Magaliesberg, South Africa travel tips and stories. Vacations ideas, cruises, spa and resorts

Magaliesberg is a mountain range in South Africa, from Pretoria in the north of the Gauteng Province to a point south of Pilanesberg. So if you are located in South Africa these days, grab your bag, get into the car and just drive? Drive into the country side and relax. Maybe pack a picnic basket, some divine cheese and biscuits, some wine and find a space in the sun where no-one else is around, where it’s just you, nature, the beautiful lush soft grass, the sounds of the birds chirping around you, the mountains, and peace.

Depending on where you’re coming from, the drive to Magaliesberg is just a little over an hour, and then you’re in paradise! Stretching for 120km from Bronkhorstspruit Dam, which is east of Pretoria, all the way to Rustenburg in the west, and then they separate the Highveld grasslands to the south from the bushveld savannah in the north. The Magaliesberg mountains are among the oldest in the world, being almost 100 times older than Everest.

If you’re a mountain climber, or hiker, you can enjoy the deep gullies and wonderful kloofs created by the water runoff from the mountain. Some of these are more than 100 metres deep, and have perennial waterfalls of crystal clear water spilling over from the heart of the mountain. Having mountain climbing enthusiasts visiting the Magaliesberg since the 1920’s, it’s one of South Africa’s main sites for climbing, and especially for the Mountain Club of South Africa, promoting conservation in the area, sparing it from abuse.

Magaliesberg was once the home of huge elephant herds, rhino, buffalo, giraffe, big cats and many species of buck. Private game lodges are re-introducing species back into the region. Sable, roan antelope, gemsbok, wildebeest, giraffe, zebras, and others have been seen in the Rustenberg and Sikaatsnek Nature Reserves. You’ll find plenty of accommodation on-route, so if you find yourself wanting to plan a short weekend away, you can find accommodation of all kinds – from self-catering, to hotels, all with views, all with nature on your doorstep.