Where the sun rises

We are invited to test-drive two long-closed 4x4 trails, experience Songimvelo Nature Reserve, and get a taste of Mpumalanga’s lesser-known natural wonders

- Jacques Viljoen

Mpumalanga is Zulu for ‘the place where the sun rises’, and its major natural attractions have long been a favoured escape for travellers the world over looking for wildlife and dramatic scenery. But there’s a lot more for the traveller once the Kruger National Park, Blyde River Canyon, and Dullstroom have been ticked off the list.

Truth is, many of these places are a long drive from the main centres of Tshwane and Johannesburg, so there is a real need to find destinations better suited as a short weekend escape – with a bit of adventure thrown into the mix. So when the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency invited us to experience Songimvelo Nature Reserve and some of Barberton’s unique mining history, we accepted in a flash. The chance to drive two resuscitated 4x4 routes just added to the appeal.

Established in 1987, Somgimvelo is not on the primary tourist routes, yet at 48 000 hectares it is the largest in Mpumalanga, near the famously-scenic Barberton Mountainlands (which have been proposed as a World Heritage Site). It’s also strategically nestled against the north-western border of Eswatini (Swaziland), so has long been a prime candidate as a tourism node for the SongimveloMalolotja Transfrontier Conservation Area. The latter initiative has been slow to develop, and there have been some hitches related to poaching and a dispute over cattle in the reserve, but we are hoping these are now a thing of the past.

The game plan

So that’s the background to SA4x4’s Anton Willemse and I all packed up in a Isuzu D-Max 2.5 double cab, heading out from Johannesburg early one scorching late spring morning. We are due to meet national nature guide Gideon Stapelberg and his wife later in the day in Barberton, a 350km drive.