Melkrivier

Melkrivier, Waterberg

Possibly the main attraction for visitors to Melkrivier is how close it is to Johannesburg. A mere two and a half hours worth of driving, and you're in an entirely different world. In Melkrivier, nestled in the heart of the Waterberg Mountains, one is transported to the heart of the African experience - game country.

The added advantage to being able to experience the bush this close to a major city in South Africa is the incredible scenery the Waterberg around Melkrivier offers its visitors.

The terrain harbours the constant presence of the mountain range, deep ravine gorges, waterfalls that gush over precipitous cliffs and open savannah plains and bush that act as home to a plethora of game, including blue wildebeest, the elusive leopard, giraffe, bushbuck, eland and zebra.

All of this enchantment lies within the Waterberg Biosphere, one of the first regions in the northern part of the country to be named a biosphere reserve by UNESCO. It is an ecosystem characterised by dry deciduous forest, known as Bushveld, and is home to incredible rock formations shaped by riverine erosion hundreds of million years ago. One of the sub-habitats within the biosphere is the savanna, and it is these rolling grasslands and semi-deciduous forest that offer grazing to the animals one comes to see.

The experience of bush drives coupled with the luxury and intimacy of tented camps and lodges is what game farms in and around Melkrivier are all about. This is sheer escape and indulgence and few who visit this area can resist the temptation.