared sunbirds which are similar to but can ’ t hover like our hummingbirds . Our lunch at the Moyo Kirstenbosch restaurant provided menu choices like fried mopane worms , ostrich nachos and crocodile tail pies !
Travelling home , it was fun to recall the wonders that we had seen in this remarkable country . One more item on the bucket list , checked off .
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2016 gmhtoday . com
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