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National Parks
Golden Gate National Park
Province: Free State
Region: Thabo Mafutsanyane
Features: Bearded Vulture, Black Wildebeest
MAIN ATTRACTIONS
1.Bearded Vulture
2.Bald Ibis
3.Black Wildebeest
4.Eland
5. Oribi
INTRODUCTION
Nestled in the rolling foothills of the Maluti Mountains of the Thabo Mafutsanyane(north-eastern Free State) lies the Golden Gate Highlands National Park. The park derives its name from the brilliant shades of gold cast by the sun on the park's sandstone cliffs, especially the imposing Brandwag rock, keeping vigil over the main restcamp. This 11 600 hectares of unique environment is true highland habitat, providing home to a variety of mammals - black wildebeest, eland, blesbok, oribi, springbok and Burchell's zebra - and birds, including the rare bearded vulture (lammergeier) and the equally rare bald ibis, which breed on the ledges in the sandstone cliffs. Generaalskop, the highest point in the park, reveals a breathtaking tapestry of red, yellow and purple hues as its warm shades merge with the cool mountain shadows towards evening.
GENERAL INFORMATION
- Climate
Mild highveld summers with the possibility of thunderstorms in the afternoon and cold winters with occasional snow transforming the park into a white wonderland.
- Day Visitors
With a public bypass road running through the park day visitors are welcome to drive through the park.
- Emergencies
Park Tel: +27 58 255-0012 o Fax: +27 58 255-0022
Glen Reenen: Telephone 058 255 0075 o Fax 058 255 0919
- Handy Hints
Remember to bring a hat, walking shoes, sun block, camera, binoculars and wildlife reference books.
Hikers on day and overnight trails must always carry sufficient water.
Take cool and light clothing for summer and warm clothing for winter
Area prone to sudden weather changes.
- Office Hours
Brandwag: 07:00 - 20:00
Glen Reenen Summer
Monday - Thursday 07:00-17:00 07:30-17:00
Friday - Saturday 07:00-18:00 07:30-17:00
Sunday 08:00-16:00 08:00-15:00
- Take Note
Pets are not allowed.
Firearms must be declared and sealed on arrival. Seal will be broken at the reception office upon departure.
Vehicle repair, medical, post office and police services at Clarens or Bethlehem.
- Travel / How to get there
Equidistant from Johannesburg, Durban and Bloemfontein.
Easily accessible via excellent tarred road.
Public road runs through the park.
Roads in the park are tarred.
- Gate Hours
05:00 - 22:00
Arrivals after 22:00 are not permitted.
The reception office is open from 07:30 to 20:00.
Visitors with reserved accommodation who arrive after 20:00 may collect the keys to their accommodation at the entrance gate.
- Wheelchair Access
The assessment is made both from a compliance with standards and from a practical point of view from someone in a wheelchair. Much will be difficult to accommodate and is a description of the ideal. However where change must be a prerequisite I have put this in bold.
Parking and Access Ramp
Ideally the parking space for a vehicle should have a width of 3.5m. Unfortunately the space provided is not that width. The access ramp is fine for wheelchair users with good strength and balance, however for frailer individuals, particularly quadriplegics, they may have difficulties getting up the slight ridge from parking level onto the ramp. Ideally this transition should be completely smooth.
Ablution Facilities
This is the only real area where the builders have made changes to the usual set-up to accommodate people with disabilities. While they have generally followed the required standards, there are one or two issues of concerns.
The basin
Because many wheelchair users do not have full grasping capacity in their hands, it is standard procedure to furnish basins with elbow taps when accessibility is a concern. The basin in unit 59 has turn taps. This should be changed both on the basin and on the kitchen sink.
The toilet
While the positioning of the handrails conform to the required standards, the toilet is a little on the low side. For a person in a wheelchair to transfer from their chair to toilet and vice versa, the less the height differential the better. While it is unlikely to be possible to change this, something needs to be done about the position and type of the flushing mechanism. In its current form, the flush button is directly behind the person sitting on the toilet. Any pressure placed on the raised toilet seat causes the toilet to flush. Because paraplegics and quadriplegics do not have control of their diaphragm muscles, they must rely on a backrest to support them in an upright position. This means that the toilet will continually flush itself. It is usual procedure to have an elongated flush lever attached to a toilet adapted for people with disabilities. This should replace the current button.
