7 Secrets of Sabie River Valley
Text and pictures: Sue Adams. Article from the Julie 204 issue of Country Life Magazine.
In the Lowveld between the towns of Sabie and Hazyview, the R536 hides more than just the Sabie River
1. On Foot
The 14km Matumi Walking Trail begins at Sabie Valley Coffee Shop at the confluence of the Sabie, Mac Mac and Sabaan rivers. Follow the track upstream under a canopy of indigenous forest that includes matumi trees. Whether you prefer a major hike or short stroll, the bird life is prolific and you might be lucky enough to spot red duiker. In summer there is some great swimming and bum sliding. When you return to the coffee shop, tuck in to a great lunch, or coffee and chocolate cake under the trees.
Sabie Valley Coffee (website, 013 737 8169) will show you where the walk starts or, for a guided walk, contact Induna Adventures (013 737 8308, website).
There are also golf courses in the area that will keep you on your toes:
- The 18-hole Sabie River Bungalows Golf Course at the Sabi River Sun (pictured) a few kilometres from Hazyview is famous for its many water hazards as well as its hippo and croc spectators. (013 737 4600, website).
- Kruger Park Lodge has a 9-hole course outside Hazyview on the road to Kruger. Watch out for cheeky vervet monkeys and warthogs on the greens (013 737 5000, website).
- Lions Rock Golf Lodge is 7km along the R536 from Hazyview and has a fun 9-hole mashie course (083 273 4288, website).
- Sabie Country Club has a picturesque, challenging 9-hole course set on the outskirts of Sabie town (013 764 2282).
2. On Bikes of all Kinds
I was once told there are two types of people – those who cycle and those who ride motorbikes and “ne’er the twain shall meet”. But in the Sabie River Valley there is space for bikers of all types, including quad bikers.
For all cyclists, this is heaven. Mountain bikers who want a guide to show them the mountains and mud of this valley, Induna Adventures (013 737 8308, website) knows the valley inside out. Quad biking is a good halfway option for those who want to explore but aren’t fit enough to cycle the mountains. Again, Induna Adventures offers guided trails through indigenous forests and blue gum plantations, stopping at scenic spots and waterfall viewpoints. Be prepared to get muddy.
For motorbikers, the famous ’22’ (22km stretch along the R536) is one of the iconic rides in South Africa, which bikers from across the world arrive to do. The 66 bends in the first 22km from Sabie towards Hazyview make this a particularly special ride and the challenge is to try to not use your brakes. The Woodsman restaurant in Sabie (013 764 2015) welcomes all bikers and will give advice if needed.
3. In the Air
The area is all the more spectacular explored by air. In a helicopter with Seasons in Africa (013 750 2358, website) or Sunrise Aviation (013 744 9254, website) you can swoop over the waterfalls and gorges, skirt the edge of the escarpment, see God’s Window from a different angle and land on a cliff edge for a picnic. For a more intimate and close-up view take a flight with Wally van Welie (083 259 6469) in his microlight. There is a small airstrip at Hazyview and you can choose how long you wish to fly for and where to go. There is nothing better than hippo spotting along the Sabie River in the evening light. Those who don’t want to have their feet too far from the ground can do a 1.2km aerial cable trail through the forest canopy of the valley. Skyway Trails (013 737 6747, website).
4. In the Water
The Sabie River is the focus of water activities in this area and Induna Adventures (website, 013 737 8308) are the experts. The river has 20 rapids of varying grades along an 8km stretch and anyone looking for a thrilling day will find just the thing. You can white-water raft but tubing (or geckoing) is also very popular. You lie in a blow-up tube and bounce your way down the river, rather like bumper cars in the water.
5. Interact with Animals
Interact with elephants that have been rescued, where the elephant handlers know their charges intimately and you get amazingly close. It’s a special experience to feel the sole of an elephant’s foot or touch the wispy hair on its tail. If you want more you can choose to ride the elephants, breakfast with them and walk with them or even spend a day just looking after them. The two outfits in the area are Elephant Whispers (082 498 4683, 013 750 2358, website) and Elephant Sanctuary (013 737 6609, website).
6. Food and Wine
You are spoilt for choice in this valley, and can easily spend the entire day eating and drinking. But you cannot miss a breakfast under the trees at Sabie Valley Coffee (013 737 8169, website).
