Recently People Like Us Safaris had the pleasure of conducting a unique tour for three gents from Switzerland, unique in the sense that we went searching for the animals that most people try their utmost to avoid, South Africa’s creepy crawly slithery inhabitants! The focus was on reptiles, the study of which is called herpetology, or herping, however anything such as spiders, scorpions and big insects also scored points.
We began our day on one of the picturesque coastal mountains of the Cape, lifting rocks and logs with a backdrop of Llandudno beach and the Atlantic Ocean. Here we found the endemic cape girdled lizard, the brightly coloured Koppie Foam Grasshopper, the Cape Skink and scorpions (Opistophthalmus capensis).
Next we went in searching the dunes above sandy bay where although we did not find the Mole snakes that we were hoping for we clocked the Table Mountain, or Giant Cockroach.
The day was hot and the gents enjoyed some ice-cold Black Label beers perfectly complimented with biltong chilli sticks, welcome to South Africa! Lunch was enjoyed on the green eastern slopes of Table Mountain at the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens.
To end the tour in style we headed for Lions Head and Signal Hill where the search for creepy crawlies continued with stunning views of Cape Town below us. Here we were lucky enough to find the easily overlooked Areolate Padloper Tortoise, more scorpions and the grand prize of the rare Delalande’s Beaked Blind Snake.
After a big day, tired and satisfied the gents enjoyed a traditional Black Label quart with sweeping views of the ‘mother city’ before being returned safely to the V&A Waterfront.
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