The Olifants Estuary

We are standing on forbidden terrain.  Diamond-ground...  TransHex' sanctuary. Before us, shining in the sun, is the spectacular Olifants Estuary, one of only four perennial estuaries on the West Coast.  To the north form where we are, the shore is short and steep - rocky... but on the other side it lies flat, sandy, salty as far as the eye can see.

Very few people have seen the estuary from this northern side. And were it not for oom Wayne Wickens, legend of the Koekenaap region, and his contacts who were able to get miracles done, we also would have to be satisfied with the traditional blurry picture of the estuary, taken over a long distance.  Because if you come in from the south, you really need nerves of steel ... and an excellent 4x4.  The little mud tracks crisscrossing the expansive salt-pans, tell the story of fishermen trying to find their way through the treacherous mudflats.

Jan Danckaert, a seasoned adventurer, led the expedition which led to the first documented sighting of the Olifants Estuary.  This was more than three hundrerd years ago. Long before  TransHex with their booms and security guards... 

Lawrence Green described the first Dutch visit in an inspiring way in his book “On Wings of Fire”:
“They marched for nine days, found a route over the mountains with the aid of Bushman guides, and beheld a large river flowing northwards. Beyond the river was a herd of two to three hundred elephants, and for this reason the Olifants river gained its Dutch name. But to the Hottentots it was always Tharakama, the "rugged river".

Governor Simon van der Stel passed that way some years later and made these remarks: "The river has its source in the mountains which lay east of us and it runs with many bends towards the west, finally discharging its waters into the sea. It takes its name from the elephants which are often found in large numbers along its course. On its banks grow willows, also thorn trees which bear a fruit like Turkish beans, but wild and disagreeable.  Van der Stel noted the fish, like the barbel of the rivers in Holland. He gave his men permission to shoot the hippo, rhino and eland. Along the river he saw a scorpion "as large as a Rhine crawfish, green, with long hair on its claws, very venomous and savage.”

What the poor man saw precisely, we'll never know, but it was probably enough to keep people from this river for a long time...

The Olifants River catchment is the second largest in South Africa.  Her source lies somewhere in the Agter Witzenberge.  From there it passes with the Cedar mountains on the east and the Olifantsrivier- and Swartberge on the western side through the intensively irrigated fruit-farms of the Citrusdal region north to where the Doring river connects with it. We all know the capricious dark blue river which flows next to the N7 - winter time it is bank to bank and in summer time it will mainly have deep pools and sand banks.

The river mouth is impressive and covers an area of about 2000 ha.  The extent and salinity of the estuary are highly variable.  The catchment lies within a winter-rainfall area and in winter the freshwater flow is strong, with plumes of red water extending into the ocean for several hundred meters.  In summer, however, sea water penetrates the estuary, and saline water has been recorded nearly 32 km upstream.  A point 10.5 km upstream is normally regarded as the upper limit of the estuary.

Around 127 bird species were recorded here, but because of TransHex' strict ban on visitors on the northern side of the river, it is impossible to do a reliable wild life census. According to estimates in summertime one would be able to count up to 15 000 bird species. This will include Greater and Lesser Flamingo, Caspian Tern, Black and African Marsh Harriers, Great White Pelicans, Curlew Sandpipers and African Shelduck.

It may be worth mentioning that there are eight fresh water fish species that are only seen in this catchment area. None of these endemics occur in the estuary, although it does hold a rich assemblage of aquatic invertebrates, numbering more than 45 species.  It is a vital nursery for fish such as White Steenbras and Southern Mullet.

Like many of South Africa`s estuaries, the Olifants River estuary is threatened primarily by changes to water-flow regimes and water quality as a result of water abstraction and pollution.  Incorrect water-and sediment-flow dynamics can destabilize the estuary, while pollution can reduce habitat quality for many animals.  In 1919 en 1932 the Bulhoek and Clanwilliam dams where built in the river.  Because of the water shortage in the Western Cape the passed years, the 43m high Clanwilliam-damwall was heightened with 13m to raise the capacity of the dam with  70 million cubic meters.

of water.  Although this is crucial to the survival of the population in the Peninsula, it puts the river downstream of these dams under very high pressure. 

Mineral exploitation, particularly sand mining for manganese and the commercial production of salt, also poses a significant threat to the estuary.  Marine diamond mining occurs north of the estuary, both at sea and on land.


Disturbance of the sensitive estuarine habitat, foredunes and beach areas by the driving of quad bikes and 4x4s off-road, as well as illegal camping on the mudflats and other sensitive areas, can disturb feeding birds and lead to loss of habitat or reduction in habitat quality due to the destruction of the sensitive vegetation.  The terrestrial vegetation has become drastically overgrazed in places, mainly by goats and sheep

Luckily we have people like those involved in the Olifants Estuary Management Forum, an active group comprising stakeholders with links to the estuary, which addresses the main issues and threats to the estuary, they are hoping to have this beautiful part of the coast declared a Ramsar-area or Nature reserve.