Marloth Nature Reserve

Welcome to the Marloth Nature Reserve information page - in addition to guides like this post we also list a large range of hotels, B&B's, guesthouses and self-catering establishments. Please check out our Swellendam page if you're looking for Swellendam accommodation. Marloth Nature Reserve lies in the majestic Swellendam mountains,

between the towns of Swellendam, Ashton, Barrydale and Suurbraak. The

reserve is 14 123 ha in extent and is managed together with another 16

532 ha of privately owned proclaimed mountain catchment land. The

reserve's office is approximately 1,5 km from Swellendam and adjacent

to the Swellendam State Forest.

Marloth supports numerous animal species although most are relatively

small and not easily observed. Mammals include grey rhebuck,

klipspringer, common duiker, baboon, leopard, caracal, mongoose,

porcupine, dassie and hare. The area is rich in birdlife with 114

species having been recorded, amongst them the African fish eagle,

black eagle, wood owl, redwinged francolin, tambourine dove, four

different species of woodpecker and the Cape vulture and narina trogon

as vagrants. Puff adder, Cape cobra and mountain adder occur and hikers

should be on the alert!

The vegetation in the nature reserve is predominantly mountain fynbos

with patches of afro-montane forest. The fynbos includes several

species of protea and more than 25 species of erica, most of which

flower in November. The original forests covered a much larger area but

over the years exploitation for timber for the local furniture and

wagon industries, and fires, reduced them to isolated patches in the

damper kloofs. Typical forest species include yellowwood, stinkwood,

Cape beech, wild olive, assegaaibos, cherrywood and hard pear.

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