The
muted colours of the bushveld vegetation — silver and fawn, dun, grey-green and
gold— contrast sharply with the rust-red soil of the terrain in this
out-of-the-way bushveld sanctuary, lying in rolling hills at the foot of the
Ysterberg, near Thabazimbi. Thabazimbi means 'mountain of iron', and the
region's soils and rocks are indeed rich in iron ore, which has been mined here
for some centuries, first by Sotho people, and now by the Iron and Steel
Corporation (Iscor). Iscor laid out the town of Thabazimbi in 1953, and later
established the Ben Alberts Nature Reserve as a recreational facility for its
employees. The reserve covers some 2000 ha, and is watered by the Crocodile
River, which is flanked by steep hillsides. In the back-ground, the Kransberg
(highest peak of the Waterberg range) is a magnificent and brooding presence. A
network of good gravel roads criss-crosses the reserve (visitors will find a
map printed on the back of their entrance tickets). Some routes take you to
lookout points commanding panoramic views of the reserve. Here you can expect
to spot an abundance of game, including such mammals as white rhinos, kudu,
blue wildebeest, giraffes, eland, zebras and warthogs. There is also a wide
variety of bird life for the enthusiast.
A number tented bush camps are found on private game drives in the area where guests can stay when they want to visit the Ben Alberts Nature Reserve.
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