This is a quick photo story about a fantastic long weekend we recently spent at Santa Nature Reserve, a privately owned nature reserve/fishing estate in Dullstroom. Dullstroom is a tourist town in Mpumalanga province, known for its fly-fishing, but we didn’t go there to fish. Thorsten went for an architecture project and I tagged along for the views and relaxation. We stayed in Santa’s insanely picturesque Cascades Cottage.
The Cascades Cottage, where we stayed at Santa, sits right beside this waterfall on the Lunsklip River.
My jaw dropped when I walked inside and saw this view.
Outside the Cascades Cottage.
The house and cottage were surrounded by blooming dahlias.
The lounge.
The cottage is filled with classy fishing art, which we loved.
It was finally cool enough to make a fire on our last night, .
The main bedroom in Cascades Cottage. There are two more bedrooms and two bathrooms, but we had the place to ourselves. All the bedrooms in the house have two single beds, which is the only reason why I wouldn’t recommend Santa as a honeymoon destination.
The cottage has a huge deck, which has a view of a WWII-era railroad bridge in addition to the waterfall. Trains went past about 3-4 times a day.
It took a few days but I finally caught a freight train passing.
I’ve been to Dullstroom a few times before (here’s a post about the most recent time) but I had forgotten how lovely it is. The landscape is endless rolling hills — bright green in summer, muted brown in winter — that are perfect for walking. With the exception of the times Thorsten was working and one quick foray into downtown Dullstroom (about 15 minutes away), all we did was walk, eat (Cascades Cottage is self-catering, so we brought our own food), and sit around watching the waterfall.
A typical late-afternoon view in the hills of Dullstroom. Santa, which was declared a nature reserve in 2024, has several walking paths, but you don’t really need to walk on a path. We just roamed around wherever, picking through the tall grass and hoping not to meet any snakes. (We never did.)
A lonely pink wildflower.
Another incredible waterfall in the Santa Reserve.
The reserve has several weirs, which are like small, manmade waterfalls, that serve as nice footbridges. The pools above the weirs also make good swimming spots.
Contemplating the Braveheart-like scenery.
View of the hills from inside an old cattle kraal.
Stunning in all directions.
This Dullstroom weekend was a 10 out of 10 for me — highly recommend. Please note that a high-clearance vehicle is preferable for driving around Santa, and there is no wifi in the Cascades Cottage (although we had sporadic cellular signal). The waterfall is loud, especially after a summer with so much rain, but we really enjoyed the noise.
Dullstroom is an easy, three-hour drive from Joburg. Bring a camera, lots of books, meat for the braai, and enjoy.
Thanks @theThinking_Hand for the beautiful sketch of our waterfall.
Looks very peaceful and tranquil. I think that pink flower is a Guernsey lily??
That sounds appropriate!
It looks wonderful Heather and I’ve added to my ‘short trips’ folder for later in the year! We’ve just had 3 nights in Rosendal on your recommendation and enjoyed it very much. We stayed at Skurwekop cabin and it was super.
Oh amazing! So glad you liked Rosendal.
Lovely and tranquil photos. Are the falls very loud?
Yes, very! But we liked it.
white noise to cover the train racket!
Exactly