Waterberg Wilderness Reserve

Waterberg Wilderness Reserve

South Africa has many pristine, scenic and wildlife rich areas, but one area in particular stands out above the rest, the Waterberg mountain range in the Limpopo province. And nestled on the eastern side of the Waterberg range you will find the Waterberg Wilderness reserve. The reserve is perfect for the family looking for a getaway with their 4x4, and all of this only 2.5 hours from Johannesburg and half way to Botswana. The reserve offers a real out in the bush experience but requires a 4x4 vehicles or vehicle with good ground clearance to gain access. Certain routes require a 4x4 vehicle while a number of the roads are still suitable for a vehicle with ground clearance like a bakkie or soft roader. So this is one trip where the luxury family sedan is better off staying home in the garage.

The Waterberg Wilderness reserve is ideal for the more active visitors, with some beautiful walks and potential mountain bike trails. There are certain parts of the reserve that offer spectacular views over the surrounding hills and valleys and dropping down into the impressive gorges with natural streams and pools is certainly a highlight.

There is a large number of animal species, as well as over 250 bird species within the reserve and it is the ideal habitat for a very large number of reptile species. There are two species of snake which are sought after by reptile enthusiasts, but not always the ones you would like to bump into on you hike, they are the African rock Python and the Black Mamba. The wooded gorges and rugged terrain make the ideal habitat for a number of species including Leopard and Brown Hyena both of which frequent the area on a regular basis.

Game viewing is a great opportunity to see large numbers of game which occur on the property and with the mountainous terrain it offers visitors the chance to see species like Mountain Reedbuck and Klipspringer which are rarely sighted in many other reserves. Some of the larger mammals which can be found in the reserve include, Leopard, Brown Hyena, Black backed Jackal, Aardwolf, Honey badger, African Civet, Small spotted Genet, Cape Clawless Otter, Warthog, Aardvark or Antbear, Tree squirrel, Chacma Baboon, Vervet Monkey, Lesser bushbaby, Blue Wildebeest, Burchells Zebra, Blesbok, Common Duiker, Klipspringer, Impala, Steenbok, Kudu, Nyala, Bushbuck, Giraffe, Eland and Mountain reedbuck. Game drives are allowed in your own 4X4 vehicles and both guided game walks and game drives can be arranged with prior notice.

However, in order to retain its exclusivity the reserve doesn't usually allow day trippers reserves access exclusively for those staying over.