要是你在开普敦待腻了,想找个没人的海滩听听风声,顺便看几眼粉红色的火烈鸟,开车往北跑200公里就到了。罗谢尔潘自然保护区(Rocherpan Nature Reserve)占地约930公顷,面积不算大,但贵在精巧。1839年有个叫皮埃尔·罗谢(Pierre Rocher)的农场主为了给牲畜找草场,随手堵住了帕普库利斯河(Papkuils River)的出海口,结果误打误撞弄出一个咸水湖。这个“美丽的错误”在1966年成了保护区,现在是南非西海岸最迷人的观鸟胜地之一。
这片保护区最核心的景观是一个长约6公里的季节性浅湖。很多人兴冲冲跑去结果只看到一片干涸的盐碱地,那就是没挑对时间。这里的生态完全看老天爷的脸色,水分充足与否直接决定了你能看到什么。
保护区里记录了183种鸟类,其中约70种是水鸟。最出名的当然是大红鹳(Greater Flamingo)和小红鹳(Lesser Flamingo),它们在浅水里过滤藻类时的姿态确实优雅。这里还是开普琵嘴鸭(Cape Shoveler)极其重要的繁殖地。保护区设有3座位置绝佳的观鸟掩体,有些离水边不到10米。清晨六点半出发时风很大,哪怕是南非的春天也冷到需要抱着热水杯,但只要你在掩体里屏住呼吸,能看到成群的鹈鹕在离你几米远的地方降落。
说真的,你得在冬天到春天(6月至9月)之间来。这时候冬雨灌满了湖床,水深最高也就2米左右,正是火烈鸟密集的时候。到了3月到6月的旱季,湖水基本会干透,留下一层白茫茫的盐壳。虽然这时候看不了火烈鸟,但可以近距离观察滩涂上的涉禽。如果是8月下旬到9月,岸边还会铺满纳马夸兰(Namaqualand)同款的野花,橙色的、紫色的,配上咸水湖的碧色,视觉冲击力极强。
除了那个淡咸水湖,保护区还管辖着一段150公顷的海上保护区。这里没有开普敦海滩那种吵闹的人群,只有漫长的白沙丘和冰冷的太平洋海浪。
每年6月到11月,南露脊鲸会游到岸边产仔。不用坐船出海,你就坐在沙丘顶上的长椅上,拿着望远镜就能看到海面上喷出的水柱。运气好的时候,还能看到海豚在浪尖跳跃。钱的问题也得算清楚,50兰特的成人门票就能在海边 picnic 待上一整天,这性价比在南非旅游圈里真的没谁了。唯一的短板就是海水太冷,即便在夏天,也没几个人敢下水游泳。
保护区有两条主要的环形步道,分别是约7公里的海滩步道(Beach Trail)和9公里的湖泊步道(Rocherpan Trail)。海滩步道比较费体力,因为要在软沙滩上行走,风大的时候吹得人脸疼,但能看到非洲黑蛎鹬(African Black Oystercatcher)在礁石间觅食。湖泊步道则相对轻松,路过灌木丛时得留神,偶尔会有陆龟慢悠悠地爬过路面。如果骑山地车,可以沿着吉普车道横跨整个保护区。
保护区里有8座以鸟类命名的生态木屋(Eco-cabins)。如果你想找那种五星级豪华酒店,这里肯定不适合你。但如果你想体验彻底的清静,这里是满分选项。
这些木屋是完全离网(Off-grid)的。热水靠太阳能,电力也靠太阳能。最让城市游客不习惯的是这里用的是干式堆肥马桶。说白了就是不用水冲,利用生物分解原理,听着可能有点膈应,但实际操作起来完全没有异味,还能每年帮南非这种缺水国家省下几十万升水。木屋里不提供微波炉和高功率电器,晚上只有几盏柔和的小灯。天黑后,除了窗外的风声和不知名鸟叫,你听不到任何人为的杂音。
木屋里有全套厨具、煤气灶和冰箱,甚至还有室内壁炉。但是,保护区里没有任何商店。最近的城镇维尔德里夫(Velddrif)在25公里外。出发前你得在车里塞满肉、菜和水。保护区禁止携带外来木材,你得在接待处买那种用压制葡萄籽做的环保燃料块(Eco-blocks)来烧烤。晚上在露台上点起火,看着漫天的银河,那一刻你会觉得没信号也挺好。
每年8月到10月是黄金期。这时候湖水最满,火烈鸟、鹈鹕数量最多,而且正赶上西海岸的花季。3月到6月湖水通常会干涸,不建议为了看水鸟而专程前往。
从开普敦沿R27公路一直向北,路况非常好。进入保护区后是一小段碎石路,普通轿车慢慢开完全没问题,不需要4x4越野车。门票成人50兰特,儿童30兰特,可以直接在门口刷卡或付现。
不需要,8座木屋都提供干净的床品和毛巾。你需要自备所有食物、调料和饮用水,因为保护区的自来水通常建议煮沸后再喝。如果打算烧烤,建议提前给办公室打电话确认是否有足够的燃料块供应。
保护区里没有大型食肉动物,很安全。但徒步时要留意灌木丛里的蛇类,比如当地常见的树蛇(Boomslang)。只要不主动去逗弄,它们通常会主动避开人类。这里的围栏主要是为了防止家畜进入。
Malcolm Reeves We visited the reserve as day visitors in March 2025 and were highly impressed by the facilities provided and the unspoiled natural beauty. At that time of year the pans are dry so not much bird activity, but the drive to the beach viewpoint was well worth taking. Special mention to Misha who welcomed us at the reception. She went out of her way to make us feel welcome and we were highly impressed by her enthusiasm and friendly spirit.
Cliff Hazell Wonderful stay, so calm and well equipped. Saw so many tortoises!
Duncan Alfreds Enough can’t be said about the Rocherpan on the West Coast as it’s so far from everything, yet can be quite homely once you are there. The gate will be closed when you arrive, but call the number rather than using the push-to-talk as it doesn’t work and Phumzile will open the gate for you. They have a boomslang (named Voorkamer, if I remember correctly) chilling near reception just for entertainment, so be careful. The pan is a large expanse of water and you will need a big lens to get cool shots of the birds. But the layout is well thought out with walkways clearly marked and you can choose whether to drive or walk the reserve. There are bathrooms available but please check for snakes when you enter any building, and ensure that you close the doors and hides windows when you leave. Staff are friendly and are a great resource of information. Phumzile deserves a lot of credit for going out of her way to make tourists feel comfortable in the reserve, and being a lovely host.
Kenny Nagel Loved the few days' stay. Cozy..clean, comfortable cabins.Kitted with kitchen,lounge,warm bedding,decent shower...oh yes and a loooong drop toilet... Of course with the recent rainstorms we did not use the hot tub at Kingfisher. We had one lekka braai though. A relaxed by a cosy fireplace. Only got a few shots of the bird life..I will get more next time round... When not stormy weather 🫠 Even with the storms..We stayed comfortably. Friendly staff.Good customer service. For some..downers may be.. Booking in 2 to 4 pm No wifi..We have own..Just a bit of on. and off net by our service providers..Possibly storm related when we were there. I would recommend to my friends a stay there Especially nature lovers and photographers.
Ellen Goredema Amazing staff. Check in time of 2 to 4pm not practical. Imagine waiting for kids to finish school and you finish work and have drive there from Capetown. . Crisp white linen and towels. Clean cabins. . Down side no stable WiFi. It's non existent. And the waterless toilet smelt so bad. So so bad. They need to make a plan. Generally my kids and myself loved it although the pan was dry.