If you prefer mid-morning tea, both have excellent pastries and scones. From there, wend your way to the organic Deli@Summerfields, at Summerfields Rose Retreat and Spa (013 737 6500, website), which has an interesting lunchtime tapas menu. Enjoy a light lunch in beautiful gardens on the banks of the Sabie River at the Summerfield River Cafe.
A quirky place to visit is The Windmill and Wine Shop (013 737 8175) about 15km along the R536 from Hazyview towards Sabie. The tiny atmospheric shop looks like a wine cellar and sells wine and coffee.
Just before you get to Sabie Valley Coffee and Induna Adventures from the Hazyview side you will see Pat’s Stall on your left. This always has delicious fresh fruit and variety of interesting goodies produced in the valley.
7. Romance and Pampering
From the moment you arrive at Timamoon (013 492 0033, website) and see the North African towers of the bridge across the Sabie River, it’s like entering another world. The lodge is decorated by the owners with pieces collected on their travels through Africa. The African-Arab feel is exotic and each room has its own plunge pool and views to forever over the Sabie River hundreds of metres below. This is a spoil of the best kind.
At Summerfields Rose Retreat and Spa (013 737 6500, website), lie back and relax in open-air huts on the edge of the Sabie River and indulge in a variety of exotic spa treatments before a delicious lunch made largely from home-grown ingredients.
And if you can’t bear the thought of driving, stay in their luxury tents on the edge of the river and watch the moon rise as you lie in a rose petal foam bath. If I could I would have stayed for a week. Not much can beat this.
Another lodge with lots of private space and good food is Tanamera Lodge (013 764 2900, website), also set up high overlooking the Sabie River.
Perry’s Bridge has a small day spa called Dee’s African Spa (013 737 6595) where you can get a quick treatment. And don’t miss Matsimela Home Spa (013 737 7998), also at Perry’s Bridge, which sells a wonderful range of pampering products – it’s a feast for the senses just to browse.
If you have a rainy day, there is something for everyone at Perry’s Bridge at Hazyview from shopping, eating, art and curios to places for kids to play.
History of the Sabie Valley
- In Lost Trails of the Transvaal, TV Bulpin writes that the Tswana people have been making paths through this valley down to their bushveld hunting grounds for centuries. These paths followed the route of the Sabie or uSaba (the Fearful One) river that was notorious for its floods and fierce crocodiles. This river still floods but forestry has severely limited the flow of the water.
- When Arabs and Portuguese traders settled on the coast, the safari trade grew, with ivory, gold and slaves flowing one way and beads and cloth in the other direction. Bulpin tells the story of a Portuguese trader who sold his bearers into slavery and, on the return of another trader, the local tribes took their revenge and trapped him in a cave. Legend goes that some of the treasure still lies in a cave today.
- In the late 1800s a European man called Nellmapius arrived in South Africa and managed to obtain the first transport concession to Delagoa Bay, running from Mac Mac and the goldfields to the coast. Although the main route ran from Sabie on the now R537 (dirt road), the alternative route seems to have been the one that follows the Sabie River Valley. Sabie Valley Coffee Shop used to be an old trading store.
- Eugene Pierre Perry (known as Pierre Perry), after whom Perry’s Bridge was named, was a French-Canadian friend of Harry Wolhuter, the famous Kruger Park ranger. Both were members of Steinaecker’s Horse, a cavalry regiment that fought in the South African War, during which Perry saved Wolhuter’s life when he was suffering from blackwater fever. After the war, Perry was granted a farm on the Sabie River and started a trading store (now the site of the old Sabi River Bungalows and the modern Sabi River Sun). The bridge over the Sabie River became known as Perry’s Bridge. When Perry died he left his farm to Wolhuter who subsequently sold it.
- John Theunissen, who lives in Sabie town, is a history boffin with plenty of interesting nuggets of history. He told me of the recent interesting find of what might be an old water race (channel) that would have been used to wash alluvial gold. For more history on the area or to take a fascinating tour, pop in to see John at The Loft Coffee Shoppe and Tea House in Sabie town main road. (013 763 1177).
More info on the town of Sabie | More info on the Panorama Route area |
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