Last Sunday Thorsten and I went hiking in the Kloofendal Nature Reserve, which is in Roodepoort on Johannesburg’s West Rand. I last hiked in Kloofendal nearly 11 years ago; I know I enjoyed it because I wrote a blog post back then, too. But Kloofendal is even more delightful than I remembered. I also realized this time that Kloofendal has the most spectacular collection of proteas I’ve seen in Joburg.
Before I go on about the proteas, here’s some general information on the nature reserve. Kloofendal is part of the Joburg City Parks system. But similar to the Klipriviersberg Nature Reserve and the Melville Koppies, Kloofendal also has a committed group of volunteers – the Friends of Kloofendal, or FrOK – who do an amazing job helping to manage and promote the reserve. I highly recommend the FrOK website, which is chock full of interesting information about Kloofendal and its schedule of events (there are many).
Kloofendal is about 25 minutes from central Joburg (it took us 20 minutes to get there from Brixton) and sits in a quiet, residential neighborhood. The reserve is 128 hectares: quite a bit smaller than Klipriviersberg, the largest nature reserve in Joburg, but still big enough to spend a couple of hours walking or trail-running. We spent a leisurely morning there and hiked about seven kilometers, with a lot of uphills and downhills. There are several trails (the best trail map is online), but we didn’t specifically follow any of them and we never got lost, as none of the trails are very long. I think we hiked most of the yellow trail, the red trail, and the black trail.
The reserve was virtually empty when we arrived at 7:30 a.m. on Sunday morning. (Kloofendal is open every day from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.) While we encountered a few more walkers later in the morning, it never got really crowded.
There is game in Kloofendal – we glimpsed a couple of small buck, possibly duiker, and several dassies – and dogs aren’t allowed. Neither is alcohol, and the security guards check the boot of your car upon entry so I recommend following this rule. Admission to the park is free and there is a large amphitheater near the entrance with braai spots.
Fun fact: Kloofendal stands on one of the oldest gold-mining sites in Gauteng. There is a 19th-century stamp mill in the park, commemorating this important piece of history.
Now, back to the proteas. Proteas grow mostly in South Africa’s fynbos region in the Western Cape. If you live in or around Joburg then you probably know we have some proteas growing here, too. I’ve seen them in the Melville Koppies and the Suikerbosrand.
But I’ve never seen quite so many proteas in one place, in full bloom and on such large plants, as I did at Kloofendal last weekend.
Note: We spotted this magical grove of proteas on the eastern side of the park, on either the black trail or the yellow trail or maybe part of both. Sorry, I’m bad at directions and the Kloodendal trails are a bit of a maze. But we definitely started out following the black marker, which turns off to the left near the trail head. If you want to find the proteas, I recommend doing that.
That was our morning in Kloofendal. We loved it and we’ll be back, especially because we also discovered one of my favorite Middle Eastern restaurants has moved to a shopping center very close to Kloofendal. Eager to know which restaurant it is? You’ll have to wait for my next post.
The Kloodendal Nature Reserve is at 38 Zircon Street, Roodepoort.
How have I never blogged about 44 Stanley Avenue, the coolest shopping and dining complex in Joburg, which is only five minutes from my house?
I guess it’s wrong to say I’ve never blogged about 44 Stanley; I’ve mentioned it countless times over the years (see here and here) when writing about specific restaurants or shops that are there. But I’ve never written a dedicated post about 44 Stanley as a destination and it’s about time I did – especially now, with the holidays upon us.
I’ve been dreadfully uninspired lately, struggling to think of anything I want to blog about despite having a long list of great ideas (many of which you, my readers, provided in September). I’m finding it hard to feel positive about life at the moment. But on Saturday Thorsten and I got the chance to visit Indwe Park, an indigenous garden and sculpture park in Braamfontein, and I knew I had my topic for today.
Given this week’s political nuclear bomb blast, it feels like a weird time to publish a light-hearted post about my recent (pre-election) jaunt through the United States. But I’m hoping you’ve have had enough of the U.S. election horror show – I know I have – and are ready (at least temporarily) for some wholesome American travel adventures. If so, please read on about my four-day visit to Maine, the northeastern-most state in the lower 48, with my sister, Susanna.
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It makes me smile, when I see it.