South Africa Guide
Limpopo
Waterberg
Rising out of the plains to the west of the Great North Road, the Waterberg is one of the least known and most intriguing of South Africa's significant massifs. Once an area of lakes and swamps – hence its name – the elevated plateau can often seem as dry as its surrounding northern bushveld, yet it harbours a diversity of vegetation and topography that for years supported extensive farming and cattle-ranching. In recent times the majority of the old ranches have been converted into a multitude of private reserves catering either for the hugely lucrative hunting market, or less profitable game viewing, with white rhino often heading the list, along with giraffe, large antelope and leopard. Today the entire area, some 14,500 square kilometres of both private and publicly owned land, is encompassed by one of the country's foremost conservation projects – the Waterberg Savanna Biosphere Reserve, designated by UNESCO in 2001. At the heart of the biosphere reserve is the highly regarded Lapalala Wilderness Area located north of Vaalwater – the only settlement of any size in the Waterberg. The biosphere reserve is founded on a close-knit association of landowners inspired by Lapalala's example in combining wildlife conservation with the benefits of tourism.