South African floral kingdom surrounds eco-resort

12-14-2003

 

WALKER BAY, South Africa -- Botanically speaking, the magnificent mountains, verdant valleys and sweeping coastal plains of Africa's southwestern tip are a world apart.

Earth has just six distinct "floral kingdoms," clearly differentiated botanical regions. Floral kingdoms generally spread across continental land masses such as North America or Australia. That the Western Pennsylvania-sized sliver (17,760 square miles) of South Africa known as the Cape Floral Kingdom even rates its own designation is remarkable. More amazing is that it is also by far the most biologically diverse floral kingdom, boasting more than three times as many unique species as its closest competitor, the South American rain forest.

Fynbos (fine boosh) is the vegetation that makes this area so special. The term derives from the Afrikaans word for small-leafed plants.

Fynbos plants are characterized by tiny, tough, leather-like leaves and bright, widely varied floral displays. Thriving in dry, nitrogen-poor soils, fynbos has three primary categories: proteas, ericas and Cape reeds. Within those parameters, there's enormous variation, with more than 7,700 individual species.

Some fynbos species, such as geranium, gladiolus, iris, and freesia have become common in gardens and florist shops everywhere. The magnificent King Protea is South Africa's national flower.

Yet 70 percent of the Cape Floral Kingdom's fynbos are plants found naturally nowhere else on earth. The total world range of some species is less than an acre.

Fynbos is also characteristically tough, finding unique ways to survive and propagate in the dry, sandy soil. The plants are also extraordinarily fragile. Fynbos depends on regular brush fires to germinate; some species require the precise services of a single species of moth or ant. And because the plants inhabit such a dry climate, fynbos tends to grow slowly and preserve its energies in accordance with the limited resources.

Unfortunately, these same characteristics also make fynbos susceptible to domination by faster-growing species that have been introduced to the area, a result of both agricultural intention and natural fecundity. Much if not most of South Africa's native fynbos has already been lost to four centuries of encroaching civilization. The remainder is threatened by the continual encroachment of alien species, from highly cultured grape vines to fast-growing weed trees such as eucalyptus and pine. In addition to displacing the complicated cycles of the local flora and fauna, these aliens are clogging streams and sucking the landscape dry.

 

 

 

Michael Lutzeyer believes these fynbos facts are necessary to understand the reason for Grootbos.

That's the name of the small, rustic but remarkably elegant eco-resort that he and his younger brother, Tertius, have created over the last decade on a 3,000-acre tract overlooking Walker Bay near South Africa's nethermost tip.

In Afrikaans, Grootbos means "big forest," and that was the name of the farm Michael fell in love with on a drive from Cape Town out along the magnificent southern coast. "Big forest" is probably a reference to the grove of milkwood on the farm, which ranks among the largest stands of these trees anywhere on earth.

But the view is what first caught Michael's eye. Standing high on the face of the first foothill above the bay, in front of the farmhouse, he could spot the nighttime blink of Cape Point lighthouse 60 miles to the northwest.

To the southeast was Danger Point, where in 1852 the British troop transport ship Birkenhead went down on the rocks, as 445 soldiers went down standing in ranks on deck while the women and children on board were safely away in lifeboats. Straight south, there is no appreciable terra firma until Antarctica, 1,500 miles distant.

Walker Bay, widely known in Africa for its Mediterranean-like climate and bountiful marine life, including migrating whales, seals and great white sharks, is a popular seaside escape for South Africans, especially beach towns such as Hermanus or the more bohemian village of De Kelders.

From the steady flow of friends and family who came out to spend time at his farm, Lutzeyer knew he had found a gem of a location. When these guests started to crowd out the main house, he built several small cottages adjacent to provide additional accommodations. That led to a small B&B operation.

Several years passed before Lutzeyer realized that what he found most interesting about the area was growing right outside his front door. Dabbling with raising fynbos for commercial purposes gave him an appreciation of the complex symbiotic relationships that had evolved among the local plants, insects and animals and that also made his farm home.

Convincing his brother to return from Germany, where he ran a small restaurant, wasn't difficult. Together, the brothers have created a small gem of a resort set in a fragrant garland of fynbos.

Along with their original house, which has been expanded into a dramatic reception building, 12 small cottages are now tucked among the native vegetation. All are airy suites, featuring a large living room with polished wood floors, canopied four-poster bedroom, handmade tile bathroom and veranda, both individually private and yet open to 180-degree vistas. The decor is natural simplicity, an almost oriental elegance, with rough stone walls, fine whimsical woodwork and all windows to the south, overlooking only fynbos and ocean. Original hand-painted floral and bird themes bring the harmony of nature inside.

Grootbos is a serene place to relax. Sunrise comes accompanied by the tunes of forest birds. Winding pathways from cottage to the main building lace the colors and scents of the largest private fynbos garden in the world. The main lodge, with its dining room, gift shop, and education center, contributes to the remarkable nature of the place. Simple meals are served with elegant familiarity three times most days, but the staff is also willing to pack meals to accompany any off-site expedition.

Of those, there is abundance. Any number of hikes thread through the fynbos, both unaccompanied and in guided groups. Bicycling the area's back roads can be an endless education. Go with Michael Lutzeyer, and you'll learn about the fynbos and the rapid encroachment of non-native species. You'll hear about local efforts not only to stop that spread, but also to try to eradicate the most aggressive of the foreign weeds.

In addition to developing Grootbos, the Lutzeyers have started a cooperative to raise native trees and shrubs to commercial size to supply conservationally minded gardeners and landscape developers. Also committed to hiring locals and giving them the skills to be self-sufficient, employable gardeners, they're building a small school for that purpose.

The daily Grootbos schedule of activities can be laid-back. There's a string of horses and several four-by-fours for rides through the countryside. Or visitors can enjoy the picturesque pool and chat with the staff of trained naturalists who can help them appreciate the subtle beauty of the fynbos and other fauna and flora.

Of course, there's much more around Walker Bay than fynbos, or it wouldn't be South Africa's favorite stretch of shore.

The marine component consists of long sand beaches and the full range of oceanic activities, from fishing, boating and various wind-driven activities to scuba diving among the bay's more notable residents.

Each August and September, pods of Southern Right Whales come up from Antarctica to breed and birth in the bay. On occasions, dozens can be seen frolicking close to shore.

And almost any time of year, the bay is so well-populated by great white sharks that diving trips in dangling cages are a daily activity. As far as being an encounter with nature, I can assure you that being shark bait certainly qualifies as up close and personal.

Another Grootbos-driven conservation project concerns a low rocky protrusion three miles out in Walker Bay. Dyer Island was once a guano-gathering site, but the yards-thick layer of this area's particular brand of "white gold" had been scraped off almost entirely by the mid-18th century. Now a nature preserve, it is home to vast flocks of Cape seals, penguins and various seabirds. So far, no visitors are permitted to land on the island, but the conservation group is working to restore its keeper's cottage to provide overnight accommodation for a unique and pungent encounter among the seals and penguins.

Grootbos is a poster child for the principles of elegant eco-tourism. That is defined as tourism that is sustainable, both improving the land and its inhabitants, from flora and fauna to the native people, while at the same time providing visitors with a quality experience of a unique locality, one that is both restorative and educational.

If you're looking for an African escape as affordable and educational as it is elegant and adventurous, Grootbos would be a great place to be.

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