Mpumalanga’s Small Towns with Big Adventures!

Mpumalanga is crammed full of adventures to suit everyone’s taste. With a host of fabulous small towns all providing their own unique escapades, the only problem you’ll have is deciding where to go!

Here are five Mpumalanga towns that provide the perfect get-away, whether you have just an afternoon to explore or a whole weekend to adventure.

Dullstroom

Mpumalanga might be home to the Big 5, but in Dullstroom it’s all about the ‘Big F’s’! Fishing, fresh air and cosy fires.

South Africa’s premier fly-fishing destination, Dullstroom is any angler’s dream break-away. With rainbow and brown trout galore, still water and river fishing in abundance, anglers of all ages will be in fishing heaven!

However, there is a lot more to Dullstroom than just fish.

For those used to the heat of Mpumalanga, Dullstroom is a welcome break from the norm and during winter months Dullstroom is at its most magical. The frosty mornings and cool evenings provide the perfect excuse to wrap up warm, open a bottle of wine and spend a cosy day in front of a roaring fire.

Finally, the fresh air and the area’s flora & fauna are another great reason to head to Dullstroom. There are many nature hikes and mountain bike trails that provide a great escape from the stresses of everyday life.

Dullstroom

Sabie

The gold rush town of Sabie is still drawing treasure hunters, only now they are looking for adventure and not gold.

Packed full of great restaurants, coffee shops and guesthouses, it is the perfect overnight stop for anyone looking to explore the Panorama Route. It is also the ideal day trip for those simply looking for adventure.

White-water rafting, caving, tubing, abseiling, kloof jumping, quad-biking, trail running, white water tubing, mountain biking – you can do it all in Sabie!

Sabie is the ultimate place for family adventure.

Kaapsehoop

Wild horses, ancient stone circles, bohemian café’s, artisan studios and the breath-taking escarpment drop. Kaapsehoop is often described as a town plucked straight from the pages of a fairy tale.

Once you have experienced the town’s show-stopping views, it is easy to understand why it has drawn so many artists from across the country over the years. These creative inhabitants have transformed this small town into a must see tourist attraction.

If your idea of the perfect weekend adventure is to browse through the many cafe’s and art studios, to set off on a quest to find the town’s wild horses, or to simply walk through the natural maze of boulders to the escarpment edge then Kaapsehoop won’t disappoint.

Kaapsehoop

Barberton

In a region packed full of gold rush towns, Barberton still stands out.

Surrounded by the spectacular Makhonjwa Mountains, the roads that surround Barberton offer some of the best scenic drives in South Africa.

This town is home to the world’s oldest and richest working gold mine and provides numerous adventures for people looking for a ‘gold rush experience’ and wanting to get a real taste of what life would have been like back then.

But there is more to Barberton than gold.

Barberton’s unassuming Restaurant Josephine is considered by foodies to be one of the best restaurants in the province. The magnificent mountains offer paragliding experiences for those willing to take to the skies for a bird’s eye view of the province. The Geotrail allows visitors to step back in time and witness what life would have been like 3.5 billion years ago. Before man, before the dinosaurs, before life as we know it!

Read: A Day Trip to Barberton

White River

If you would enjoy a holistic shopping experience that will stimulate all your senses and leave you feeling refreshed and relaxed, then Casterbridge Lifestyle Centre in White River is the only place to go!

At Casterbridge, you’ll have the option to peruse galleries of local artists, enjoy live music, browse high-end fashion outlets, find the perfect handcrafted gift, taste luxury chocolates or artisan wine and even shop for fine furniture. All this combined with a health and wellness centre and a selection of top-class restaurants, the Casterbridge experience is a must-do for the whole family to enjoy!