Bushbuckridge
Formerly a settlement in one of the homelands of our complicated past, Bushbuckridge has emerged as a thriving retail centre with a bustling population and some of the most spectacular views in the land. Wedged in rolling hills between the Lowveld and the Escarpment, the district is also a key player in the Kruger2Canyon biosphere.
Top Attractions
- Mission stations scatter across the misty hills, testament to the good works of numerous organisations around the world which contribute to the upliftment of South Africa’s far-flung rural communities
- Mariepskop – a spectacular mountaintop plateau used by the baPedi people for rock-launching during their decisive victory at the battle of Moholoholo (‘the great, great battle’) in 1864
- Injaka Dam, completed in 2002, is the newest addition to tourism activities in the region and is an ornithological hotspot with plans for water-sports and fishing. The wide-mouthed bass fishing is particularly good here
- The kiaat tree Pterocarpus angolensis is a rarity on much of the continent but still prevalent along the lower reaches of the great escarpment. Watch out for its twisting boughs on the mountain slopes
- Arum Lilies – an iconic wild flower, once known as the South African weed. Catch it along the roadsides on th eraod to Graskop.
- Gowrie Gate – is the northern access to the world-renowned Sabi-Sand collection of Private Game Reserves
- Kruger National Park's Orpen Gate lies north east of Bushbuckridge, giving access to the generously predator-endowed central region of the Park
