TOURISM IN THE WATERBERG
Vast, peaceful and incredibly beautiful, the Waterberg is a fascinating destination with a rich cultural legacy and a natural splendour of wilderness and open skies.
The Waterberg has often been missed by African bush safari enthusiasts’ on-route to Kruger Park and the Lowveld. Only in the last decade or two has it become more popular as a destination and old farms with untouched and untamed bushveld have been turned into private game reserves.
With stunningly beautiful scenery and a wealth of wildlife the Waterberg is a magical part of South Africa. It is easily accessible from Gauteng, and with just a couple of hours drive you can leave the hectic pace of the city and enter an area that is peaceful and unspoilt.
The Waterberg is a significant conservation area where both abundant wildlife and vast tracts of landscape have been conserved to produce intact ecosystems. This has led to this area becoming an important ecosystem service area for residents and outlying communities as well as a hotspot for nature based tourism.
The Waterberg not only boasts a wonderful experience with nature for all nature lovers but also offers a range of activities and experiences.
There is a range of accommodation from self-catering cottages to five star luxury lodges. There are Big Five reserves that specialise in ‘Big Five’ safari game drives with options of night drives to find nocturnal or elusive species.
There are game farms that offer hiking and bush walks and for the more active there are mountain bike trails, and horse riding safaris that cover any level of rider.
A visit to Nylsvley is a must for all birders especially during the breeding season when the area is filled with migratory birds that arrive for nesting.
The Waterberg Biosphere has long recognised the importance of tourism to the area and its contribution to sustainable development and opportunities for jobs and livelihoods to local people. In recognition of its importance the Waterberg biosphere has promoted the area at tourism shows, undertook the Waterberg Meander project (to provide tourism information and showcase the area) and provided an accredited training courses specifically for jobs in the tourism industry.
A growing tourism product is cultural tourism, where opportunities for visitors to engage with and learn from local communities, in authentic rural settings, are offered. Telekishi (see places to visit) is a wonderful example where you can book a cultural walk, stay in Pedi style accommodation and see San rock art. The Waterberg Biosphere has plans to assist further development of cultural tourism products which are undeveloped but would offer local communities access to sustainable development opportunities.
