Situated west of the Kruger National Park on the banks of the Great Letaba River, the Hans Merensky Nature Reserve was named after the famous mining magnate who donated a fully equipped borehole to the reserve.
The Hans Merensky Nature Reserve has a distinctive flora of small mopane and combretun trees, with a wide variety of game and bird species. It is an area of intense summer heat interspersed with rainfall. Winters are best for game viewing, as the bush dies back and animals congregate at waterholes.
In a small marshy area within the reserve a thermal spring bubbles to the surface at 104°C. This has long been used by locals as a source of salt and medicinal treatment, especially for sufferers of rheumatism. Today the spring feeds into an open-air swimming pool for all to enjoy.
Also within the Hans Merensky Nature Reserve is the Tsonga Kraal Museum, highlighting Tsonga culture through its arts, crafts and traditional huts.
