Summer in Joburg is not what you might expect. Some days it’s warm and sunny and other days it’s cloudy and cool enough for jeans and a sweatshirt.
Even on days when people here say it’s hot, I find it quite comfortable. I mean, 80 degrees Fahrenheit (sorry non-Americans, I still can’t figure out Celsius) with zero humidity? That’s downright chilly compared to the steaming inferno I experienced in D.C. a few months ago.
But today I finally had to admit that it was hot. Blazing blue sky, scorching sun, 86 degrees. Still no humidity so completely tolerable. But real summer nonetheless.
Joe and I decided to go for a hike in Klipriviersberg, the largest nature reserve within the city limits. It’s on the far southern end of the city, near Gold Reef City and the Apartheid Museum.
My Rough Guide says few Joburgers know about this reserve, which seems to be true – Joe had never been there before and we passed only one person on our three-hour hike. We loved it that way so please don’t tell anyone else about it.
There are some decent hills to climb and we saw interesting wildlife. I’d highly recommend Klipriviersberg if you’re in or around central Joburg and want to commune with nature for a few hours. Also, unlike most other nature reserves in South Africa, it’s free!
(Tip: Don’t be dumb like we were and trot off into the wilderness without a water bottle. I almost died of dehydration.)
Here are a few photos from our walk.
The first thing we saw when we walked through the gate of the reserve — a mongoose!
Joe crouches in the grass in search of the perfect cloud shot.
I had never seen a blesbok before. I was mesmerized and he seemed equally mesmerized by us.
We were on the yellow trail.
On our way home from the reserve, we caught a great view of downtown Joburg with the afternoon light shining on the buildings.
It was a nice end to the weekend. We have some international guests coming to visit this week so please tune in.
love those blue skies–I miss summer already
The blue skies caught my eye as well. Love seeing the scenery through your lens.
Nice post! Good to see that you’re exploring your area. I lived in Joburg during my high school years, and it’s still amazing to me the nature reserves one can easily travel to from the city.
This is only the beginning of the summer. The hottest weather is usually during January and February. But you are right, the low humidity in Joburg does make it bearable. Here at the coast it’s hot AND humid.
I’m learning things here about Jo’burg and surrounding area that I didn’t know. I’ll have to ask my brother (a Joburger) if he’s been to Klipriviersberg!
Have you experienced any summer storms yet?
Clouded Marble, it’s very flattering to know that you’re learning from my blog. Yes, I’ve seen a whole bunch of summer storms — we’ve had them almost every night this week. The other night we got hailed on right in the middle of a braai! I want to write a post about it, but I feel like I need photos and it’s hard to shoot pics during a hail storm 🙂