Dullstroom

Dullstroom sits at roughly 2,000 metres on the highveld escarpment, which makes it one of the highest and coldest villages in South Africa - it can frost in summer - and that cold water is the entire reason for the place. Trout were introduced to these streams and the surrounding farm dams over a century ago and the village reorganised itself around fly fishing, with stocked dams on the estates around it, tackle shops and guides. The other half of the weekend economy is what you do when it rains, which it often does: log fires, restaurants, a well-known whisky bar with a large collection, and craft shops along a single main street. There is a raptor and rehabilitation centre outside the village with flight demonstrations. It is a two-hour drive from Johannesburg and is booked out most weekends as a result; midweek it is very quiet.

History

The town grew from a settlement company founded in 1883 by the Amsterdam merchant Wolterus Dull to bring Dutch immigrants, and the ending of its name, stroom, refers to the nearby Crocodile River. Settlers came from 1884 to 1887, by 1893 there were 48 people in eight houses, the church was rebuilt in 1905 and the first town council met in 1921 (Wikipedia, Dullstroom).

What's there

• The trout dams - stocked still water on estates around the village.
• Highveld cold - about 2,000 metres, with frost possible even in summer.
• The wet-weather half - fires, restaurants and a whisky bar with a large collection.
• The raptor centre - rehabilitation and flight demonstrations outside the village.

When to go

All year; summer is green and misty, winter is dry and very cold. A weekend, booked ahead.

Things to know

Weekends are fully booked and prices rise accordingly. Fishing is on private stocked water and costs a permit per rod. The weather is genuinely cold and wet - pack for it. The village is one street and exhausts quickly without fishing.

Nearby

Lydenburg is north; the Panorama Route escarpment is beyond it.

Key facts