Klipriviersberg Nature Reserve - 7km hike early on Sunday morning

 

I'd been harping on about the Klipriviersberg Nature Reserve (10 min from home) and after having "I want to go hiking " outbursts now and then we finally got to go. It was quite a workout and I really enjoyed it! Working along the river was awesome and the most bizarre thing was the herd of horses,donkeys and zebra. My camera died along the way so I had to switch to Blackberry snaps which aren't always the best.We came across some "ruins" and cool landmarks ( there's quite a bit of history in th area , you can read about it here- http://www.knra.co.za/history.htm) so it was a nice interesting walk. Try it!

Cementry - yikes!

Situated a mere 10 Km from the centre of Johannesburg, 15 Km from Sandton and easily accessible from the East and West Rand, the Klipriviersberg Nature Reserve is truly Johannesburg's Jewel of the South.

It is the largest proclaimed nature reserve in the Johannesburg Metropolitan area (About 680 ha in extent). It also boasts a bio-diversity that extends from unique historical aspects to the existence of several species of ‘red data' plants. The reserve lies in the transition zone between the Free State grasslands and the Transvaal Bushveld and is botanically well endowed

The Klipriviersberg range dominates the northern part of the reserve and the ground slopes sharply to grasslands in the south. A perennial stream that flows from north to south bisects the reserve. The stream flows into the Klip River near Eikenhof.

There are many items of archaeological, cultural, historical and geological interest in the reserve. There is a wide variety of fauna in the reserve including larger game such as zebra, red hartebeest, black wildebeest, blesbok, springbok, mountain reedbuck and Duiker. Over 170 species of bird life has been identified.

There are six hiking trails in the KNR, varying in degrees of difficulty -- from 2-8. Guided walks are held every second and fourth Sunday of the month.

The area was declared a nature reserve in 1984 after the land had been bought by the Johannesburg City Council in 1939. Johannesburg City Parks is responsible for the management of the reserve.