| The Waterberg as I perceived it, was a region just north of Pretoria that had Malaria-free game reserves. Even though I had been in the travel industry for quite a few years, I never explored the Waterberg, which is perhaps why I am so interested in this part of South Africa, now that I am living here…The Waterberg is a majestic wilderness area, offering a very different African bush experience. The heavy summer rainfall supports a predominantly sour bushveld type of vegetation and summer birding is fantastic, particularly in areas such as Nylsvlei, which is a RAMSAR waterfowl site, and the Welgevonden Game Reserve. Hot mineral springs bubble out of the earth at about 22 000 litres per hour at a temperature of about 53ºC and the water literally pours out of the mountains during the rainy season. The Waterberg is like a sponge, the sandy soil and rocky outcrops sock up the rain until a point when the water table has been filled to the brim and it releases the underground, great-tasting water to the surface in the form of springs and waterfalls. I have come to admire the Waterberg in a different way, it too holds bushman rock art in sandstone shelters, battlefields and war memorials, game reserves and forests. |
