Where is Rooiberg, and how do you get there?

Rooiberg is a small town in the Waterberg of Limpopo, between Thabazimbi and Bela-Bela, about 50 km west-north-west of Bela-Bela, where the Springbok Flats meet the Waterberg Plateau. Pretoria is just over two hours away, and OR Tambo International Airport about 2.5 hours. Our trail starts and ends at Temminck's Lodge, near the town.

Where Rooiberg is in Limpopo

The town lies between Thabazimbi and Bela-Bela, just under two hours from Pilanesberg National Park. Our walk is in the Groenkop and Elandsberg mountains near Rooiberg, inside RoiSan Reserve, a private Big 5 reserve of about 15,000 ha.

The drive from Johannesburg and Pretoria

From both cities the road is the same, in three steps: north up the N1, off at Bela-Bela, then west along the R516 through Leeupoort towards Thabazimbi. On the R516 the Leeupoort turn-off comes at about 60 km west of Bela-Bela, and the small town of Leeupoort at about 70 km.

At the end of the drive is Temminck's Lodge. Registration opens at 13h00, and there is shaded, secure parking on site. The cars stay there for the whole trail, because the walk ends back at Temminck's Lodge on the last day, where we shower, share a final meal and collect the vehicles.

The first afternoon has no walking. The guides run the full route briefing, the afternoon belongs to the pool, and the evening belongs to the fire. The next morning we set off early for the 15 km over Groenkop to Oukraal, with the luggage already moving ahead of us.

Where the name RoiSan comes from

Rooiberg is Afrikaans for "red mountain". The reserve's name carries the same idea. "Roi" means red, for the red iron-rich rocks and soil. "San" points to returning the land to how it looked 200 years ago, when only the San roamed here.

The Waterberg and the town in a few lines

The Waterberg is an escarpment of sandstone buttresses that runs about 150 km in an arc, from Thabazimbi in the west, past Modimolle, to Mokopane in the east. UNESCO named it a biosphere reserve in 2001.

Rooiberg began as a mining town. Between 1905 and 1914, tin mining in the Waterberg took place mainly at Rooiberg, Zaaiplaats and Union Tin. When the mine closed, the town grew quiet, and today it is a peaceful place to live.

That quiet has a lovely side. With almost no light pollution, the stargazing is exceptional, and fish eagles can be seen even on a slow stroll through town.

Before or after the trail

For anyone extending the trip, we recommend Babirwa on the western side of RoiSan Reserve, or Letamo at Qwabi, 5 km north of us.

See dates and book on the rates page.