KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
How to get there? Chrissiesmeer is about 247 km from Johannesburg along the upgraded N17 via Ermelo. If you’re coming from the other direction, it’s 172 km from Nelspruit and about 80 km from the Oshoek border post into Swaziland.
Best time to visit? Chrissiesmeer is a year-round destination with a Highveld climate. Winter is cold but there are lots of fireplaces…
Boot up. Take a walk through town to get a better view of all the sandstone buildings. If you want to go further, Matotoland Eco-tourism has opened a trail to the lake – it starts in Percy Street. It’s an easy 2 km walk there and back.
Cycle & paddle. Cycle the dirt roads around town, but ask permission if you want to ride on farm tracks. Ask for contact details of property owners at Frog Coffee Shop or McCloud’s Wool Duvets. If you want to paddle, stay at Teen die Meer or Genesaret right next to the lake. Take note, no motorised water sports are allowed. Watch birds. Can you tell a lark from an Egyptian goose? Let a bird guide show you how. Contact Aretha Strydom ( 082 821 3081) or Xolani Thusi ( 083 308 0506; 079 364 2060; only available on weekends).
Gin & what? Visit The Gin Shop to taste gin in all its guises: Jazzed up with figs and berries and served with lots of chutzpah. Tastings from R100 per person. Open on weekends from 10 am to 7 pm; by appointment only during the week. Contact: 078 459 6707; ginshop.co.za
Festivals to diarise: • The annual Crane Festival will take place from 8 – 10 July this year. Once you’ve looked for the local cranes, browse the market and warm up at a fireplace. • Frog species like the Boettger’s caco and Senegal running frog are celebrated during the first weekend in December. This year’s Frog Night will be held from 2 – 4 December. You get to team up with frog experts to catch, study and release frogs. • On the third weekend in January, the annual Wildflower Day is celebrated with walks in the veld. Contact David Rathbone ( 082 824 3585) for more info. At other times of the year, Hester Bezuidenhout ( 081 769 4994) offers guided walks (R20 per person). • The Meerfees will be held on 24 September at Teen die Meer just outside town. Entrance R50 per adult; R25 per child. There will be a mountain-bike race, a trail run and a music concert. Contact: 082 629 4320 (Alida de Jager)
More about Chrissiesmeer. If you manage to find a copy of Chrissie Is Her Name by Ton Sanders, buy it. Or visit the local library for a comprehensive history of the town. Lake Chrissie and the Anglo-Boer War 1899 – 1902, also by Sanders, describes, among other events, the Battle of Chrissiesmeer on 6 February 1901 (R130 at McCloud’s Wool Duvets; 082 801 4158). Visit chrissiesmeer.co.za for more places to stay and things to do, but note that some of the information is outdated.