Restaurants near
Acornhoek
*Distances are shown as the crow flies and not necessarily the actual travelling
distance.
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Hoedspruit (24.2 km from Acornhoek) Discover the secrets of silk and the extraordinary little creatures that produce it.
Experienced guides will take you on a journey through silk’s fascinating history and an interesting behind-the-scenes tour.
Currently Bombyx Mori Silk Estate is South Africa’s only commercial silkworm farm. Here you can find out about their organic farming methods and how the cocoons are processed into wonderful products and the life-cycle of the mulberry silkworm.
The species farmed at Bombyx Mori is the mulberry silkworm, not the ‘zebra’ worm that most of us kept as pet worms when we were kids! These remarkably industrious insects spin cocoons from a single strand that measures up to one kilometre.
A visit to Bombyx Mori wouldn’t be complete without popping into the Ivory Room and Gallery. Here you will find silk-filled duvets, pillows and numerous other silk products to purchase as well as local crafts, selected interior finishes and original artwork.
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Graskop (29.2 km from Acornhoek) The magnificent red sandstone Blyde River Canyon in Mpumalanga forms the northern part of the Drakensberg escarpment. There’s so much to do in Mpumalanga but most visitors come here just to sight-see, especially along the striking Panorama Route. This scenic meander includes the Blyde River Canyon, Bourke's Luck Potholes, the Three Rondawels, Swadini Dam, God's Window and many beautiful waterfalls and spectacular vistas.Covered with lush subtropical foliage, the Blyde River Canyon is the largest 'green canyon' and has some of the deepest precipitious cliffs of any canyon on the globe. The canyon is 26 kilometres (16 miles) in length and is around 800 metres deep. The highest point of the canyon, Mariepskop, is 1 944 metres above sea level whilst its lowest point where the river leaves the canyon is slightly less than 560 metres above sea level. This means that by some measure the Canyon is over 1 400 metres deep!
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Blyde River Canyon (29.8 km from Acornhoek) The impressive rock features of Bourke’s Luck Potholes marks the start of the extraordinarily scenic Blyde River Canyon and is one of the tick-offs on the well-beaten path of the Panorama Route.The giant potholes have been carved over centuries by pebbles swirling around in poolswhere the Treur River plunges into the Blyde River. Bourke’s Luck had nothing to do with the potholes but rather a lucky strike in this gold-rich area.Not far off is the main tourist viewpoint, God’s Window. Graskop is the closest town to the canyon if you are planning to stop over and spend quality time rather than grabbing fleeting glimpses through a tour bus window of this stunning region.
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Graskop (38.3 km from Acornhoek) Visit an active silk farm and be amazed by the silk making process at this unique African development venture. After taking an interesting tour, you can spoil yourself purchasing silk clothing, silk-filled duvets or even silk skincare products.
Guided one-hour tours are offered on the farm for a minimal fee. These tours take place from Monday to Sunday.
After the silk farm tour visitors can relax at the Deck Restaurant for light meals and refreshments. The ice-cold homemade gingerbeer is a winner.
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Blyde River Canyon (43.9 km from Acornhoek) This is the spot where everyone takes their shots. Serious shutterbugs will be reaching for their polarising filters and best wide angle lens. Choose a clear day and you can see all the way to the Kruger National Park and Mozambique. Glance towards the east and you’ll see the Three Sisters, also known as the Three Rondawels. Just two kilometres north is Wonder View, the highest viewpoint in the region.Spend some time here and soak up the spectacular panoramic Lowveld landscape from God's Window in the lush Blyde River Canyon. The largest vegetated canyon in the world, Blyde is third in size only to the Grand Canyon and the Fish River Canyon.This beautifully green paradise has numerous plant and animal species and is a major core of endemism. And it's also the place where Africa split from Madagascar and Antarctica during the break-up of the Gondwanaland millions of years ago.
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Hazyview (45.7 km from Acornhoek) At the core of Shangana Cultural Village is a busy African market where local craftspeople work and trade their crafts.
Trained guides take guests on informative and interactive trips to villages during the daytime as well as midday tours with lunch and the famous Evening Festival in the Chief's Kraal.
Shangana was created and built by the local Shangaan people and is a source of great pride. The village preserves their rich heritage and is an example of South Africa's great cultural diversity.
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Phalaborwa (71.6 km from Acornhoek) Home to Africa's wild and silky cream liqueur, the Amarula Lapa is a great spot to chill near the Phalaborwa Gate of Kruger National Park.
Here you can relax, stretch your legs and of course, enjoy a glass of Amarula Cream on ice and stock up with a few bottles before journeying on.
Comfortable seating, a shop and a warm African welcome await you on entering the high thatch-roof building. Rough stone walls and kraal-style area bestow an authentic bushveld feeling.
The Amarula Lapa is crucial to the lives of the local inhabitants who provide the Marula fruit for pulp processing in season. During the off-season, Amarula sponsor community-based job creation projects to enhance their income.
Opening hours are Monday to Friday 08:30 – 16:30 and Saturday 09:00 – 12:00.
A fertile fruit?
The fruit of the indigenous Marula tree is believed to have aphrodisiac properties and features in tribal fertility rites. Known in folklore as ‘The Marriage Tree’, tribal marriage ceremonies still take place under the umbrella shaped trees.
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Sudwala Valley (95.2 km from Acornhoek) The Sudwala Caves are an incredibly deep system of caverns lying in the Mpumalanga region of the Drakensberg escarpment. Considered the oldest known caves in the world, this astonishing unplumbed complex of passages and giant chambers extend into the mysterious Mankelexele massif.
The caves are situated in the Precambrian dolomite rocks of the Malmani Group, formed over a period of some 3 000 million years, capturing in stone an era when this place was a shallow inland sea.
The very earliest known life forms are preserved in fossil form in these rocks. In the cave are fossils of the first oxygen producing plants on the earth called collenia – fossilised bacterial colonies that date back 2.2 billion years! And there's a Dinosaur Park too. Kids will love the life-size monsters guarding the cave entrance.
Keen for adventure? Time your visit on the last Saturday of the month and join one of the popular Crystal Tours inside the deeper chambers. You will be required to crawl through some sections be prepared to get wet. It lasts for six hours and bookings are essential.
+27 (0) 13 733 4152
www.sudwalacaves.co.za
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