Reptile Route

Picnic spot
Historic site
Educational
Fun activity
Toilet facilities
Gravel road
Rainy day route

Webmaster's Note:
Although the crime rate in the area is low, petty theft do occur from time to time. You are advised to lock your parked vehicles.

Short, day-trip drives from Sabie

Reptile Route

The Reptile Route is a favourite route, especially when inclement weather boycott some of the other day trips from Sabie.

It covers the Sudwala caves and dinosaur park, reptile park, casino, botanical garden, three different cultural villages, the towns of Nelspruit, White River and Hazyview, an avocado oil factory and a coffee farm.

Sudwala Caves
Dinosaur Park
Swazi Cultural Village
Chimpanzee Eden
Nelspruit City
Botanic Garden
Cascades Waterfall
Emnotweni Casino
Tribal Cultural Village
White River Town
Antique Car Museum
Rottcher Orange Winery
Hazyview Town
Perry's Bridge Reptile Park
Shangaan Cultural Village
Coffee Farm

Sudwala Caves

Sudwala Caves is less than 50 km from Sabie. Drive from Sabie towards Lydenburg on the R532 and take the R37 turnoff to Nelspruit, 9 km from Sabie. Continue along the R37 for 20 km before turning off on the R539 at Rosehaugh. Follow the R539 for 16 km and turn right at the T-junction. The Sudwala Caves and Dinosaur Park is a further 2 km.

Screaming Monster The magnificent Sudwala Caves contain the largest dolomite chamber in the world. This chamber, the Owen Hall, is a natural amphitheatre of about 70 m in diameter and 37 m in height. The tourist route through the subterranean complex is approximately 600 m long. Cool, fresh air from an unknown source circulates through the spacious corridors and mammoth halls, ensuring visitors a comfortable walk past weirdly shaped, illuminated stalagmites and stalactites.

The caves are open 7 days a week with guided tours every half hour from 08:00 to17:00. By prior arrangement a 6-hour tour to the Crystal Chamber is conducted on Saturdays. The Dinosaur Park, Swazi Tribal Village, curio shops and a restaurant are all located on the premises.
Contact:
Sudwala Caves on (013) 733-4152

Webmaster's Note:
The Sudwalaskraal Restaurant is an ideal place from which to start your day, but be wary of surprises. My breakfast was served cold with a rather hefty R45 bill attached to it.

Dinosaur Park
The Dinosaur Park at the Sudwala Caves is set in a lush tropical garden. It contains life-sized, scientifically accurate models of pre-historic animals. The Park, with its collection of animals, tells the story of the development of life on earth. It hosts animals as diverse as the ancient amphibious and mammal-like reptiles, dinosaurs, extinct mammals, pre-historic man and more.

Swazi Tribal Village
At the Tribal Village (located at the Sudwala Caves) you can experience traditional tribal dancing in true Swazi fashion.

Located within the Ethnic Villages you can explore the differences between the Zulu, Swazi, and Ndebele tribes. Experienced tour guides will highlight these differences and will explain the different cultural groups in terms of their building styles, social order and other aspects relating to each culture.

An absolute must for any visitor is to participate in a real traditional African meal in the guest hut. Enjoy pap (stiff maize porridge) and marrog (like spinach), fried corn, nuts and meat, all cooked over a fire in the cooking hut and served in traditional style. Hospitality is extended by sharing the sorghum beer served in a clay pot before, during and after the meal. For the more adventurous, a mopanie worm starter will be served.

Nelspruit City
From Sudwala Caves follow the R539 to the N4 toll-road. Turn left at the T-junction and follow the N4 for 26 km into Nelspruit. Nelspruit is situated in the fertile Crocodile River Valley at an altitude of 660 m. As the capital of the Mpumalanga province it is the industrial, legislative and economic hub of the region. With its mild, frost-free winters and hot and humid summers the town's gardens, parks and streets are cloaked by a profusion of pink and purple bougainvillea, blood-red flamboyants, jacaranda and acacia trees.

Chimpanzee Eden
From Nelspruit drive on the R40 towards Barberton for 12km and then turn left at the signboard to Umhloti Lodge and JGI. The Jane Goodall Institute's Chimpanzee Eden is another 4km off the R40.

Set on a 1,000 hectare game reserve, the JGI Chimpanzee Eden is a home to chimpanzees that have been misplaced from their natural habitat. The world renowned Jane Goodall Institute has made this tranquil venue their South African sanctuary and has committed itself to the rescue and care take of chimpanzees in need of refuge. Being the first and only chimpanzee sanctuary in South Africa, this venue brings the world of chimpanzees closer to humanity through education, tourism and modern technology.

The sanctuary is open 7 days a week from 08:00 to 17:00. with Chimpanzee Tours every hour on the hour. A restaurant on the premesis serve breakfasts and lunches. Chimp feeding times are at 10:00 and 14:00.
Tour Fees:
South Africans: R100/adult, R50 for kids under 12 years old.
Foreigners: R250/person or R385/person, inclusive of breakfast/lunch

Lowveld Botanic Garden
From the N4 crossing in Nelspruit follow the R40 towards White River and turn off right at the next robot.

Laid out on the banks of the Crocodile River, the Lowveld Botanic Garden offers the visitor an insight into the great variety of Lowveld flora. Here indigenous plants are grown, scientifically studied, protected and shown to the public in tranquil surroundings. The man-made rain forest with its lush vegetation is well worth the visit. There is also a comprehensive Lowveld Herbarium and indigenous plants are for sale at the nursery.

