Mpumalanga

Andover Nature Reserve is a small, low-key bushveld reserve on the R531, west of Manyeleti and within the wider Kruger, Sabi Sand and Timbavati landscape. It is a useful choice for visitors who want a simpler, self-catering base with game viewing, birdlife and the feeling of being away from the busiest safari routes.

Barberton Nature Reserve protects a large, rugged section of Mpumalanga south-east of Mbombela, where the Noord Kaap River cuts through hills and escarpment. It is a scenic reserve for travellers who value geological drama, biodiversity, birding and a slower self-drive experience rather than a conventional lodge safari.

Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve protects one of Mpumalanga’s defining landscapes: a deep, green canyon on the Great Escarpment, with cliffs, river valleys, forest pockets and wide Highveld-to-Lowveld views. It is the natural heart of the Panorama Route and a worthwhile destination for visitors who combine carefully chosen walks with the reserve’s celebrated viewpoints.

Hikes outside a reserve in Mpumulanga.

Kruger National Park is one of Africa’s great wildlife landscapes, stretching across north-eastern South Africa from the Crocodile River country in the south to the far-northern rivers and baobab landscapes. It offers far more than a Big Five checklist: river systems, granite and basalt geology, changing vegetation, birdlife and a long conservation history reward visitors who allow time to travel slowly.

Ligwalagwala Conservancy is a protected landscape in the Bushbuckridge area of Mpumalanga. It belongs in a complete reserve directory because conservation areas such as this help connect habitats and communities, but it should not be treated as a casual day-visit hiking venue without a confirmed arrangement from the responsible local management.

Loskop Dam Nature Reserve surrounds the broad Loskop Dam on the Olifants River, north of Middelburg. Its mix of water, grassland and bushveld makes it one of Mpumalanga’s most versatile provincial reserves, suited to a careful self-drive, birding, fishing and a relaxed dam-side break rather than a rushed safari itinerary.

Mahushe Shongwe Game Reserve is a community-based reserve in the Lowveld near Malelane, in the far east of Mpumalanga. It is a valuable example of conservation linked to local land and local benefit, and it offers a different perspective from the province’s large national parks and commercial private reserves.

Manyeleti Game Reserve is a 23,750-hectare bushveld reserve west of Kruger National Park, south of Orpen Gate. Its Shangaan name means “place of stars”, an apt description for a quieter safari landscape of open savanna, riverine vegetation, night skies and a broad unfenced wildlife connection with Kruger, Sabi Sand and Timbavati.

Mjejane Private Game Reserve lies beside the Crocodile River near Hectorspruit, along the southern boundary of Kruger National Park. It is a private, accommodation-based reserve within the Greater Kruger landscape, offering a more contained bush stay rather than a public park for unplanned day visits or independent game drives.

Mkhombo Nature Reserve is an 11,223-hectare protected area centred on the shores of a large dam in Mpumalanga. It conserves a distinctive easterly Kalahari thornveld environment, bringing water, grassland, shrubs and thornveld together in a landscape that deserves attention beyond the province’s better-known safari names.

Mount Anderson Wildlife & Water Catchment Reserve lies in the cool Mpumalanga Highlands, in a landscape of mountain grassland, streams and small dams. It is a private conservation area rather than an open-access provincial reserve, so its value to SA Hikes is as a carefully identified place whose catchment, scenery and wildlife should be understood with the correct access boundaries.

Mthethomusha Nature Reserve is a 7,500-hectare community conservation area in the Ehlanzeni South region of Mpumalanga. It is managed by the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency through an agreement linked to the Mpakeni community, making it an important example of conservation that is rooted in land, livelihoods and local governance as well as biodiversity.

Nkomazi Game Reserve is a private reserve in Mpumalanga’s Komati River country, where broad valleys, mountains, grassland and bushveld meet. It is an accommodation-based safari destination, best approached as a planned stay with guided activities rather than a public reserve for independent hiking or casual day access.

Nooitgedacht Dam Nature Reserve is a roughly 3,000-hectare Highveld reserve north-west of Carolina, centred on Nooitgedacht Dam near the Komati River’s headwaters. It is a quieter Mpumalanga reserve where open water, grassland and game viewing can make for a relaxed, well-prepared day or overnight visit.

Ohrigstad Dam Nature Reserve is a compact mountain reserve west of Pilgrim’s Rest on the R533, where the Highveld meets the Lowveld beneath the escarpment. Its dam, slopes and changing vegetation make it an appealing stop for birders and careful outdoor visitors who understand that access and activities need to be confirmed at the reserve.

SS Skhosana Nature Reserve is a protected area near Bronkhorstspruit in Mpumalanga, associated with the cultural heartland of the Ndebele people. It is a useful day-visit or weekend destination for travellers who want a quieter combination of natural scenery, birding and cultural awareness away from the province’s major safari circuits.

Sabi Sands Nature Reserve is a private reserve adjoining Kruger National Park in the Greater Kruger landscape. It is internationally known for guided wildlife viewing, particularly in leopard country, but its defining visitor rule is simple: access is through a booked lodge or a correctly arranged transfer, not an independent day safari or public hiking outing.

Songimvelo Nature Reserve is Mpumalanga’s largest provincial game reserve, protecting about 48,000 hectares of mountains, savanna, grassland, gorges and Komati River country near the Eswatini border. Its name is often translated as “we are conserving nature”, and the reserve offers one of the province’s richest combinations of scenery, plants, geology, wildlife and practical outdoor adventure.

Verloren Vallei Nature Reserve is a 6,000-hectare grassland and wetland reserve near Dullstroom in the Mpumalanga Highlands. Internationally recognised for its wetland importance, it is one of the province’s most rewarding places for visitors who enjoy birds, wildflowers, open views and a calm self-guided drive or walk rather than a Big Five safari.