Barrydale and the surrounding area is rich in species diversity with abundant wildlife such as baboons, genets, mongooses, klipspringer (small khaki-coloured antelope often seen perched on rocks), and rock hyraxes, known locally as dassies (smaller relatives of the elephant).
 More elusive animals, such as porcupines, aardvarks, jackals, otters and the reclusive leopards, are occasionally seen in the mountains.
Reptiles are common, especially snakes, with a few poisonous species such as puff adder, boomslang (tree snake) and Cape cobra.

The area is also home to numerous bird species such as the Cape eagle-owl, hadeda ibis, grey heron, sunbird (these often have iridescent plumage), fiscal shrike which impales its prey on acacia thorns or barbed wire, and black eagles often seen soaring high overhead on the thermals.

The area has many rare plant species, notably the fynbos flora on the slopes of the Langeberg mountain range in the south, and succulent-dominated Karroid flora to the north.
There are many private and state reserves in the area such as the Grootvadersbosch Nature Reserve.
Barrydale and the surrounding area is rich in species diversity with abundant wildlife such as baboons, genets, mongooses, klipspringer (small khaki-coloured antelope often seen perched on rocks), and rock hyraxes, known locally as dassies (smaller relatives of the elephant).  More elusive animals, such as porcupines, aardvarks, jackals, otters and the reclusive leopards, are occasionally seen in the mountains. Reptiles are common, especially snakes, with a few poisonous species such as puff adder, boomslang (tree snake) and Cape cobra.
The area is also home to numerous bird species such as the Cape eagle-owl, hadeda ibis, grey heron, sunbird (these often have iridescent plumage), fiscal shrike which impales its prey on acacia thorns or barbed wire, and black eagles often seen soaring high overhead on the thermals.
The area has many rare plant species, notably the fynbos flora on the slopes of the Langeberg mountain range in the south, and succulent-dominated Karroid flora to the north. There are many private and state reserves in the area such as the Grootvadersbosch Nature Reserve.
Barrydale