Find Magic in​ Magoebaskloof

Magoebaskloof, with its forests, clear streams and soaring mountains, is only four hours from Gauteng. Here are 10 great activities for a long weekend in the Land of the Silver Mist.

- Erns Grundling

Approaching Polokwane, I shimmy east and head towards Magoebaskloof. Over the course of the following 50 km, the landscape transforms. Goodbye Highveld, hello green! The boring stretch of N1 between Pretoria and Polokwane is soon forgotten.

Magoebaskloof, with the town of Haenertsburg as its gateway, was once described by Scottish novelist John Buchan as “The Land of the Silver Mist”. It’s a highlying part of the north-eastern tip of the Drakensberg and indeed, often shrouded in mist.

Like the Lowveld escarpment around Sabie and Graskop further south, Magoebaskloof is also a transitional area. Magoebaskloof Pass, on the R71 between Haenertsburg and Tzaneen, descends 600 m in only 6 km.

The kloof is named after King Makgoba, a brave fighter who was beheaded in 1885 by Swazi soldiers under command of the ZAR general Piet Joubert. The landscape teems with history: Haenertsburg was established in 1887 during a gold rush and the last Long Tom cannon was destroyed by the Boers at nearby Rondebult in 1901 during the Anglo-Boer War.

It’s also a magical place, with Modjadjiskloof further east where the rain queen has reigned over the Balobedu people since the 16th century.

We covered Haenertsburg in detail in go! #128; now it’s time to cast the net wider and look for 10 fun things to do in the greater Magoebaskloof area. You can still use Haenertsburg or any of the other accommodation options towards Tzaneen as a base – all the activities listed here can be done as day outings.