Qwa-Qwa National Park

The Qwaqwa National Park is situated on the scenic Highlands Tourist Route in the eastern Free State. The Park can be reached via the tarred road from Golden Gate Highlands National Park or from Kestell or Harrismith via Qwa Qwa. The park is approximately a three hours drive from both Bloemfontein (central Free State) and the Gauteng region. The Park has a bird list of about 210 species, and up to 75 or 120 species can be observed in a day visit, but preferably over a weekend visit. This total is taken in consideration if all the major habitats are visited.

Habitats
The main habitats include mostly montane grasslands with steep, rocky hillsides and sandstone cliffs in the higher-lying areas. protea woodland is restricted mainly to mountain hillsides, with isolated pockets of Silver Proteas and Sugarbush on mountain slopes at higher altitudes. A visit to the plateaux of the higher Qwaqwa Mountain is a must where there is a mosaics of bird habitats. Several rivers (Rietspruit, Kleinspruit and Rietvlei) with dams with an extensive vlei area between the mountains attract waterbirds and several skulking flufftail and rail species.

Birding
Special birds of the Qwaqwa and golden Highlands National Parks areas are soaring Bearded Vulture and Verreauxs' Eagle scanning the sky over the hills, Grey Crowned Crane and Blue Crane in the moist grassland, Ground Woodpecker and Buff-streaked Chat on rocky slopes while Gurney's Sugarbird and Malachite Sunbird are among flowers of proteas, watsonias and gladioli in moist grassland.

While descending the mountain pass from Golden Gate be on the lookout for Bearded Vulture and Cape Vulture, Southern Bald Ibis, Verreauxs' Eagle, Amur Falcon (summer), Alpine Swift, White-necked Raven, Buff-streaked Chat, Cape Grassbird, Drakensberg Prinia, and Malachite Sunbird flying between proteas on the mountain slopes.

In the lower-lying moist grassland areas listen for Common Quail, while White-bellied Korhaan and Blue Korhaan occur in isolated places in the more easterly parts. Cloud Cisticola and Zitting Cisticola can be heard displaying in summer while the less common Pale-crowned Cisticola occurs in the moist grasslands only, along mountain streams in the high-lying areas. In the vlei areas along the river Little Bittern, Corn Crake, African Rail, Red-chested Flufftail and Striped Flufftail and Fan-tailed Widowbird may be encountered. The rare, overlooked White-winged Flufftail has also been noted recently in vlei areas, which seemed to be localised in this and Memel areas further north-east.

A guided tour to the isolated Qwaqwa Mountain should produce Bush Blackcap in the dense bush, Gurney's Sugarbird and Malachite Sunbird in the protea veld, Yellow Bishop in the long grass, and African Rock Pipit and Eastern Long-billed Lark on the rocky hillsides. Mocking Cliff-Chat, Cape Batis, African Dusky Flycatcher and Drakensberg Siskin were observed at the Maluti Picnic spot (near Cultural village) which are on the foothills of Qwaqwa Mountain on the north-western side. During 1999 some ringing were done at Maluti Picnic spot and several Bush Blackcap were ringed at this site. Apart for the birds, the scenery is spectacular!

Other special birds recorded in the park include high-altitude specials such as Drakensberg Rock-jumper, Mountain Pipit (rare summer migrant at altitudes above 2000m) and Yellow-breasted Pipit.

General
Qwaqwa National Park can be visited while staying at neighbouring Golden Gate Highlands National Park, or while staying at the park's own overnight accommodation (Eerstegeluk and Avondrust), or while travelling through the eastern Free State. A two to five day stay is recommended. The scenic tourist road through the park is tarred and a number of viewing sites are provided.

Guided tours to inaccessible areas can be arranged, and the office can be contacted at (058) 7131733 for information and for reservations.

Dawie de Swardt 2001