Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve

Suikerbosrand covers about 13,000 hectares of the ridge that gives it its name - suikerbos is the sugarbush protea that grows on these slopes - and it exists mainly as walking country for Johannesburg. Around sixty kilometres of marked trails run over grassland and through kloofs, including overnight routes with basic huts, and because there are no large predators you can walk them unaccompanied, which is not true of most South African reserves with game. Eland, zebra, blesbok, black wildebeest and hartebeest graze the plateau; the bird list is long for a highveld reserve. A gravel game-drive loop suits people who would rather stay in the car. The Kareekloof visitor centre has displays on the highveld ecosystem. Winter mornings are frosty and the grass goes pale gold; summer afternoons bring thunderstorms that are dangerous on the open ridge.

History

The ridge was first named after a sweet reed, probably sweet sorghum, that Hendrik Potgieter's party found growing here on 5 June 1836, and the name later became tied to the sugar bush protea. Land bought at the start of the twenty-first century almost doubled the reserve, which now covers 134 km2 (Wikipedia, Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve).

What's there

• The trail network - about sixty kilometres of marked paths, walkable without a guide.
• The plains game - eland, zebra, blesbok and black wildebeest on highveld grassland.
• The sugarbush - the protea that gives the ridge its Afrikaans name.
• The overnight huts - basic accommodation on the longer walking routes.

When to go

March to May and September to November. A day, or overnight on the trails.

Practical notes

Summer thunderstorms on open grassland are a real hazard - start early and get off the ridge. Gate hours are strict. There is little shade on the plateau trails. Winter mornings drop below freezing.

Nearby

Heidelberg is close; the Vaal River is south.

Key facts