Weenen is a small town in the Battlefields region of KwaZulu-Natal. Weenen means “to weep” in Dutch and it was named in memory of a Zulu massacre of Voortrekker settlers when it was established in 1838. It is the second oldest European settlement in KwaZulu-Natal. It is 47km east of Estcourt and is situated on the banks of the Bushman River.
It is mainly a farming town, the main produce being groundnuts, citrus, Lucerne and vegetables. A narrow gauge railway, built in 1907, connects the town to Estcourt. The Weenen Museum provides a detailed history of the town and is an interesting visit.
The area is well known for white-water rafting in the summer months on the 30km stretch of the river known as “The Canyon”, one of the most exciting of all white-water stretches in South Africa. There are also opportunities for abseiling, 4X4 trails, rock climbing and fishing in the area.
However, the Weenen Nature Reserve is probably the biggest attraction in this area. This 5000ha reserve is very well managed and a fair sized population of black and white rhino as well as giraffe and many different buck. Over 250 bird species have been registered and the the vulture feeding site is of particular interest.
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