Magaliesberg Mountain Range has its own beautiful safari lodge

The five star Thaba Phuti safari lodge, which is close to Magaliesburg offers historians, game viewers and adventurers a private retreat in the Magaliesberg Mountain Range. Guests at the safari lodge can visit several natural and historic attractions around Magaliesburg and learn about the many indigenous cultures in the area.

History of the people in the Magaliesberg Mountain Range

The Magalies mountains were previously called the Kashan Range. The name was changed to Magaliesberg after Magali, a Tswana leader who was a prominent figure in the area when the white groups of people came to the region. Well-known explorer, David Livingstone, was one of the first people to make contact with the local tribes of the Magalies region.

A Sotho tribe, who also lived in the region, was subdued by impis from the north, under leadership of Mzilikazi. Not long after that, Mzilikazi left the Zulu tribe under the leadership of Shaka Zulu to form his own group. He feared retaliation from the violent leader and fled to the vary same region that he plundered earlier. The local tribes feared the Matabeles, but got some relief when the Boers under leadership of Hendrik Potgieter drove the Matabeles north, where they settled in the present day Zimbabwe.

The local tribes had new contenders for land. The Boers fell in love with the region and settled in the valley areas of the mountain range. Peace reigned for a while but in 1899 new conflict would break out. This time the conflict was between the white tribes. The British forces had no chance against the Boers who knew the mountains well. They used the hideaways and trails to get across the mountains from where they would launch "attack and run tactics", known as guerilla warfare, against the British commands.

The British forcers erected blockhouses from where they would defend certain pathways in attempts to halt the Boer forces. These blockhouses were built at strategic places from where the English could easily monitor any movement in the area. Guests from the Thaba Phuti safari lodge can still visit the Old English Blockhouse near Magaliesburg.

Magaliesburg was important to both forces as it lied on the route between Pretoria and Rustenburg. Several battles were fought at places like Buffelspoort and Nooitgedacht where many lives were lost. The Boers were victorious in their tactics under leadership of men like Jan Smuts and Christiaan de Wet. Peace was restored to the area after 1902 and farmers once again took to the plough. Since then, the area has delivered some of the best citrus products in South Africa. Tobacco farms are also major employers in the region. Guests at the Thaba Phuti safari lodge can also get a taste of the past in their colonially styled rooms.

Climate of the region

The Magalies mountain range is a natural border between the warmer bushveld and the cooler highveld. It is a summer rainfall area with an average of around 600 to 700 mm of rain a year. The summers are warm, but the valleys on the southern part of the mountain range can become very cold during the winter months. Guests at the Thaba Phuti safari lodge have the added bonus of a malaria free environment.

The geological history of Magaliesberg

Billions of years ago, scale, quartz and dolomite sediments were deposited on the so called Achaean Base over millions of years. According to archeologists, a massive upheaval of the deposits took place around two billion years ago. As magma pushed upwards from beneath the earth surface, the sediments that lay below tilted and the remaining sediments on the side formed slopes. Extremely high cliffs and ravines formed. This area became known as the Transvaal Basin.

Guests at the Thaba Phuti safari lodge can experience breathtaking views from their rooms over the Magalies Meander since the lodge is nested on one of the cliffs in the mountain range. Awesome rock formations, mountain waterfalls, and natural bushveld vegetation makes this area one of the most visited regions in the North West.