Kaapsehoop

Kaapsehoop was a gold rush settlement of the 1880s that never became a town - the reef ran out, the diggers moved on, and what remains is a few streets of tin-roofed cottages on the lip of the escarpment where the highveld drops away. Two things define it. The first is the horses: a population of free-roaming horses, usually explained as descendants of animals released by mining or forestry operations, moves through the village and the surrounding grassland, unowned and unmanaged, and they wander between the houses. The second is the mist, which pours up over the escarpment edge most afternoons and swallows the village whole. There are sandstone formations along the rim with walking trails, viewpoints over the Lowveld a kilometre below, a couple of pubs, and a small population that includes artists and people who wanted somewhere quiet.

History

Gold was found in a creek through the settlement in 1882, when it was known as Duiwels Kantoor, the Devil's Office, and in 1886 Marthinus Wessel Pretorius renamed it Kaapsche Hoop, Cape Hope, after the view reminded him of Table Mountain. The village stands at 1640 m on the Drakensberg escarpment (Wikipedia, Kaapsehoop).

What to look for

• The free-roaming horses - an unowned population moving through the village streets.
• The escarpment edge - the highveld dropping about a kilometre to the Lowveld.
• The afternoon mist - cloud pouring over the rim and swallowing the village.
• The gold rush remnant - 1880s cottages in a settlement that never grew.

When to go

April to September for clearer views. A day, or overnight to see the horses at dawn.

What to expect

Mist can close the views for the entire visit, and it arrives most afternoons. The horses are wild - do not feed or approach them. Facilities are minimal, a couple of pubs and guesthouses. The access road is winding.

Nearby

Mbombela is east; the Sudwala Caves are north on the Sabie road.

Key facts