Birding along the Dry West Coast and Langebaan

Just north of Cape Town, situated alongside the fishing port of Saldanha Bay, brings visitors to Langebaan Lagoon.

Part of the West Coast National Park, the Lagoon hosts a vast variety of summer migrant waders, which can be seen from the well-placed hides. This is one of few opportunities available where keen birdwatchers may view birds in their natural habitat, with no disturbance to the birds.

Langebaan Lagoon is also a RAMSAR site where up to 50 000 migrant Waders from Northern Europe, in their winter plumage, gather to enjoy the Southern Summer.

The surrounding strandveld and freshwater pans in this dry west coast of South Africa are home to the:

• Black and Marsh Harrier
• Cape Penduline Tit and Layards Tit-Babbler
• Yellow Canary and Cape Bulbul
• Karoo and Large-billed Larks
• Cape Long-billed Lark
• Cape Clapper Lark
• Sickle-winged Chat