Ohrigstad Dam Nature Reserve

Ohrigstad Dam Nature Reserve

Lying between the town of Ohrigstad and the historical village of Pilgrim’s Rest in Mpumalanga, Ohrigstad Dam Nature Reserve is situated on the edge of the Greater Drakensberg Escarpment, 2 500 hectares of beautiful mountain scenery that surrounds the Ohrigstad dam and makes for a tranquil and almost magical getaway.

To make the Ohrigstad Dam reserve seem even more attractive to day visitors, there is a pretty, shady picnic site at the far end of the dam that makes lazy lunches, surrounded by mountains an utterly tempting break to the hustle and bustle that can grip this part of Mpumalanga on the edge of the lowveld, particularly during peak season. The dam offers outstanding fishing opportunities, and yellowtail, carp, tilapia and catfish are numerous, and canoeing and rowing are also popular pastimes.

Ohrigstad, one of the oldest towns on the Panorama Route, lies in a sheltered valley on the R36. It dates back to 1845 and evidence of Iron and Stone Age relics have been found in the area. But the main attraction is the beauty of the surrounding mountains, the immediate calm this evokes in all who visit the area, and the town and nature reserve’s proximity to popular tourist attractions like Blyde River Canyon, God’s Window, Bourke’s Luck Potholes and Pilgrim’s Rest.

The Ohrigstad Dam and Nature Reserve lies roughly 10 kilometres from the turnoff to the Ohrigstad Dam on the R533 en route to Pilgrim’s Rest. There is a prolific bird life, and there are a number of large mammals in the reserve. Sightings of mountain reedbuck, bushbuck, grey rhebok, brown hyena and the little South Africa hedgehog are not uncommon.