Table Mountain National Park (TMNP): Certain burnt areas to re-open!

Cape Town's Table Mountain National Park (TMNP) has announced the re-opening of certain burnt areas which had been closed off to the public following the fires in March 2015. These areas were closed for the safety of visitors and to allow natural systems to recover. Five months after the fire, fynbos recovery is showing great progress, so that visitors to Table Mountain National Park can look forward to their favourite hikes and to see the wonders of fynbos. 

• The mountains above Lakeside, Muizenberg, St James and Kalk Bay will reopen to the public at the start of SA National Parks Week (14 - 19 September 2015). 
• Permitted recreational activities in the re-opened areas mentioned above will continue as before, including hiking and dog walking with people kindly requested to remain on demarcated footpaths and to be mindful of rules pertaining to keeping dogs under control.
• Re-opened paths in Table Mountain National Park include: Pecks Valley, Bailey’s Kloof, Spes Bona, Echo Valley, Trappies Kop, Ou Kraal and Steenberg Plateau.
• Gifkommetjie and Circles Vlei areas, located in the Cape of Good Hope section of the Table Mountain National Park, have also been re-opened to the public. 
• Burnt infrastructure has been replaced and visible signage has been put up to indicate existing routes
• The unique Olifantsbos Beach-Cottage at Cape Point is now also open for bookings
• The Silvermine area, including the mountains above Hout Bay, Noordhoek and Constantia, will reopen by the end of December 2015.
• The Upper Tokai section of Table Mountain National Park remains closed as rehabilitation work still in progress. The area may reopen in early 2016. 

Gondwana Game Reserve: First wild lion cubs born in South Africa's Southern Cape in 150 years

The Gondwana Game Reserve, located in the Garden Route just 4 hours drive from Cape Town and 45 minutes from George, has announced the birth of two free roaming lion cubs. They are believed to be the first wild lion cubs born in South Africa's Southern Cape for 150 years. 
The malaria-free Gondwana Game Reserve, the only fynbos reserve in the world with free roaming big five game, is running an ambitious conservation project to restore and rehabilitate the 11000-hectare reserve by populating it with indigenous game. The birth of the two lion cubs marks the success of the efforts implemented to encourage the self-sustaining wild lion pride of the Game Reserve. Besides lions, elephants, rhinos, buffalos and leopards, Gondwana is also home to endangered species such as Cape Mountain Zebras, cheetahs, black harriers and black rhinos, as well as to more than 10 species of antelope.