Waterberg Biosphere

The Waterberg is a sandstone massif covering about 6,500 square kilometres north of Johannesburg, declared a UNESCO biosphere reserve in 2001. Its history explains its present: the soils are poor and leached, cattle farming largely failed through the twentieth century, and from the 1970s onward landowners converted to game, so the massif is now a patchwork of private reserves, conservancies and one national park at Marakele. The whole area is malaria-free, which is its practical selling point for families. Landscape is broken sandstone hills, bushveld valleys and grassland plateaus with cycads and cliffs; Lapalala and Welgevonden are among the larger reserves. Rock art sites are scattered through the hills. Because most land is private, seeing the Waterberg usually means booking into one reserve rather than driving around freely.

History

Remains at Makapansgat, 40 kilometres away, suggest early human ancestors may have been here as long as three million years ago, and Bushmen painted rhino and antelope at Lapalala around two thousand years ago. Nguni settlers arrived from about 1300 AD and built dry-stone walls, the first white settlers came in 1808, and the Waterberg was the first region in northern South Africa named a biosphere reserve by UNESCO (Wikipedia, Waterberg Biosphere).

Highlights

• The malaria-free bushveld - big game country close to Johannesburg.
• The failed cattle history - poor soils that pushed the whole massif toward game.
• The sandstone landscape - broken hills, cliffs and cycads rather than flat plains.
• The private patchwork - reserves and conservancies covering most of the land.

When to go

April to September. Two to three days. Winter nights are cold; summer afternoons bring storms.

Good to know

Most of the massif is private, so access means booking a lodge or reserve - there is little to see from public roads. Gravel access roads are long. Game densities vary hugely between properties. Rates range from modest to very high.

Nearby

Marakele National Park is in the western Waterberg; Nylsvley is east.

Key facts