Cascades Waterfall
The Cascades waterfall is in the Botanical Garden at the confluence of the Crocodile and Nels Rivers on property once farmed by Sir Percy Fitzpatrick, author of "Jock of the Bushveld".

Emnotweni Casino
From the Lowveld Botanical Garden turnoff continue with the R40 towards White River for 2 km before turning off to the right for the Emnotweni Casino and Riverside Shopping Mall.

Tribal Village
Continue on the R40 towards White River for 13.9 km from the R40 - N4 crossing in Nelspruit. The Kraal Craft Tribal Village is on the right-hand side, right next to the R40.

The Tribal Village have a display of authentically built huts representing 5 of the indigenous South African tribes; i.e. Zulu, Swazi, Tsonga/Shangaan, Ndebele and Pedi. You can watch Ndebele women at work making intricate beadwork, and if your visit coincides with a visit by a tour bus consider yourself fortunate as these women then dress up in their traditional dresses and perform a dancing routine for the tourists. The Village also have a live three meter long crocodile and a Pygmy Hippo on display.

White River Town
White River is at an altitude of 990 m and has a mild subtropical climate. This picturesque town is a mass of colourful subtropical flowering shrubs such as poinsettias, hibiscus, tibouchina and bougainvillea. In 1904 the area was set aside for British ex-soldier settlers but farming was not successful because the farms were to small. In 1914 a syndicate bought up all the small holdings and planted it with citrus - the start of today's very successful industry. Today farms and orchards flourish and the air is fragrant with orange blossoms. There are groves of pecan nut trees, mangoes, litchis, pawpaws, bananas and avocado pears around White River.

Antique Car Museum
Continue with the R40 through White River. Turn left at the last robot in town and follow this road (still the R40) for ?? km to the Casterbridge centre. Apart from a number of furniture, curio and arts & crafts shops, the Casterbridge Centre houses an unique collection of antique and vintage motor cars.

Rottcher Orange Winery
Still at the Casterbridge centre, visit Rottcher Wineries. Established in 1959 they are the only producers of orange wine in Mpumalanga. Rottcher Wineries takes pride in the unique taste and packaging of their famous Avalencia orange and ginger liquors, as well as the addition of an Avalencia Chilli wine. Packaged in bottles or hand-made stoneware jugs these products make excellent mementos of your Lowveld holiday and are ideal as gifts.

Hazyview Town
From Casterbridge continue with the R40 to Hazyview town, situated at an altitude of 610 m in the Sabie River valley.

Here you can shop around at the numerous road stalls for various subtropical fruits, such as mangos, litchis, avocado pears, bananas, pawpaws, passion fruit, oranges and nuts.

Perry's Bridge Reptile Park
View some of South Africa and the world's most venomous snakes in park-like enclosures, designed to mimic the animals' natural environment. Species include anacondas, pythons, black & green mambas, rattlesnakes, boomslang, gaboon adders, cobras, poison dart frogs, iguanas, the ancient leopard tortoises, the huge Nile crocodiles, as well as many colourful lizards and frogs.

Children will love to meet the potbellied pigs PumPum, Peaches and Pumpkin, their goat friends Daisy and Gandalf, the peacocks Letitia and Lancelot, as well as a variety of ducks and geese.

Travel Note:
From Hazyview you can visit the Coffee Farm on the way back to Sabie via the R536 (45 km back to Sabie), or you could visit the Shangaan Cultural Village if you return to Sabie via Graskop.

You could also visit both the Coffee Farm and the Cultural Village if you visit the Cultural Village first, then return to Hazyview, and then visit the Coffee Farm.

If you are staying until after dark at the Cultural Village the recommended route back to Sabie is back to Hazyview and then follow the R536 to Sabie, as some hi-jackings have occurred on the R535 road to Graskop.

Shangaan Cultural Village
From Hazyview you travel on the R40 towards Bushbuck Ridge for about 1 km and turn left on the R535 towards Graskop. The Cultural Village is 4 km from Hazyview.

The residents of the traditional villages of Shangana invite guests to share in the way of life of the Shangaan people. The picturesque villages are set in the shade of ancient trees in a reserve of forest and grassland. Local crafts are sold at the Marula Market village, and tours are led by trained guides.

Daytime tours takes the visitor on a winding path through fields and bush, to a village where a Shangaan family lives. The guide explains their fascinating way of life, before moving on to the Sangoma's Kraal for a lesson in traditional medicines. Midday tours enable visitors to share a meal with the Shangaan family in the village. During the Evening festival the history of the Shangaans is presented by a huge cast of choristers and dancers before dinner is served inside the huts. Prior bookings for lunch and the evening festival is essential.
Contact:
Shangana Cultural Village on (013) 737-7000.

Coffee Farm
From Hazyview follow the R40 for a few hundred meters towards Bushbuck Ridge before turning off on the R536 to Sabie.

Be on the lookout for the signboard "Riverbend" on the right-hand side of the road, about 25 km from Hazyview. The Riverbend Coffee Farm grow, harvest, roast and package their own coffee. This is a commercial farm not geared for frequent tourist visits. Suggest you phone them to ensure that they are home.
Contact:
Tim or Kim Buckland on (013) 737-8169 or (082) 751-3400.

Webmaster's Note:
This concludes the Reptile Route. The closeness (60 km from Sabie) of the Riverside Mall and Emnotweni Casino in Nelspruit makes for a quick shopping, movie or gambling trip.

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