Nature Reserves
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Lydenburg The Sterkspruit Nature Reserve is situated just outside of Lydenburg in Mpumalanga. The reserve's escarpment incorporates highveld grassland, forested kloofs, wooded stream banks, and quartzite cliffs. The natural habitat is perfect for fly fishing, bird watching, and hiking.
The reserve is home to a variety of mammals, including porcupine, aardwolf and the Cape clawless otter. There are over a hundred and fifty bird species, such as the ground woodpecker, bush blackcap, and blackwinged plover. The hiking trails offer stunning views of the majestic hills surrounding the reserve, and the Sterkspruit River is filled with rainbow trout for the enthusiastic fisherman.
Things to do near
Lydenburg
*Distances are shown as the crow flies and not necessarily the actual travelling
distance.
Waterfall
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Mpumalanga (27.7 km from Lydenburg) Lone Creek Falls is a well-known spot and is part of the waterfall route in the area of Sabie, Mpumalanga.
A short 200 m walk from the parking will take you to the foot of the waterfall. If you'd like to experience the falls in solitude and away from the crowd there is a path from the parking leading to the top of the falls. The walk is not too difficult and the viewpoint will not disappoint you.
Waterfall
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Sabie (29.1 km from Lydenburg) The Bridal Veil Falls is approximately 6 km from the tranquil and attractive town of Sabie. The waterfall resembles a bridal veil and roars down from a spectacular height of 70 m.
There is a challenging 750 m walk through a luscious indigenous forest before one can see the waterfall. The scenic walk has many streams and is covered with wild flowers and ferns.
Four By Four Trails
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Nelspruit (35.1 km from Lydenburg) Do you have true grit? Don't mind dirtying your shiny urban 4x4? Test your driving skills through a series of extremely steep ascents and gripping descents on one of the leading 4x4 trails in South Africa.
The Riverwild 4x4 Off-road Recreation Experience offers several routes with a variety of challenging natural obstacles – try the River Rat Run, Croc Crossing and Shongololo, the ultimate long and winding bush tunnel.
Safety, vehicle care and enjoyment are the cornerstones around which the Riverwild 4x4 trails were developed. Cross-country drives and trips in the scenic surrounding forest are available for off-road vehicles without low range. A wide range of exciting adventure and recreation activities are also offered.
Popular Attractions
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Sabie (36 km from Lydenburg) For the avid fishermen out there this is an ideal place to go and practice the art of trout fishing. Facilities are available to make the whole family comfortable including braai areas; a tuck shop and a kiddie play area.
Popular Attractions
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Sabie (36 km from Lydenburg) Sir Herbert Baker designed this quaint little church situated in the heart of Sabie. The building began in 1913 and was carried out by Mr. Gemignani and his team of Italian stonemasons. Beautifully designed, this is well worth a visit for any history fanatic.
Galleries and Museums
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Sabie (36 km from Lydenburg) Sabie is surrounded by one of the largest man-made forests in the world. Forestry first began in the area in 1876 with plantings of commercial eucalyptus and wattle trees. The museum documents the history of the industry and also showcases new techniques that are being utilized.
Popular Attractions
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Sabie (36 km from Lydenburg) For the more adventurous, Sabie offers a number of exciting activities. The Sabie River provides the ideal place for white water rafting with 20 rapids grades 2-3. Rafting trips are ideal and fun for novices.
Popular Attractions
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Sabie (36 km from Lydenburg) For the adrenaline junkies out there, the upper Sabie River provides the ideal place for White Water Tubing. Each person is kitted out with a specially designed tube to bomb down the rapids with.
Popular Attractions
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Ohrigstad (38 km from Lydenburg) The Alpha Omega Bible Sculpture Garden can be found on the way to Echo Caves just off the R36 road before the turnoff to Graskop. Local artist Ron van Zyl did the spiritually inspired artwork.
Popular Attractions
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---Not Specified--- (39.6 km from Lydenburg) Pan for real gold in the Pilgrim’s Creek just like the diggers did in the 1870’s. An exciting activity and great fun for one and all! Keep what you find.
Popular Attractions
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Ohrigstad (39.7 km from Lydenburg) Spiritually inspired local artist Doctor Ron van Zyl built the Alpha Omega Cave. In the cave you will see his unusual sculpted vision of angels and demons. Guided tours are given daily.
Popular Attractions
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Sudwala Valley (40.3 km from Lydenburg) 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
Popular Attractions
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Ohrigstad (40.4 km from Lydenburg) The childhood story of Old Mother Hubbard who lived in a shoe with so many children is brought to life at the Old Shoe. An artist and his family live here, allowing visitors inside for a small donation. It also contains the artworks of Ron van Zyl and artifacts from the Iron Age. Visit the curio shop and grab a burger at the tea garden afterwards.
Popular Attractions
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Graskop (45.9 km from Lydenburg) The Three Rondawels are also known as 'The Chief and his Three Wives'. The flat-topped peak to the right is named Mapjaneng - the 'Chief', whilst the three wives are named Maseroto, Mogoladikwe, and Magabolle.
Towering in isolated and massive splendour behind them is the 1944 m high peak named Mareiepskop, which forms the southern portal of the canyon mouth. To the north of Magabolle is the magnificent, almost arrogant, jutting profile of the Swandini Buttress, which forms the northern portal of the canyon mouth. It offers a superb example of the powerful effect of wind and water on raw rock interspersed with layers of shale.
Pointing roughly northeasterly and virtually surrounded by the lake is the mountain named Thabaneng (the mountain with the shadow that moves) by the locals and the Sundial.
Popular Attractions
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Blyde River Canyon (47.1 km from Lydenburg) 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.