Haenertsburg village lies on the edge of the Great Escarpment in Limpopo, above the Magoebaskloof Pass that snakes towards Tzaneen around hairpin bends that drop about 600m over just 6km – one of the steepest passes in South Africa. Nature lovers come for the forests, waterfalls and birding, adventure lovers for a flock of adrenalin activities. Here’s my pick of things to do in Haenertsburg and Magoebaskloof.
Haenertsburg was named after Carl Ferdinand Haenert, a German prospector who found gold here in 1886. Predictably, a gold rush followed before diggers moved on to Pilgrim’s Rest. Although there are only about 500 residents today, you can get a taste of the gold rush frenzy on weekends when the village buzzes with visitors.
1. Zipline on the Magoebaskloof Canopy Tour
You get a full safety briefing beforehand, and two guides stay with you the whole way to check everything is hunky-dory, and to give you some insight into the ecology and geology of the Letaba River Gorge through which you’re travelling.
Book ahead and find it about 12km south-east of Haenertsburg on the R528. It makes a great 2.5 hours of fun. For your safety, the weight limit is 120kg. You need to be fit enough to walk about 1km uphill out of the forest once the fun is over.
Magoebaskloof Adventures, who run the canopy tour, are also the guys to talk to if you’re looking for other adventures like white-water tubing, abseiling, hiking, mountain biking, kloofing or canyoning.
2. Visit glorious gardens
The Cheerio Café overlooking a dam makes a splendid place for a light meal before or after your walk (see point 14). You can also go e-biking at Cheerio Gardens.
Other gardens in the Magoebaskloof well worth visiting in September are Sequioa Gardens where some 100 trees are helpfully identified (book and pay ahead), and Kuhestan Organic Farm (open daily from 9:00 to 12:00).
3. Taste beer
My favourite was an Indian Pale Ale called Weekend Special, which has lemongrass added in the brewing process, producing an unusual more-ish flavour. The Limpopo Lager is also good, as are the Mexican-style lager and Moringa Ale. I’m not as big a beer drinker as my husband but we both found more to like here than at most craft breweries we’ve been to. The only one I didn’t enjoy was Ximoko, which had a smoky flavour, but brewmaster Prince Malatji suggests it goes well with a braai. There’s also a beer that will appeal to birders and conservationists. It’s called Cape Parrot Ale, and a small percentage of the price of every bottle you buy helps fund conservation efforts to protect the endangered Cape Parrot and its habitat.
What made our visit extra special is that Prince took the time to show us around the 1000-litre brewery and tell us a bit about the brewing process using pure mountain water. The word Zwakala means ‘come closer’ and we found it apt given the welcoming atmosphere. You can have a meal here too (see point 14). The brewery is open Friday to Sunday and Public Holidays 11:00-17:00.
4. Go birding in the Woodbush Forest Reserve
To get to the forest drive, which is 17km from Haenertsburg, take the R71 east and about 2km past the Magoebaskloof Hotel, turn to the left onto the gravel road to Houtbosdorp/Woodbush and follow the signs. We recommend a high clearance vehicle and patience enough to go slowly.
There are good hikes here too, and being on foot is one of the best ways to see some of the trees, ferns and fungi, as well as to spot birds like crowned eagle, African cuckoo-hawk, Cape parrot, narina trogon, blue-mantled crested flycatcher, chorister robin-chat, black-fronted bush-shrike, orange ground-thrush, buff-spotted flufftail, grey cuckooshrike and yellow-streaked greenbul.
Do you love birding but find those little forest birds difficult to spot because you don’t know their calls? Book a guided tour with bird boffins David Letsoalo on 083 568-4678 or Paul Nkhumane on 084 354-9710. There’s nothing they don’t know about the birds of Limpopo and where to find them. And there’s nothing they like more than giving you a birding bonanza and sending you home happy, with a bunch of new ticks and specials under your belt.
5. Have a picnic at Debengeni Falls
You’ll pay an entrance fee at the boom (in August 2024 we paid R50 per person). And it’s well worth it to see the falls and spend some time wandering along one of the short walks. Best would be to take along a packed picnic to enjoy with the gurgling water as a sound track. There are shady trees, picnic tables, benches and braai places, as well as toilets. We visited on a Monday morning after a long weekend and were impressed to see it already scrubbed clean, not a piece of litter in sight.
6. Go hiking
Other trails to look out for are the 3km, 5km and 8km hiking/running Schultz Trails next to Krabbefontein Coffeeshop just off the R71 at the bottom of Magoebaskloof Pass. To breathe in the clean mountain air, try the 14.6km Debengeni Waterfall Trail, the 3.3km, 9km or 12km Makgeng Hiking Trail, or the 3.8km Swartbos Trail near the Magoebaskloof Hotel – all through indigenous forest with gorgeous unfolding views.
If you’re afraid of getting lost, choose a two-hour guided trail with the guys at Magoesbaskloof Adventures. The trails take you along the Letaba River, through indigenous forest with views of mountains and waterfalls.
For something more challenging than a day-hike, consider the 2-5 night options on the Magoebaskloof Hiking Trail. Phone 013 754-2724 or email [email protected] / [email protected] for more info (they’ll send you a 16-page pdf). These are also the people who can make…
