FANIE BOTHA HIKING TRAIL

Named after the minister of forestry who opened it in 1973, the trail explores an area called the Panorama Route, which is found on the north side of the Drakensberg in Mpumalanga. There are two routes to choose from – a longer route of 58,8km and a shorter one of 17,1km.

There are indigenous forest and pine plantations as far as the eye can see, and the God’s Window vantage point offers a panoramic view of the Lowveld from a height of 900m. Two noteworthy waterfalls on the route are both national monuments: Mac Mac (65m) – named after the Scots (whose surnames often start with Mac) who panned for gold nearby in the 1870s – and Lone Creek Falls (68m).

Lone Creek Falls near the town of ⬛abie was declared a national monument in 1983.