MODIMOLLE [FORMERLY KNOWN AS NYLSTROOM]When a party of Voortrekker religious zealots heading for the Holy Land first saw Kranskop, east of Nylstroom, in the 1860s they naively mistook the hill for a pyramid and the Mogalakwena River for the upper reaches of the River Nile. As a result, the town was named Nylstroom (Nile stream) when it was founded in 1866. Places of interest include the old Reformed Church (1889) – the oldest church north of Pretoria – and the site of a South African War concentration camp and the camp cemetery. Among the other attractions are an old locomotive that saw service on the line between Pretoria and Nylstroom near the end of the 1800s, the Nylstroom Museum, Waterberg Museum and JG Strijdom House, where one of South Africa’s former prime ministers lived for many years. The town is a centre for the cattle ranches and citrus fruit farms of the region. BELA-BELA [FORMERLY KNOWN AS WARMBATHS]...was laid out on four farms in 1882 and originally named Hartingsburg, but was renamed Warmbad (warm bath) in 1920, after the hot spring surfacing on one of the farms, named Het Bad (the bath). The town’s main attraction for visitors on South African holidays is the hot spring resort, with its hydro spa, outdoor pool complex, water slides, wave pool and river ride. Cable water-skiing is one of many leisure and recreational activities on offer. Adjoining the resort is a small nature reserve, which can be seen by taking a guided game drive. A wide choice of accommodation is available. During the South African War, the British built a blockhouse near the railway station to protect the line against attack by Boer commandos. THABAZIMBIThabazimbi, an indigenous name meaning ‘mountain of iron’, owes its existence to the discovery of rich iron ore deposits in the area in 1919. Exploitation of the deposits began in the 1930s and the mining town, built on the farm Kwaggashoek by Iscor, has a natural, park-like atmosphere. It was proclaimed in 1953 and has developed into an important centre for the area’s cattle and game ranches. WATERBERGRising some 600 m above the Springbok Flats to the east, the Waterberg stretches in an arc from a few kilometres northeast of Thabazimbi west for 150 km to near Potgietersrus. Its Afrikaans name, meaning ‘water mountain’, is an apt one, for this pristine tract of land has numerous rivers, streams, waterfalls and springs. The area provided the setting for the classic The Road to Waterberg by well-known author Eugene Marais, who also wrote The Soul of the White Ant. Although this is prime cattle country, many of the landowners have switched to game-farming and the Waterberg Conservancy, established in 1982, covers over 150 000 ha. Plans are under way to register the Waterberg as a biosphere reserve under UNESCO’s biosphere reserve programme. Nature reserves 2 and 5 and game farms exist side by side. The St John the Baptist Anglican Church 6 near Vier-en-twinting Riviere was built in 1914.
Siyabona Africa Travel recommends safari lodge accommodation in Limpopo MARAKELE NATIONAL PARK...covers 44 000 ha of mountain wilderness at the western edge of the Waterberg range. The Kransberg cliffs on the park’s southern boundary are home to the largest Cape vulture colony (over 700 breeding pairs) in the world, while nearly 300 other bird species have been recorded to date. Among these are peregrine and lanner falcons, redcrested korhaan, Burchell’s glossy starling, Kalahari robin and whitecrowned shrike. Proclaimed in 1994, the park’s Tswana name fittingly means ‘place of sanctuary’. In addition to the Big Five, rare species such as tsessebe, roan and sable have been reintroduced. Among the other species roaming the park’s woodlands and grassveld are giraffe, kudu, eland, waterbuck, red hartebeest, nyala and impala. Most of the game-viewing roads are suitable for sedan cars, but certain routes can only be negotiated by 4x4 vehicles. Facilities include a rustic bush camp for groups on the Apies River and a tented camp on the Matlabas River (which is accessible by 4x4 vehicle only).
Siyabona Africa Travel recommends accommodation in Marakele National Park |
Tel: (+27) 21 424 1037 
Fax: (+27) 21 424 1036