Nature
Sipho Radebe · 02 Apr 2026 · 5 min read
Why the Waterberg's malaria-free reserves are the smartest safari in the country right now.
Three hours from Johannesburg, malaria-free and with a fraction of the vehicles: the maths on a Waterberg safari is hard to argue with.
Choose a reserve under 20 000 hectares if you have two nights, larger if you have four.
Go in winter. The bush is thin, the animals are at the water and the light is perfect from four o'clock onward.
Itineraries
Two nights, one tank of fuel and everything worth stopping for between Bela-Bela and Vaalwater.
Lerato Mokoena · 8 min read
Hidden Gems
Rock pools, a one-table restaurant and the best sundowner spot in the biosphere.
Johan van Wyk · 6 min read
Food
From wood-fired farm kitchens to the roadside stall selling the region's best boerewors roll.
Naledi Phiri · 7 min read
