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.