Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve
The Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve is a nature reserve in South Africa in the Gauteng province south of Johannesburg near the city of Heidelberg , with a size of 133.37 square kilometers . It was established from 1970 and declared a nature reserve on March 27, 1974.
The nature reserve was named after the Suikerbos ( sugar bush ) in the Transvaal , Protea caffra .
The lowest point of the area is 1545 m above sea level. With the Suikerbosrand (height: 1,917 m) it includes one of the highest elevations in a wide area.
Flora and fauna
The area preserves the flora and fauna of the highveld grasslands , especially the rocky Witwatersrand .
- Fauna:
- around 24 large animal species - including zebras , antelopes , wildebeest ; Hyenas
- about 200 species of birds
- Flora: about 740 plant species; The larger plant species include Celtis africana , the Highveld Cabbage Tree ( Cussonia paniculata ), various acacias and Protea caffra .
tourism
The Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve is close to National Route 3 . In the center of the area there is a facility with overnight accommodation, camping sites, picnic and barbecue areas. The area opens up over 66 km of hiking trails / bike paths and a 60 km long one-way street / circular route.
Web links
- THE SUIKERBOSRAND NATURE RESERVE - ACCOMMODATION IN SUIKERBOSRAND ( Memento from January 4, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
- Description at southafrica.com (English)
- Description at footprint.co.za (English)
Coordinates: 26 ° 30 ′ 0 ″ S , 28 ° 15 ′ 0 ″ E