The shower
The shower is compact and equipped with the necessary fold-down wall seat and sliding showerhead necessary to allow for use by wheelchair users. However the seat needs to be covered with padded non-slip rubber. The thin metal poles that the seat currently consists of will harm the body of a wheelchair user sitting on it. Such individuals do not have control of their leg muscles to regulate the pressure exerted on the surface. Also such persons lose all muscle bulk in their abdomens, so their bony frame is more susceptible to pressure sores. Having a padded rubber backrest attached to the wall would be an added bonus.
Kitchen Facilities
The kitchen area is one constrained by space. However, most of the cupboard space lies empty. Therefore the opportunity exists to alter the structure to the benefit of wheelchair users. The entire cupboard space beneath the sink should be removed to allow for clearance space for wheelchair user's legs. All National Parks can learn from the example of Hilltop Camp in Hluhluwe Game Reserve in KwaZulu Natal. There, the kitchen facilities have been designed to allow for legroom below the sink, the oven hot plates and a work surface. Because of the limited space in the kitchen it may be deemed difficult to create clearance space under the work surface as well, but with the dearth of accessories in the cupboards, this could be done. Also, articles should not be left in the upper cupboard space, as this is out of reach for people in wheelchairs. Visitors staying in the unit who are not reliant on a wheelchair, can put their supplies up here, but it is insulting to a person in a wheelchair to occupy a unit that is deemed accessible, only to find that certain items cannot be reached independently.
Bedroom Facilities
It creates a very bad impression when not all the beds in the unit deemed accessible for wheelchair users are accessible. The fact that there is a double bed in a room which is down a considerable step to a lower floor level is not appropriate. The 2 single beds in the main section of the unit are also hampered by the lack of space adjacent them. Many people reliant on wheelchairs are also reliant on overnight bags for their bladder systems, which need to placed on both sides of a bed as a person alters position during the night. Having the 2 single beds pushed together is therefore not appropriate. The spatial constraints are further hampered by the presence of the table and chairs. It is believed to be more spatially efficient if the double bed in the spare room is swapped with the 2 single beds in the main room. This would also make it easier for the placement of a ramp into the spare bedroom, which is currently prohibited by the central placement of the double bed.
General
Ideally the hotel should have a lift installed to allow a person in a wheelchair to move independently between the 2 floors. Failing this, a system of ramps of acceptable gradients needs to be installed. Currently, there is no ramp into the hotel's main entrance. Entrance is instead to be gained through a side door next to the carports. This situation is acceptable only if there is a sign placed at the front entrance informing visitors of this alternative.
Apart from being carried down the stairs, the only other way for a wheelchair user to move between levels is to make use of a ramp that is way in excess of an acceptable gradient (it is almost 1:1, when the standardised recommendation is 1:12). A strong wheelchair user will be able to go down the ramp, but no one will get up it without assistance. Also, the only link between the bottom of the ramp and the upper level of the hotel is to go around on the rest camp road. Because the gradient of the hill the hotel and the adjacent chalets are built upon is quite extreme, using a direct ramp is never going to fulfil acceptable gradients. Linking the two levels of the hotel and the level that the adapted chalets are on will require the development of a system of staggered ramps. However as a National Park, it is our obligation to provide equal access opportunity to all South Africans.
In terms of the rooms in the hotel, most of them are spacious enough to allow a wheelchair user sufficient space for use. Those wheelchair users strong enough to transfer in and out of baths will be able to use any of these rooms comfortably. Selecting one or two of these rooms in which to install assisting handrails adjacent the toilet and the bath would enhance the ease of use.
The rest of the public facilities in the hotel are adequately accessible for people with disabilities.
Other Activities
While it is important to provide accessible accommodation, thought should also be given to providing accessible activities. With the mountainous terrain, it is unlikely that many walks will be easily made accessible for wheelchair users. However perhaps there is scope to create an accessible sensory trail along the valley bottom. If properly designed, this will allow for use by people with physical, sensory and mental impairment as well as the elderly. However the aim with such a trail would be to encourage all people to experience the park environment, and to interpret it through a variety of senses. This approach is currently being applied in Addo Elephant. Perhaps Golden Gate can learn from the efforts there.
Other activities may also provide people with disabilities with opportunities to occupy themselves whilst staying in the park. Lawn bowls is one such activity as are the indoor activities of table tennis and pool.
ACTIVITIES
Rhebok Hiking Trail (2 days and 1 night): maximum of 18 persons per group. Advance booking essential. Hikers provide all own necessities. Enquire at your reservations office.
