This weekend! STAY HERE

Family fun at Doornkop Fish and Wildlife Reserve near Carolina.

Trout dams, rolling green hills and murmuring streams of water… When you sit on the porch of your self-catering unit in Doornkop Fish & Wildlife Reserve in Mpumalanga, it’s easy to imagine you’re somewhere in the English countryside. But then a Verreauxs’ eagle calls from the cliffs and the sun sets in a red blaze behind thunderclouds and you know you’re in Africa. After all, you also saw kudu, giraffe and a porcupine on your game drive a little while ago. The reserve is less than three hours’ drive from Gauteng, but it feels like a whole different world. More than a hundred bird species have been recorded here, including pretty ones like swee waxbill, long-tailed widowbird and African paradise-flycatcher.

If you don’t feel like driving one of the game-viewing routes, you can sit outside your unit and watch animals graze on the ridge on the other side of the Swartwaterspruit. The self-catering houses have three to five bedrooms and sleep six to ten people, with thatched roofs and comfortable but modern decor. The kitchens are fully equipped with everything you might need, and every unit has a fireplace for cold winter nights – remember that bottle of red wine!

There’s also a TV for the next time the Boks beat England, and cellphone reception is good. (Wi-Fi is available at the reception office.) The reserve has a warm swimming pool and a cold one, plus a games room. There’s also a tennis court and a play park for the kids. There’s more than enough to keep you busy – don’t forget to relax a little, too.

What else? There are eight trout dams for fly-fishing, and fishing is also allowed in the Swartwaterspruit and the Komati River. It’s mostly catch-and-release, but you can keep the fish from some of the dams (R250/kg). Permits (R250) are available at the reception office. There are three short trails for hikers (the 2 km Acacia Waterfall route takes you to a small waterfall), or tackle the four-hour 4x4 gameviewing route.

Where? The reserve is about 31 km north-east of Carolina. Coming from Gauteng, take the R33 from the N4 and turn left onto the R36 in Carolina itself. Follow this road for about 22 km, then turn right at the Doornkop sign. The final 9 km section is along a good dirt road – you can drive it in a sedan.

Rates: From R1 200 per night for a unit that sleeps six; R2 200 over weekends.

Contact: 010 500 6100;

063 818 3364; doornkopresort.co.za