Nylsvley
A Ramsar Floodplain That Fills In A Wet Summer Into The Largest Seasonal Wetland On The South African Highveld, Holding A Bird List Over Four Hundred Species Including Enormous Numbers Of Waterbirds And Rarities That Bring Specialists From Abroad And Which In A Dry Winter Is A Flat Grassland That A General Visitor Will Find Unremarkable · Modimolle, Limpopo
Be clear about who this row is for. In a good wet summer the Nyl river spreads across this floodplain into the largest seasonal wetland on the South African highveld, sixteen thousand hectares of flooded grassland holding waterbirds in numbers that bring specialists from Europe, and a reserve list of well over four hundred species including rarities that are genuinely hard to find anywhere else in the country. In a dry winter it is a flat brown grassland with a few pans in it, and a general visitor who has driven three hours north from Pretoria expecting scenery will be quietly baffled. That is not a criticism of the place - it is a Ramsar site of international importance and one of the best birding destinations in southern Africa - it is a description of what birding reserves are. Bring binoculars, a list and patience, or do not bring yourself. The hides are the whole of it, and the reward is proportional to how long you sit.
On the Nyl river floodplain between Modimolle and Mookgophong, 180 km north of Pretoria, Modimolle, Limpopo, South Africa
Daylight hours with a modest entry fee, and a reserve small and quiet enough that the gate is sometimes informally staffed - PAY WHAT IS ASKED AND SIGN IN, because the records matter here. There is basic camping and a small number of beds, no restaurant, no shop and no fuel, so arrive provisioned from Modimolle or Mookgophong. THE HIDES ARE THE RESERVE and are open through the day; the vehicle tracks are short and some become impassable when the floodplain is actually in flood, which is the season people come for. WHETHER THE PLAIN HAS WATER IN IT DEPENDS ENTIRELY ON THE SUMMER RAIN and in a poor year it does not fill - ask before driving out. The Nyl floodplain itself is MALARIA-FREE at this altitude, though lowveld districts further north and east are not.