Welcome to the village
Travelling from Tzaneen to Haenertsburg, you have a choice between two meandering roads: via George’s Valley or Magoebaskloof. These routes ascend 620m into the Wolkberg range, passing rushing waters, indigenous forests and exceptional trees – giants reaching into the sky. Moist air also travels up, creating a particular microclimate on “the mountain” – grey days and drizzle should be expected in the land of the silver mist.
“If there is sunshine here and in Tzaneen, there will be a 5°C difference in temperature,” says graphic designer Sandi Leigh Moore. “There are only two swimming pools in the entire village, but everyone has as fireplace.” Sandi owns The Mountain Company, which offers guided mountain-bike rides, hiking excursions and tourism info.
Many locals – Sandi included – consider summer to be their least favourite season, because it tends to be grey and wet for weeks on end.
“If the weather is terrible here and you want to cycle, you can go up past the village until you get to the top of the ridge. From there you can see Moria, which is 20 km from town. You go down into the bushveld, with prickly pears, cacti and less rain.”
Sandi has been living in Haenertsburg full time for two-and-a-half years, but her
