Krugersdorp Game Reserve

The Krugersdorp Game Reserve has a habitat comprised mostly of grassveld with small dams and reedbeds found at the northernmost end.  The distinctly open areas mean that visitors have the opportunity to observe the wildlife with relatively little obstruction.  Found west of Johannesburg, this gem of the Gauteng is a popular place for locals who enjoy day trips and with the tourist sector, as it is just 40 minutes drive from the city centre.

Together with a range of grassland game, such as lions, giraffes and buffalos, there is a densely wooded valley that runs through the reserve and houses a variety of bushveld bird species.  While walking in the reserve isn’t permitted, there is a good road network that allows great viewing from the car and the drives are available both day and night.  The reserve is open daily from 8am until 5pm and there is an entrance fee payable.  Whether you are just visiting the area or considering investing in property in Krugersdorp then this is certainly a must-see in terms of the area’s attractions.

This part of Krugersdorp covers 47 000 hectares of land that is mostly privately owned and there is a small extension into the nearby North West province.  The area comprises a strip of twelve dolomitic limestone caves that contain fossils of ancient animal, plant and hominid remains.  The dolomite began its existence as a coral reef growing in a warm, shallow sea about 2.3 billion years ago.

When the reefs died off, they transformed into limestome and sometime later this was converted again into dolomite.  The slightly acidic groundwater left after the sea had receded gradually began to erode the dolomite and formed the underground caverns that can be seen today.  When the caverns were exposed to open air as the water table dropped, more erosion occurred on the earth’s surface and eventually this resulted in shafts forming between the earth’s surface and the caverns below.  These shafts would have been where animals, plants and humans were trapped and their remains fossilized over time.

The Sterkfontein Caves yielded the remains of what has been dubbed the “missing link between man and ape”.  In 1936, the caves produced the first adult remains and in 1947, the almost complete skull of an adult female was discovered.  Nicknamed Mrs Ples, the skull is estimated to be between 2.8 and 2.6 million years old and does much to prove the theory that life existed first in Africa.  With a further 500 hominid specimens recovered from these caves, Sterkfontein is known to be the world’s richest hominid site.  With such a wealth of intriguing historical significance in the area, it’s no wonder that investors are always interested in property in Krugersdorp.