The Unknown - Songimvelo Game Reserve

The Best Kept Secret of Mpumalanga:

Songimvelo Game Reserve lies deep in the Baberton Mountains and is one of the largest reserves of the Mpumalanga Parks Board. This reserve extends over 50 000 hectares. It lies in the corner of the province little known to travellers, which is possibly its best attribute.

This area forms one of the oldest regions on Earth, with incredible volcanic and sedimentary rocks, examples of which are exceeded only by those found in Greenland.

Scientists from all over the world visit Songimvelo to study the 3.5 billion year old volcanic rocks, known as the Baberton Greenstone.

It is not this rocks alone that attracts visitors to this area. Wide open plains, hidden valleys and forest ravines support an incredible diversity of wildlife, plants and habitats. The Komati River flows by before it disappears into Swaziland and then to the sea.

The reserve are home to herds of zebra, buffalo, red hartebeest, blue wildebeest, giraffe, kudu and impala. Elephants and rhino from Kruger National Park were also introduced here a few years ago. Although no lions live in the reserve, there are black-backed jackal and brown hyena. The reserve has an incredible rich bird life.

This is really the unknown jewel of the Lowveld and worth a visit.

From Marloth Park or even Kruger, Songimvilo is only 90km away, which makes this a nice day drive.