![]() See for yourself what a magical place it is. Home to several endangered species like the Southern Bald Ibis and the Golden Mole, much of Lapolosa has been designated as “irreplaceable” from a conservation perspective by the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency.Ĭome, volunteer at Lapolosa. Telephone and internet is available by cell signal over much of the reserve. Solar provides electrical power in the reserve and water is heated by instant gas geysers (or wood-fired donkeys). Unspoiled as it is, Lapolosa still has some modern amenities. running on the back sides of mountains, etc). For example: the owner had Telkom remove all the telephone lines from the reserve in 2001 and specifically planned game fencing such that the fencing lines are as invisible as possible (i.e. Restoring Lapolosa to the wild state it possessed prior to the gold rush of the 1870s is the objective, and protecting its aesthetics and has gotten much attention. A 70 hectare section on the south side of Buffelskloof Dam and the Waterval River, with water rights is also part of the reserve. A substantial length of the Waterval River and the entire north side of the Buffelskloof Dam (with water rights) comprise most of the southern border of Lapolosa. There are no servitude rights to anywhere on the property. Access to the reserve has only been granted to volunteers and school groups joining the reserve's volunteer program. All have homes elsewhere, and depart the reserve on their leaves. The main road through the reserve is private (gazetted over 10 years ago). Access to Lapolosa is through a manned entrance gate. Lapolosa is a single contiguous piece with a single owner. At the end of the Anglo-Boer War the Boer Commando made its last stand from Lapolosa's height's, defensive rock redoubts dot its hills and one of the last Long Tom artillery pieces was spiked on an adjoining hillside. Historically significant, Lapolosa is unusual in its remoteness. A favorite hike for visitors is to one of the magnificent waterfalls just below Buffelskloof Dam, including one thirty-meters high. It possesses many small, year-round springs, streams and waterfalls, several boreholes and extensive frontage on the Buffelskloof Dam and two rivers. Lapolosa is blessed with water, lots of water. But because Lapolosa is not yet a Big 5 reserve, visitors enjoy hiking and camping on the property in safety. Giraffe, kudu, red hartebeest, black wildebeest, zebra, impala and other wildlife roam its plains and forests. ![]() The perimeter of Lapolosa is fenced with 21-strand game fencing (the portions not protected by sheer cliffs) and not yet electrified. In the 1850s the Boer Voortrekkers came here to escape the deadly malaria and oppressive heat of South Africa's Lowveld. The climate at Lapolosa is ideal, close enough to the equator to be warm year-round, yet it lies at an elevation that is cooler in the summer, still comfortable in winter and malaria free. There are no lights, or power lines, or telephone poles, or noise pollution to spoil the peace or dim the Milky Way in the nighttime sky. At 6,200 +/- hectares (25 square miles), it is the size of a small country, a small country of beautiful mountain landscapes and open plains on a high plateau in South Africa. Here are magical places left on this earth, unspoiled places, places where you can step back in time to a world that was cleaner, simpler. ![]()
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