Vaalwater, Waterberg : Limpopo : South Africa

"Give him a farm in the Waterberg!"

An often-heard exclamation by President Paul Kruger when he was at the end of his tether with a troublesome citizen. While today no longer regarded quite as remote and deserted as at the turn of the century, the Waterberg is still relatively unknown to many and has been described as South Africa's best kept secret.

The Waterberg is 15 000 square kilometres of an unspoiled and little known corner of Africa recently declared a Biosphere Reserve by the United Nations. This area north-west of Gauteng, fringing the Botswana border, has always been a remote, inacessible wilderness which attracted adventurers, gunrunners, outlaws, runaways and hardy pioneers of old ...

The 1800's saw big game hunters drawn to the plains that lie between the Waterberg for the abundant wildlife, lured by the promise of unlimited ivory and hunting trophies ...

Spectacular rocks rise out of the bushveld lowlands, the Waterberg Massif stretching more than 150 kilometres from the Marakele National Park in the southwest, to the Masebe National Reserve in the northeast. An abundance of iron and manganese gives these sedimentary rocks of the cliffs and butresses their distinctive red, orange and purple hues which glow in the setting sun ...

The mountains of the Waterberg have not undergone the folding and buckling that has ocurred in the nearby Magaliesberg and Cape Fold mountains further south. This gives the rock faces their flat "layered cake" appearance.

The Waterberg-range, incorporating many rivers, streams and swamps, stretches for 150 km in a long arc from Thabazimbi in the West, past Nylstroom to Potgietersrus in the east. Apart from the spectacular scenery of the mountains, there are many game sanctuaries, nature reserves and farms with accommodation. The 75 mammal species encountered here include big game such as elephant, lion, white and black rhino, hippo, leopard and buffalo. African python and the Nile crocodile occur in the area. The Waterberg is a birdwatchers' paradise with more than 300 bird species.

A fascinating feature of the rocky hillsides is the abundance of flora related to Cape fynbos found hundreds of kilometres away. The Cape fynbos constitutes a separate floral kingdom and is found almost exclusively in the western cape. It is fascinating to find similar plants growing on the slopes of the Waterberg so far north. The Cape Vulture used to be a common sight on Table Mountain, but now the most important breeding colony for these creatures lies on the Groothoek cliffs in the Marakele National Park here in the Waterberg ...

Much of the Waterberg is not ideal for crop farming and is also not considered good cattle country. Because the area lacks forestry, mining, industry and the attendant pollution, it is ideally suited for tourism, eco-tourism and hunting. The Waterberg Biosphere Reserve includes the protected areas of Masebe Nature Reserve, Moepel Farms, Mokolo Dam, Marakele National Park... Apart from the 150 000 hectares of the Waterberg Nature Conservancy, there are a vast number of farms that have changed over to game farming, much of which is interlinked with agricultural practices.

White Rhino were introduced into the area in 1972, Black Rhino in 1990, Hippos in 1985, Elephant and disease-free Buffalo in the early 1990's and later lions in the late 1990's.

Today several reserves in the Waterberg are home to the Big Five once more. Marakele National Park was officially proclaimed in 1994, an area of 50 000 hectares with some of the most spectacular scenery in the Waterberg. It is bordered by Welgevonden, home to some of the most exclusive game lodges including Nelson Mandela's Centre for Reconciliation. Lapalala lies further northy, another vast wilderness area thanks to the conservation efforts of Clive Walker and Dale Parker. The Waterberg Museum and Rhino Museum can be visited nearby ...

The Waterberg (water mountains) got its name from the early Voortrekkers who were struck by the abundance of rivers flowing from the area, particularly in the rainy season when every available rock face glisens with water overflowing from the mountains. The countryside is drier these days ...

Vaalwater is a one-street town tucked away between the mountains on the banks of the river, your springboard for exploring the area and Zeederbergs is the last place to stock up on supplies before heading out into the bush ... this is the last shopping you will see for miles!

The Waterberg has a long history of human occupation and has been inhabited by a succession of people over hundreds of thousands of years. From Stone Age people, to the San (Bushmen), Khoikhoi herders and Iron Age people, all have left their traces in the form of paintings or iron smelting furnaces. The Waterberg is rapidly emerging as one of the most important San rock art sites in South Africa.

Activities and Attractions

Rhino Museum
This is the first museum devoted entirely to the conservation of the rhinoceros. It highlights the evolutionary history, habitats and landscapes, the rhino wars, illegal trade and use of rhino horn and conservation efforts to preserve rhinos. Considering that both black and white rhinos almost became extinct, that there are only four major populations of rhino surviving in Africa today (Kenya, Zimbabwe, Namibia and South Africa) and that South Africa has presently the highest population of both species, a visit to this museum is certainly worthwhile.

Waterberg Museum
Situated at the original Melkrivier School, it houses fascinating information on the cultural history of the area, dating from the first hominids a million years ago, to the people of the Late Stone Age (San), indigenous hunter-gatherers, the first white pioneers and latter-day famous personalities such as naturalist and poet Eugene Marais.

Church of St John the Baptist
A charming thatched church made of local materials and designed by the famous architect Sir Herbert Baker.

San Rock Artwork
The area boasts many fascinating rock paintings and geological sites to visit.

Mokolo Dam and Nature Reserve
Popular fishing and picnic spot on the Mokolo River, 50 km northwest of Vaalwater.

Photographic Hunting or Horseback Safaris
A unique venture, allowing hunters to "shoot" the animals in a far more challenging yet humane way.