Cape Columbine Nature Reserve

Description

The Cape Columbine Nature Reserve is a 263 hectare nature reserve located in Paternoster on the West Coast of the Western Cape. Declared a nature reserve in December 1973, Cape Columbine is host to an array of fascinating fynbos and Karoo succulents all year round, but it is from August to October that the West Coast wildflowers bloom in their most magnificent splendour.

The Cape Columbine Lighthouse

The Cape Columbine Lighthouse is a popular attraction in the reserve. It was the last manned lighthouse to be built in South Africa. It is also usually the first South African lighthouse to be seen by ships coming from Europe. Built in 1936 on Castle Rock, the light stands at a height of 80m above sea level and casts a beam visible for about 50km.

Before the lighthouse was built, Cape Columbine was notorious for its shipwrecks, including the Heleric (1932), Haddon Hall (1913), Lisboa (1910), SS Saint Lawrence (1876), and the Columbine (1829). The reserve also offers hiking, angling, bird-watching, diving, kayaking and a beach campsite.