Short nature trails (varying from 1 hour to 5 hours): no bookings required.
Game viewing at leisure in own vehicle.
Guided excursions, night drives, video shows and lectures during school holiday periods. Enquire at reception.
Environmental education courses (varying from 1 to 5 days).
Bowls, tennis, table tennis and snooker.
Horse-riding during peak periods.
Swimming in natural pool at Glen Reenen.
Abseiling and canoeing available for people using Wilgenhof Environmental Education Centre
SPECIAL INTEREST
Places of interest:
The Van Reenen family graveyard
The Impressive Brandwag buttress rock formation
A bird hide at the Langtoon Dam
Interesting lookout points and viewpoints - Zuluhoek lookout point, Generaalskop viewpoint, the third highest point in the park; Oribi basin and Drakensberg view.
Birding in Golden Gate
Bearded Vulture is the bird everyone associates with the high mountains of the area. Other large birds that soar around the crags of Golden Gate include Black Stork, Bald Ibis, Cape Vulture, Black and Martial Eagle, Jackal Buzzard, Lanner and Peregrine Falcon and Common Kestrel. Black and Alpine Swift are also common airbound species. Highland specials to search for in the park include: Greywing and Redwing Francolin, Mountain, Mocking and Buffstreaked Chat, Sentinel and Cape Rock Thrush, Orangebreasted Rockjumper, Rock Pipit, Ground Woodpecker, Ayre's, Wailing and Lazy Cisticola, Gurney's Sugarbird, Malachite, Greater Doublecollared and Lesser Doublecollared Sunbird and Drakenberg Siskin
Vegetation
Structurally, the vegetation of Golden Gate can be divided into grassland and woodland/forest. The climate is considered to be the major environmental factor that influences the floristic composition and distribution of the vegetation units. The Afromontane forest is restricted to the sheltered ravines and gorges where the necessary moisture level is maintained and the vegetation is protected from unfavourable weather conditions, as well as fire. While in the valleys and on the south-eastern aspect of some of the slopes, the vegetation is dominated by Leucosidea sericea (ouhout) woodland. Isolated patches of Protea woodland (Protea caffra, P. roupelliae and P. subvestita) also occur. The two dominant veld types are Highland-Sourveld and the Themeda-Festuca veld. When hiking through the park, one inevitably passes through stands of trees of which the flaking bark and silky-haired leaves are characteristic. These trees are called oldwood (ouhout), Leucosidea sericea, because of the 'old' appearance of the twisted trunks of the full-grown trees and because the wood burns like old, rotten wood. It is without doubt the most common tree in Golden Gate and belongs to the rose family (Rosaceae). An interesting fact is that no fewer than 117 species of beetles belonging to 35 different families associate with the oldwood in the park.
ACCOMMODATION
Brandwag Hotel (outsourced to Faranani Consortium on 02/04/02) - contact 058 255 0012 for all reservations and inquiries)
Hotel rooms with two single beds, one or two double beds, bathroom (shower or bath), telephone and TV.
The bridal suite has a bedroom, bathroom, lounge and bar with a small refrigerator.
Brandwag Chalets (outsourced to Faranani Consortium on 02/04/02) - contact 058 255 0012)
Cottages/chalets have an equipped kitchenette with a two-plate stove and refrigerator, TV, carport and barbecue facilities.
Glen Reenen Restcamp
Telephone 058 255 0075 and Fax 058 255 0919
Rondavels with either one double and two single beds or two single and one stack bed, bathroom (shower) and kitchen with basic equipment.
Noord-Brabant Farmhouse - rustic converted farmhouse - kitchen and bathroom facilities - 1 double bed, 1 sleeper couch and 3 single beds.
Wilgenhof Environmental Education Centre
Maximum of 80 people in 4 dormitories - ideal for youth groups.
Contact: Tel: +27 (012) 426-5025 o Fax: +27 (012) 343-2005/6
Camping
Telephone 058 255 0075 and Fax 058 255 0919
Caravan and camping sites in beautiful shaded grounds at Glen Reenen.
Ablution and barbecue facilities, scullery.
Power points in ablution block and some camp sites.
A maximum of 6 persons, one caravan/tent and one vehicle or one autovilla permitted per site
RESERVATIONS
Telephone Number: +27 (0)12 428 9111
Fax number: +27 (0)12 343 0905
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