Kaapsehoop | Kaapschehoop
Attractions
Also see the neighbouring towns
Kaapsehoop (Kaapschehoop; at an elevation of 1486m) is a historic mining settlement about 25Km southwest of
There are indigenous forests, rugged hillsides, and many waterfalls in the area. An area of 470Ha of grassland around Kaapsehoop is a National Heritage Site.
Photos by Hulda Botha, Delmas
The Kaapsehoop area is covered with sandstone rocks with interesting and strange formations and shapes. One cluster of rocks is known as the Duiwelskantoor ("Devils Office") because it resembles a group of petrified demons.
Photo by Hulda Botha, Delmas
Architecture
Several of the Victorian miners' houses can still be seen in Kaapschehoop.
Photos by Hulda Botha, Delmas
Berlin Forest
The Berlin Forest covers an area of about 17'000Ha.
Some animals that might be spotted in the area are: leopard, jackal, hyrax, vervet monkey, baboon, bushbuck, mountain reedbuck klipspringer, grey rhebuck, bush pig, porcupine.
Bird watching
More than 200 bird species have been recorded here.
Endemic species that can be seen in the area are: Knysna Turaco, Bush Blackcap, Cape Rock-Thrush, Buff-streaked Chat, Chorister Robin-Chat, Brown Scrub-Robin, Cape Grassbird, Drakensberg Prinia, Cape Longclaw, Southern Tchagra, Bokmakierie, Olive Bush-Shrike, Gurney's Sugarbird, Southern Double-collared Sunbird, Swee Waxbill and Forest Canary.
The Blue Swallow can be seen here.
Photo by Hulda Botha, Delmas
Wild horses and horse trails
Several heards of wild horses roam the greater Kaapsehoop area. Estimates range from about 150 to 200 wild horses, who are descendents of the previously tame Boerperd breed.
Photos by Hulda Botha, Delmas
Kaapsehoop Horse Trails offers horse riding through trails in the Berlin Forest.
History
The Kaapsehoop settlement overlooks the Cape Valley, so called as it resembles the ocean -- it is often covered in mist, so that one overlooks the misty valley from the village.
In the early 1880s gold was found here, but only in 1882 when a large nugget was discovered by Bernard Chomse in the stream in the De Kaap Valley (Dutch for The Cape Valley) did miners flock there. This discovery raised the hopes of diggers, hence the name Cape Hope. By the end of 1882 about 180 diggers were mining for gold at Kodwaansplaat. Mining here reached its pinnacle in 1885 until a larger deposit of gold was found further in the Valley at a spot now known as Barberton. This, and even better finds on the Witwatersrand in 1886 (later to become the town of Johannesburg) lead to the demise of Kaapschehoop.
The settlement originally carried the name Duiwelskantoor ("Devils Office") but was changed around 1886 to the Dutch name Kaapschehoop.
In 1888 the village had its own newspaper, North Kaap Telegraph.
In the 1890s the settlement included several pubs, two hotels, a small school, several general dealers and clay and brick houses.
Climate
Temperatures
Summer: 18-30°C
Winter: chilly at night - 20°C
Rain: summer rains, typically late afternoon or during the evenings.
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