Wildlife and other Mpumalanga, South Africa General Tips

Favorite Thing: With a variety of national and private game parks in this province, you are spoilt for choice for viewing wildlife!

And I am talking about the Big 5 and all the many other animals that dont get the same 'air-time' as the Big 5, but are just as important and needed :)

All types of bird- and insect life abound. It is a fertile and lush area, with much beauty in the environment as well as in it's animal-life.


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Favorite Thing: The Mac Mac, Lisbon and Berlin waterfalls in Mpumalanga are lovely to view.

My favourite childhood memory of these three is the Mac Mac Falls - a National Monument, which dramatically fall over a sheer rock cliff from a height of 65 metres.

Back then there was a more accessible platform onto which to walk to view the falls... and today there is a fence and some haphazard barbed wire impeding getting closer.

What also impeded you getting closer is the rock walkway to get to the waterfall! It is impossible to get a pram/buggy/stroller or a wheelchair there, sadly.

The surrounding area is a favourite family picnic spot.

There are curio stalls by the parking lot and a nominal entrance fee of R10.00 is charged.


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Favorite Thing: Go paragliding and hand gliding from Mount Carmel - a good friend of mine often does this, and I have watched from the top of the hill as he has glided down on fantastic thermals!

There are a variety of paragliding companies in the area - where they also offer tandem flights for beginners/novices.


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Favorite Thing: The Sudwala Caves are impressive caves, about half an hour before Nelspruit.

They offer the usual tours, which I enjoy - they give you loads of information about the rock, the water, the history.... and then they offer adventure tours too, where you get to swim in and crawl under tunnels in the caves.

If you suffer from claustrophobia or are afraid of being under water or in the dark... then this is NOT the tour for you!

You will need to throw away your clothes after this trek though, as they will get frightfully dirty!


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Favorite Thing: The Lisbon waterfalls in Mpumalanga are gorgeous, we watch them for ages.

They are 92 metres high, the highest in the area.

There are steps and ramps, so wheelchair users and mums and dads with prams have easy access to the edge of the viewing points.. and there are various viewing points, which is great for photos, and you are assured of a good view.

There are curio stalls by the parking lot, they sell a variety of wood crafts and textile designs. I bought a lovely black and white guineafowl tablecloth for R150 only! Such good value for money.

There is a nominal entrance fee of R10.00.


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Favorite Thing: The Berlin waterfalls are in a superb setting, and are 45 metres high.

Wheelchair users and mums and dads with prams have easy access to the edge of the viewing points.

There are curio stalls by the parking lot, and they sell a variety of wood crafts and textile designs. If you go to a few of the local sights, you will notice that the same crafts are sold at each sight... so if you don't buy something at one waterfall, there's a good chance it'll be at the next!

There is a nominal entrance fee of R10.00.


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Favorite Thing: The Park is massive and boasts large herds of animals in varying shape and form, an example being when a herd of over 500 buffalo were seen crossing in front of us when we were on our way out of the park at sunset in 2002! We saw huge herds in 2009 again, which was a relief.

For the wild animals who live in the park, each and every day is a struggle to survive, so every sense must remain on high alert, throughout the day, and the night, when most predators actually do their hunting!

As the numbers of wild animals dwindle though, due to man encroaching on their terrain, plus due to hunting, so too are the opportunities to see them in their natural state and context dwindling. Parks like this are godsends.


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