Only a short drive from Joburg, nestled in Tshwane, the Rietvlei Nature Reserve boasts bird life, plain game and some accessibility
Despite having visited the Pretoria Sailing club at Rietvlei Dam, I’ve never seen the reserve. Recently, I decided to make a visit to the “other side”.
The Rietvlei Nature Reserve includes the dam, surrounding areas and facilities such as fishing and boating area, accommodation and the reserve. A separate gate nestled in the suburban streets gives you access to nature reserve. It is strange to have the bush so close to the urban area.
The reception has various buildings. You have to park and pay for your entry before going into the reserve. The landscape is undulating with mainly open areas and various water features with hides.
Most of the area is a wetland, which means there are plenty of birds. The reserve has plains game such as cheetahs, buffalo and rhinos. We were very lucky to see Eland – the largest antelope in Africa.
The roads are a mixture of tar and sand, however, some of the sand roads are quite rough and not passable with a standard car. We saw the rhinos but couldn’t get to them as there was a large, heavily rutted mud puddle that we didn’t feel comfortable going through.
There is a main picnic area with two hides – one at each end. However, access is rather challenging as the ramps are quite steep. The hide at the Hippo pool side does not have a dropped opening, so it doesn’t afford a view for children or persons in wheelchairs. The hide at the other end does.
There are no accessible toilet blocks at this area. There is an accessible eco toilet at one of the other hides. There is only a fixed grab bar for the elderly on one side, which doesn’t offer the proper layout for an accessible toilet as per building regulations. Access to this hide, which has accessible parking, is along a long wooden walkway, which sounds like a wooden marimba xylophone when you wheel along it in a wheelchair!
The coffee shop is situated in an old farmhouse and is quite a distance from the car park over the grass. There is a steep concrete ramp to get to the main door, however, the staff are knowledgeable and happy to assist. You can eat inside or at tables on the grass in front of the house, but there is no accessible route to this area. Their menu has a variety of options and there is also a small shop with snacks, drinks and a few curios for the tourists.
There is a designated accessible toilet cubicle within the house, however, it is not configured to the correct standards. It’s just basically the old bathroom of the house. Other toilet blocks are at the parking area. There are ablutions with showers, but these are not accessible. These are used for the hiking trail options.
Overall, it was a lovely day out in the bush without having to drive too far from Johannesburg. The accessibility is geared towards the elderly (who frequent this park in numbers as there is a retirement village close by) rather than universal access.
I will definitely be returning in the spring to see the other bird life. Also, I’ll be approaching them to see if they will be interested in adjusting their access to include everyone … so, watch this space! Happy Travels!
