1. Have a picnic
Pull over and unpack your picnic basket at Holhoek, halfway around the tourist route. A short distance further the road turns off to the Kareekloof Resort, managed by the Protea Hotels group. Cool off in the swimming pool at the resort, have fun on the slides or play putt-putt before you take a drive out to find the herd of eland.
Cost: R70 for an adult, R40 for 3- to 10-year-olds and R40 per vehicle.

2. Scale the heights
Altitude sickness might be a problem on Kilimanjaro, but fortunately it’s not that difficult to get to Gauteng’s highest point. At 1 917 m above sea level, one of Suikerbosrand’s beacons is the highest point in the province. The beacon is marked Point 4 on the circular route through the forest, about 10 km from the start.
You’re not allowed to get out of your vehicle or drive off the road, but at the very least take a picture.

3. Go for a walk
Many tourist destinations boast they have something for everyone, but at Suikerbosrand this is not an empty promise.
You can hike 60 km in six days. Or you could walk one or all of the three day trails, which include a paved trail of 700 m for disabled and blind visitors (the signs are in Braille too).
“Springbok is the most popular overnight hut,” Natalie Horn says. “Hiking to the Blesbok hut on a 14,5 km circular trail is also quite manageable, and the trail is in a beautiful area. I met a guy who climbed Kilimanjaro and did all his training here in the reserve.”
The overnight huts all have solar-powered geysers. Each can accommodate up to 10 people. 
The Cheetah Trail is about 4 km long and should take about two hours to complete.
You can choose whether you want to hike 10 km or 17 km of the Bokmakierie Trail.
Cost: R20 for an adult and R10 for a child per night for the overnight trails.

4. Watch game on horseback
At Suikerbosrand you have four modes of transport for going game watching: your vehicle, one of the reserve’s game-drive vehicles, your bicycle or a horse.
A circular trial (on a tar road) meanders through the reserve for 66 km, and you should cover it in your vehicle in two to three hours. 
A minimum of six people can book the reserve’s game drives, and the two vehicles can each take 10 people. “Bring a warm jacket, even in the middle of summer,” Natalie warns.
The game drive takes three hours and you can even decide what time you want to depart. The vehicle is equipped with spotlights for night drives.

Bring your bicycle, if you have one, because there are two designated bicycle trails in the Tamboekiesfontein part of the reserve. The first one (11 km) is tarred all the way, and the second one (8 km) is on dirt paths. Although the pamphlet says the second one is suitable for beginners, I found it hard to stay in the saddle on the rocky parts.

You’ll have to drag at least three buddies along to go on the four-hour horse ride. You can choose the time, but Natalie says it’s better to go in the morning, before it gets hot and the wind picks up. You don’t have to be an experienced horse rider; the guides adapt to the group’s level of experience.
Cost: R30 per person for the game drive and R80 per person for the horse ride.

5. See how the pioneers lived
At Suikerbosrand’s reception office you’ll see three buildings: One, completed by Jan Gabriël Marais in 1850, is one of the oldest buildings in Gauteng and one of the few that survived the Anglo-Boer War.
The building is flanked on one side by a replica of the old wagon house and school house, built on the original foundation, and behind is the house Jan Gabriël’s son built with unbaked red clay bricks.
Displayed inside are feather beds and riempie furniture of yesteryear. In the museum you can read about the Iron Age settlements discovered at Schoongezicht and Blesboklaagte in the reserve. The beads made of ostrich egg shell are quite something.

Animal checklist
Eland, oribi, steenbok, common reedbuck, zebra, grey rhebuck, kudu, blesbuck, mountain reedbuck, black wildebeest, common duiker, red hartebeest. You might spot an aardvark, but are more likely to see brown hyena or black-backed jackal. Leopard? Well, they’re the wildlife equivalent of a Lotto win, but there’s lots for them to hunt. About 200 bird species have been recorded.

Accommodation
SUIKERBOSRAND NATURE RESERVE
Most of the accommodation in the reserve is contracted out to the Protea Hotels group. The reserve itself rents out only the meditation huts, a guest house and the hikers’huts.
Contact: 011 904 3930/7/9
• Meditation huts. There are three isolated huts, which sleep three people each. Solar panels provide hot water and there is a fully equipped kitchen, but no electricity.
Cost: R100 per adult per night and R70 per child.
• Guest house. It sleeps six.
Cost: R80 per person per night.

PROTEA HOTELS
This hotel group manages a hotel, three camps and a resort in the reserve.
Contact: 016 365 5334; suikerbosphs@telkomsa.net
• Protea Camp. This camp has 14 luxury chalets – each sleeps two to six people.
Cost: R795 to R1150 per chalet per night.
• Kiepersol Camp. The camp has 11 luxury overnight chalets – each sleeps two to six people.
Cost: From R450 per night for a double room to R950 per night for a six-bed hut (low season).
• Ouhout Camp. The building sleeps 30 people, and you have to provide your own bedding.
Cost: R95 per person per night.
• Kareekloof Resort. The caravan park has 240 stands (maximum six people per stand) and three chalets.
Cost: In peak season it costs R95 per stand plus R40 per person. The first vehicle is free, after that it’s R30 per vehicle.

Park information
• Entrance fees: R20 per adult and R10 per child and pensioner. R10 per car and R20 per minibus. An annual pass costs R300 per adult and R150 per child, and a six-month pass costs half of that. Suikerbosrand does not accept cheques or credit cards.
• Hours: Open daily 7.15am to 4pm. (Day visitors have to leave the reserve by 6pm.)
• Contact: 011 904 3930/7/9
How do I get there? Take the N3 south from Johannesburg, and take the R550 turn-off just before Heidelberg. The reserve’s access road is 6 km further, on the left.

Accommodation: Three camps, meditation huts and a Protea resort with 240 campsites.

Electricity: Everywhere.

Cellphone reception: Yes.

Shops and fuel: Suikerbosrand doesn’t have a shop. You can buy everything you need in Heidelberg (25 km away).

Braai facilities: At the picnic areas and campsites. (Wood and charcoal cost R15 per bag.)

Pets: Not allowed.

Pool: At the Protea resort.

Activities: Game viewing, hiking, cycling, swimming, birding, picnicking. 

(Note: Prices accurate in March 2008)