Bishopscourt is a small, wealthy, residential suburb in the Southern Suburbs of Cape Town. The suburb is adjacent to the world-famous Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens to it's left and surrounded by Newlands, Claremont, Wynberg and Constantia Heights. Bishopscourt is the official residence of the Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town.

Transport
Travelling around the Southern Suburbs is relatively easy.

Download the mobile app TCT (Transport Cape Town) which is available for the following smartphones: Windows Phone, iPhone, Android and Blackberry and under the name ‘TCT’ (look for the red logo). The app incorporates MyCiti, Golden Arrow (private bus company and Metrorail.

MyCiti (Cape Town’s bus system) does not yet operate in the Southern Suburbs, but Golden Arrow does.

Taxis
There are plenty of good, safe and reliable taxi firms in Cape Town, taxis cannot be hailed in the street, a telephone call is required.

Mini-bus Taxis are shared taxis can be hailed in the street on busy routes. There is a lot of bad press about minibus taxis, to be safe stick to the busy routes during the day.

Uber operates in Cape Town.

Train:
Metrorail operates short distance commuter trains to Simon’s Town through the southern suburbs (southern line), to the Northern Suburbs and outlying towns of Paarl, Wellington, Malmesbury and Worcester. For the map of the lines see Metrorail. There is also a Metrorail App available.

When to Go
For beach and sightseeing holidays, the summer months are best from October to April, however, in both April and October the weather is variable and unpredictable. Winters are mild with temperatures in a range of 8ºC and 17ºC but winter is the rainy season. There is something to be said for a warm fireside, sipping the Cape’s award-winning red wines, while the wind and rain rage outside. Winter is also whale-watching season. December/January is the time most South Africans take their annual holiday and the summer break for school children, so booking is often essential, but there is always more to do and see.
Climate
Cape Town has a Mediterranean-style climate with wet, cool winters, and dry warm summers. The average summer temperatures are 24ºC with January and February averaging 26ºC.
Cape Town lies on the 34th latitude south, however, Cape Town’s climate is a collection of micro-climates of which the Northern Suburbs has more than one. Apart from air pressure, wind and temperatures, the cold current, mountains, and built-environment are additional factors that influence the local weather. Check with the forecasts for the daily weather.
The front view of Table Mountain is famous for its tablecloth, the south-east wind blows cool air off the sea which is forced up over the mountain, this air condenses into clouds which ‘spill’ over the front. The tablecloth is a good indicator that the southeaster (the prevailing summer wind) is blowing and that the beaches along the Atlantic Seaboard are a better bet than those in False Bay.
When to go
For beach and sightseeing holidays, the summer months are best from October to April, however, in both April and October the weather is variable and unpredictable. Winters are mild with temperatures in a range of 8ºC and 17ºC but winter is the rainy season. There is something to be said for a warm fireside, sipping the Cape’s award-winning red wines, while the wind and rain rage outside. Winter is also whale-watching season. December/January is the time most South Africans take their annual holiday and the summer break for school children, so booking is often essential, but there is always more to do and see.
Flora
The transition between mountain and flat the change in vegetation becomes clear, there are patches of Afromontane forest in the kloofs of Table Mountain, the higher and lower slopes the fynbos is characterised by large protea bushes, and as the land gets flatter so does the vegetation with Strandveld fynbos growing on the ‘Flats’. There are literally hundreds of flowering species.

Fynbos comprises four major plant groups:
● Proteas: large shrubs with broad leaves
● Ericas: heath-like, low-growing shrubs
● Restios: reed-like plants; are the only group that are found in all fynbos habitats
● Geophytes: bulbs; these include watsonias and disas both of which occur mainly in wetland areas and are prominent after fires.

Fynbos is a fire-dependent vegetation that needs to burn around every 15 years to stimulate new growth and ensure that plant and animal communities remain healthy. If it doesn’t burn in about 20 – 30 years, it stops producing seeds which could cause the extinction of some species. If fire is too frequent due to human intervention seed banks are depleted which can change the diversity of plant species in the area.

There are nearly always flowers to be seen. Ask the Fynbos Guy what is currently flowering on the Table Mountain Chain.
Fauna
The Southern Suburbs are built-up residential areas of Cape Town. Large mammals are no longer abundant in these regions small interesting and often endemic animals such as mongoose, otters, tortoises, snakes, lizards, frogs and toads can be observed especially in the nature reserves.

Reptiles
Look out for the bright blue-headed Southern Rock Agama, the prehistoric looking Black Girdled Lizard and the Cape Skink.

There are some interesting endemic and endangered Amphibians, the Table Mountain Ghost Frog is a special find, but look out for the Cape Chirping Frog, Cape River Frog, the endangered Leopard toad and the tiny Arum Lily Frog.

Two species of Tortoises are common, the Angulate Tortoise and the Parrot-beaked Tortoise.

There are 22 snake species, ten of which are non-venomous, although they can still deliver a nasty bite if provoked. Some of the venomous species include the Cape Cobra, the Puff Adder, Boomslang, Rinkhals and Berg Adder. The good news is it they are mostly shy and will avoid human contact. The one you are most likely to encounter is the Puff Adder which enjoys nice warm spots, such as rocks and pathways (best to keep out of its way).

Insects
Insects play an integral role in the fynbos ecosystem either by directly pollinating plants or as a vital source of nutrient for birds and animals. Some are especially adapted to pollinate specific plants. Look out for butterflies such as the Mountain Pride Butterfly that is the exclusive pollinator of a variety of red plants such as the red disa, and the red crassula.

Birds
The many niches and habitats that exist (ocean, shoreline, cliff-face, rocky highland, fynbos, forest and suburbia) contributes to a large species count, as does the geographical positioning at a continent's corner, many vagrants and seasonal visitors can be spotted.

For a full bird list or birding checkllist see the SANparks website or for further information on birding in the Cape Peninsula, contact: The Cape Bird Club on 021 559 0726 or www.capebirdclub.org

THINGS TO DO:
1) Liesbeek Parkway Green Corridor
Not even most Capetonian know of this stretch of calm beauty. A trail along the Liesbeek River for 8km downriver starting up near Kirstenbosch. The path is paved for some of the way, with playgrounds for children. There are parts when the river goes under roads and the path has to be found again on the other side. A need to clean up the river by concerned residents formed “The Friends of the Liesbeek”, who are responsible for this hidden gem in the Southern Suburbs.

The river starts somewhere up on Table Mountain above Kirstenbosch and is regarded as the oldest urbanised river valley in South Africa. It then flows via Bishopscourt into Newlands, and then on to Rosebank, Mowbray and Observatory where it joins with the Black River. The Liesbeek finally empties into Table Bay at Paarden Island.
Liesbeek Parkway green corridor, Newlands / Kirstenbosch / Bishopscourt