Who knew Gauteng had so many (little) nature reserves that we could escape to? I used to jump over into Limpopo to get my “wild fix” – but now I am forced to make do with what’s inside a provincial border… and it’s not that bad.

Last weekend we decided to check out Groenkloof Nature Reserve by Pretoria.

  • Pros
    • It is a hikers’ paradise with little footpaths up and down hills
    • There are herbivores like wildebeest and rooibokkies – and ostriches (we didn’t see anything else)
    • There are horses
    • You don’t need to pay for your car if you are just going for a hike
  • Cons
    • Not much to see and takes about 20 minutes to drive around once (including to stop and watch animals)
    • You can however get out of your car and hike to a viewpoint for some fresh air
    • They don’t let you know how far you will wander to a viewpoint
    • It costs R120 for a vehicle plus then some per person

The horse pictured was surrounded by grazing wildebeest. Suddenly it neighed wildly and the wildebeest scattered over the road. A few minutes later they were right back next to the horse. I wonder what that was about?

While driving you’ll even catch a glimpse of the Voortrekker Monument and if you walk the first viewpoint route up the koppie, a view of Pretoria.

There is also a 4×4 track, but obviously we gave this a skip. I’m not really a bundu basher.

What to do with kids while in Gauteng

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Susann is a travel, parenting, beauty and lifestyle blogger in Johannesburg, South Africa.

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