The small village of Wakkerstroom is called the ‘Jewel of Mpumalanga’ and is situated in a Highveld Wetland Grassland area of considerable importance to South Africa as a natural heritage area.
The Wakkerstroom Wetlands support many endemic and endangered species, and the Wakkerstroom Wetland Reserve and Training Centre has put Wakkerstroom on the birding map and monitors many endangered bird species.
Other attractions on this tiny rural community that was barely known prior to the setting up of the Reserve include Alpaca Goats and wool products, 4×4 and MTB Trails, fly-fishing, San Rock Art, hiking trails, off-road-biking and quad-biking, horse-riding and horse trails.
Wakkerstroom is tiny. It was once a collection of farms and a few rural retreat and retirement homes for ‘Gautengers’ around a tiny town with some historical buildings but not much else, but thanks to successful promotion of the birding, the still charmingly small village now includes beautiful guest-houses, restaurants, shops and pubs. Well worth a visit – and not just for the birding. The countryside is beautiful, though it can get very cold here in winter; the summers are milder than other areas of Mpumalanga and can be rainy.
Getting there: Wakkerstroom is situated just east of Volksrust on the R543.
