The Grass and Wetlands Region: watery paradise in Mpumalanga province

BBordered by the province of KwaZulu-Natal in the south and neighbouring state eSwatini (formerly Swaziland) in the east, the Grass and Wetlands Region of Mpumalanga province – a network of hundreds of lakes, streams and rivers – is aptly nicknamed ‘the Lake District of South Africa’.  

Four of South Africa’s major rivers – the Tugela, the Vaal, the Olifants and the Pongola – have their sources in the grasslands of Mpumalanga, so the Grass and Wetlands Region teems with both aquatic and grassland bird life, drawing bird-watchers from around the world. 

At the heart of Mpumalanga’s wetlands lies the town of Chrissiesmeer, a world within a world, graced by the presence of the greater and lesser flamingo. With some 270 lakes and pans within a 20km radius and plentiful accommodation within the town itself, Chrissiesmeer is a logical starting point for a wetlands adventure.  

If you’re an avid bird-watcher, you have a big job ahead. Can you log all 82 aquatic and 170 non-aquatic bird species? A picnic on the banks of Lake Chrissie, South Africa’s largest freshwater lake, is a good start. The small town of Wakkerstroom near the KwaZulu-Natal border is another birding mecca. 

Unsurprisingly, the Grass and Wetlands Region of Mpumalanga offers countless outdoor activities, both on the water – sailing, boating, fishing and water-skiing, for a start – and off – like quad-biking, 4-wheel drive trails, horse trails and hiking.  

Then there are the experiences unique to the region. Ever fancied going on a frogging safari? What about a stargazing weekend? Keen to explore ancient San rock art? Or measure yourself against ‘Goliath’s footprint’, embedded in the rock? Heard of the lost Legoya nation and their huts? They’re still there waiting for you, 1 000 years after they were built… 

If you’d like to catch up on more recent history, stay a night or 2 at the brand-spanking-new John Jack Inn in Chrissiesmeer, faithfully rebuilt in 2012 with as many original materials as possible, to recreate the style in which it was first built in 1882 by John Jack and his partner, Jack Simmer. It went through several changes and rebuilds over the late 19th and early 20th centuries (including, rumour has it, a period when it was run as a brothel) but finished up named the Dumbarton Oaks Hotel – until it burnt to the ground in 1936. 

These days, the John Jack Inn is again a prime tourist destination, along with the nearby Billiard Room (now a theme pub) – shipped by ox wagon all the way from Bloemfontein to serve as an officers’ mess for British soldiers in the South African War (AKA the Second Anglo-Boer War; 1899-1902) – and the inn’s former stables, which are now an art gallery.