The Waterberg Biosphere

The Waterberg Biosphere

Situated in the magnificent Waterberg Mountain Range of Limpopo, the Waterberg District is the ideal getaway where the weary traveller can relax and revel in the great natural beauty of the bushveld savannah and its rich wildlife heritage. The Waterberg Mountains stretch along more than 5 000 km² of spectacular vistas and scenic valleys - the ideal destination off the beaten tourism track.

The Waterberg is steeped in a history and some artefacts found here date back to Stone Age times. The area is a mosaic of culture and tradition as is reflected by the different rural tribes such as the Bapedi, Tswana and Basotho, while the Voortrekkers also left their distinctive mark on the area.

Commercial agriculture is an integral part of Limpopo, and cattle ranching and maize farming are regional institutions - the water-rich valleys of the Limpopo River on the Botswana border provide sweet bushveld grazing, while the plains of the Springbok Flats near the towns of Bela-Bela and Mokopane are covered with a colourful quilt of carefully cultivated fields of maize and sunflowers. Otherwise, the bushveld landscape, interspersed with sandstone buttresses and baobab, Marula and fever trees, supports a number of towns that make up one of the country's fastest-growing industrial and agricultural districts. The Waterberg is one of the most mineralised regions in the world and numerous towns form part of the Bushveld Igneous Complex - 50,000km² treasure trove yielding massive amounts of minerals such as vanadium, platinum, nickel and chromium.

The Waterberg District offers the tourist a bit of both worlds - an infrastructure of excellent facilities and modern conveniences found in the many game reserves and conservation areas, coupled with the opportunity to experience the African wilderness in its pristine state.