Magoebaskloof

The Magoebaskloof is a very beautiful mountain forest area in the Limpopo Province at the very Northern tip of the eastern part of Drakensburg Mountain range. The Magoebaskloof Pass runs between the towns of Tzaneen and Haenerstberg on the R71, and lies adjacent to a rural, grassland and forest plantation area called the Land of the Silver Mist – though this entire area is also referred to as the Magoebaskloof area.

The name means Magoeba’s Valley, but the Magoebaskloof is a series of valleys named after a tribal chief who had his head chopped off by warriors serving under Boer commander Abel Erasmus in 1895.

The Magoebaskloof area is a protected eco-tourism and outdoor activities destination. Besides the many hiking trails, there are horse trails and off-road trails, the amazing Magoebaskloof canopy swing, and the area is a favourite destination for fly-fishing and MTB.  The nearby Ebeneezer Dam is a popular picnic and watersports spot.The indigenous mountain forest is thick and tangly and beautiful, full of liana’s, fungi, ferns, and spliced by mountain streams that flow through rocks pools. The Woodbush State Forest and the De Hoek plantation are part of the Magoebaskloof, and here you will find the Magoebaskloof Hiking Trails, and the spectacular Debegeni Falls and Cap Naude Dam, beautiful endemic birdlife, and a strange rock that makes a sound like a gong when you hit it and is called The Crying Rock. The famous Cheerio Gardens is one of the Magoebaskloof’s main attractions – a beautiful place to stop and have lunch and be wowed by the beautiful and extensive gardens, or to stay for a trout fishing holiday in one of the best mountain trout fishing spots in South Africa.

As the Magoebaskloof widens out toward Tzaneen stands of sub-tropical fruit trees and tea plantations add to the verdancy. The views are beautiful, and a stop for scones and tea at Pekoe Viewpoint is obligatory.

Aside from the Magoebaskloof Hotel there are several country guesthouses and accommodation establishments in the Magoebaskloof area and in the Land of the Silver Mist, with Haenertsberg its ‘Capital’. The Magoebaskloof Tourism office is situated in Haenertsberg. You won’t have a problem finding it; there is only one commercial street.

Getting there: Take the N1 north from Johannesburg, exiting on to the R71 for Tzaneen. It is about 4 hours drive.