De Hel Conservation Area
This 21-hectare natural area is the ‘jewel in the crown’ of Constantia’s riverine open spaces and a Provincial Heritage Site.About
De Hel Nature Area adjoins Table Mountain below Rhodes Drive, to the northeast of Constantia Nek. The upper reaches of the Spaanschemat River run through this 21-hectare natural area. A management partnership has been arranged between the municipality and the Friends of Constantia Valley Greenbelts (FOCVGB). The site has also been declared a Provincial Heritage Site. De Hel is densely covered in trees and its steep slopes run down to the riverbed. At the lower end of the reserve, a flat piece of land known as ‘the Meadow’ is still home to pockets of fruit trees and garden plants.
De Hel is linked to ancient cattle tracks originating from the Khoi-Khoi pastoralists in the Cape. The Dutch East India Company also established one of their four woodcutters’ posts in the area, and because of this and its associations with slave labour and slave runaways, De Hel is a heritage site of significance.
Location
Between Southern Cross Drive and Constantia Nek Road, Constantia
Features and facilities
- River access
- Walking pathways
- Animals allowed
Activities
- Nature appreciation
- Walking and hiking
Facility sizes
21 hectares
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