Reviews of Spioenkop (From 5 Acclaimed Safari Experts)

Expert

Stephen Cunliffe –

ZA

Visited: February

Stephen is a travel writer and avid conservationist whose work appears in prestigious magazines such as Africa Geographic and Travel Africa.

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Boating and Battlefields

Overall rating

2/5

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Centred on the appropriately named Spioenkop dam and mountain, the 6,000 hectare nature reserve is certainly not a top wildlife safari destination. The reserve is a place to go boating, fishing and exploring Anglo-Boer War battlefields, while enjoying regular sightings of zebra, giraffe and a variety of plains game. If you are fortunate you may see white rhino too, but this is certainly not a Big Five destination.

Spioenkop is more of a historical and cultural safari experience. Spioenkop Mountain is renowned as the site of the infamous Battle of Spioenkop, which took place in 1900 with the British suffering one of their worst defeats of the war. The battlefield is accessible by road and the wrap-around view from the summit is impressive, especially the vista looking across the dam towards the imposing peaks of the Drakensberg Mountains.

It is also worth noting that the northern section of the reserve is a designated controlled hunting area.

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Expert

Lizzie Williams –

ZA

Visited: January

Lizzie is a reputed guidebook writer and author of the Footprint guides to South Africa, Namibia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe.

1 person found this review helpful.

A poignant battlefield site in the foothills of the Drakensberg Mountains

Overall rating

2/5

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Dominated by a prominent hill, this was the site of the famous Battle of Spioenkop, when in 1900 the British suffered one of their worst defeats during the Anglo-Boer War. I hiked to the summit which took about three hours (or you can drive up the paved road), where the graves are marked by mounds of white rocks. There were tremendous views across the glistening dam to the snow-capped Drakensberg Mountains. On the dam’s wooded slopes, I saw plenty of grazers and without any big predators and plenty of visitors, they were very relaxed – zebra, eland and giraffe looked up briefly to blink curiously. I didn’t see rhino or buffalo but horse-riders have been known to get quite close. A pleasant reserve close to the resorts in the northern Drakensberg, but half a day is enough to see the battlefield and perhaps have a picnic and swim.

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Expert

Kim Wildman –

AU

Visited: May

Kim is a travel writer who authored and updated over 15 guidebooks, including Lonely Planet's South Africa and Bradt's Tanzania guides.

1 person found this review helpful.

Game viewing meets battlefields

Overall rating

2/5

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On paper this small reserve located in the foothills of the Drakensberg in KwaZulu-Natal boasts a wide variety of wildlife including white rhinoceros, giraffe and a variety of antelope. In comparison to other parks and reserves in the province, the game viewing is less than average though. Then again, this is not the kind of place you come to purely for game viewing. With the Drakensberg as its backdrop, it’s certainly very scenic. What I found most fascinating about the park is that it lies in a region that is that it is steeped in Anglo-Boer War history. Perhaps it’s because my great-grandfather fought here on the side of the British, but I really had that spooky feeling of the past coming alive. Spioenkop Mountain was in fact the site of the infamous Battle of Spioenkop which took place in 1900. It is where the British suffered one of their worst defeats during that period. Don’t miss the 360-degree view from the summit – it’s spectacular.

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