Kingdom
Trails is a 15,000 ha privately owned
nature reserve, one of the largest in Mpumalanga
and South Africa. This pristine nature area is about
120 km north-east of Pretoria and Johannesburg.
Hidden within a natural amphitheatre of the Olifants
River Gorge, it encompasses the confluence of the
Olifants and Wilge rivers in the escarpment break
above Loskop Dam. It is an area of outstanding natural
and scenic beauty that includes Highveld grasslands,
red granite cliffs with seasonal springs, bushveld
woodlands and dense riverine vegetation.
Activities
at Kingdom Trails include hiking trails of differing
durations and challenges, bird watching, game viewing,
canoeing, abseiling, river rafting in season and
fishing on 32 km of unspoilt river frontage. The
two main hiking trails offer two-day circular hikes
of ±16 km and 8 km each. Accommodation facilities
include four choices. One of these, a rustic base
camp on the banks of the Wilge River, offers accommodation
for up to 30 hikers in several separate huts.
Numerous
indigenous wildlife species occur on the Kingdom
Trails property, including kudu, impala, wildebeest
and zebra.
Only
1.5 hours from O.R. Tambo International Airport
and Pretoria via the N4, Kingdom Trails is easily
accessed by road. The last 10 km, however, are on
farm tracks which sometimes require 4WD during the
rainy season or after rain showers.
Kingdom
Trails is a malaria-free area.