Menu
Previous
Next
Waterberg Nylsvley
The Waterberg is all majestic mountains and stupendous scenery, as well as having the largest floodplain in South Africa. Just a couple of hours out of Gauteng, the Waterberg gives you the opportunity to do a weekend dash to the mountains for some fantastic outdoor activities like hiking, birding and walking or cycling with wildlife. Beautiful lodges in mountain-bushveld areas are a perfect base from which to explore the Waterberg Meander or Clive Walker’s new Waterberg Living Museum. From horse-trails to a treasure-trove of beaded crafts, there is something for everything to enjoy in the Waterberg. It has the added advantages of being close to Gauteng and free of malaria.
Lindani Lodge
The Waterberg Mountains hold a host of surprises for visitors: the north-eastern escarpment of the Waterberg has the most spectacular scenery or you can spend some time following the Waterberg Meander where you can enjoy historical sites, the Geluksfontein Dairy Goat Farm, art galleries, hiking and eco- trails as well as a beading and leather shop. You can take a closer look at the Church of St John the Baptist, which was designed by Sir Herbert Baker in the late 1890’s and is still beautifully preserved. Stop in to explore the Black Mamba Gallery in Vaalwater and grab a bite to eat at the delightful Seringe Café before heading back to your mountain lodge.
Vaalwater has a small-town feeling that brings you back to earth and is the hub of the Waterberg Meander. The Seringe Café is funky, fun and festive. On hot bushveld days, you’ll find everyone under the generous branches of the Jacaranda tree. Fresh ingredients and generous portions mean every item on the varied menu is a treat so you can just sit back and enjoy the ebb and flow of life in the country.
The Waterberg-Nylsvley region is a birder’s paradise as it contains the largest inland floodplain in South Africa, the largest Cape Vulture breeding colony in the country, four Provincial Reserves and over 150,000 hectares of private reserves. It is the only area in Limpopo Province where you can see rare Yellow-throated Sandgrouse as well as Blue Crane, White-bellied Korhaan and Denham’s Bustard, while enjoying vast wide open spaces and spectacular scenery.
One of the key attractions of the region is the spectacular Nylsvley floodplain when it is in flood. This 16 000 hectare floodplain, which floods every 3 or 4 years, is a registered RAMSAR site due to the importance it has for waterfowl in South Africa. Of the 365 bird species recorded in the Nylsvley area, 104 are water birds and of those, 87 breed there in the wet years, while the hundreds of kilometres of Limpopo River along the Botswana border are incredibly scenic and are home to the elusive Pel’s Fishing Owl. The Mokolo Dam, Doorndraai Dam and D’Nyala Provincial Reserves are also great ways to access the Waterberg outside of the private reserves. The Waterberg-Nylsvley region offers the opportunity of a short road-trip for spectacular scenery and a variety of activities, so start planning your road-trip now!