Dwaalboom

Dwaalboom, Waterberg

Just over the border between the North West Province and Limpopo, Dwaalboom lies east of Madikwe Game Reserve and north of the Pilansberg National Park virtually in the middle of nowhere.

It has a cemetery, a cement factory, and a primary school, but not much else. Websites and brochures touting the value of staying awhile in this area concentrate instead on the beauty of the surrounding countryside, as Dwaalboom is not necessarily why you head out here.

What you do gain from a visit is bushveld, blue skies and game country. And those farms not already given over to cattle farming and the like, grace their land with an list of wild life that allows weekend visitors from Gauteng and the Northern Province a first hand experience of the bush, without the threat of malaria.

But be prepared as it gets really, really hot out here. During summer temperatures can soar into the 40s, but winters are incredibly mild and serve as a fantastic alternative to the cold of the highveld, hence the number of game farms and lodges in the area.

Acacia trees, and the very rare Pancratium tenuifolium Dwaalboom - a rare species of plant found only in sub-Saharan Africa and used by the San originally to induce visual hallucinations by rubbing the bulb into a head cut - has placed Dwaalboom on the map, so to speak. It is the only species of Pancratium found in southern Africa. It is a gorgeous white, trumpet style like bulb that comes up after rains, particularly the traditional thunderstorm that is prevalent in this part of the countryside.

Whilst here visit: the nearby town of Thabazimbi, Madikwe Game Reserve, or Marakele Park.