The Schoemanskloof highway probably wins the award for the most underrated destination in Mpumalanga, if not South Africa. Yet it if you do take an hour or two to explore this well-known road route, you will see that it has much more going for it than simply being a bypass!
It is one of the country’s most spectacular driving roads, taking drivers through a spectrum of beautiful scenery marking the transition from the Highveld to the Lowveld. Taking you through craggy gorges, past cascading waterfalls, amongst magnificent natural forests and rocky outcrops where aloes seem to hang on precariously and into the almost subtropical scenery with citrus, nut and avocado farming. Add to that the bushveld and there is a lot to marvel at along the way.
A relatively unknown corner of Mpumalanga, Schoemanskloof has a number of surprises up its sleeve. There is the absolutely beautiful and very individual, Mountain Links Golf Course at Drakenzicht, known to create a challenging round for even the most talented of golfers. The relaxing and rejuvenating labyrinth at Joe’s Kaia, where you can let the stresses of modern day life simply slip away as you embrace nature and the calm aura that surrounds the labyrinth. While the Lowveld Canoe Marathon that starts in the ‘Kloof’, is bound to get your blood pumping.
Perhaps one of the most tantalising stops is at the Joubert en Seun’s farm stall, where you can get freshly harvested oranges during the late autumn and winter months. While Lowveld icon, and cult figure, Old Joe stands patiently marking your passage out of Highlands and into the Lowveld and always ready for the odd selfie!
*Information supplied by Mpumalanga Tourism & Parks Agency
