Waterval Boven

Waterval Boven, officially renamed Emgwenya in 2009, meaning Place of the Crocodile in Zulu, sits on the edge of the Drakensberg Escarpment above the 75-metre Elands Falls. The railway line from Pretoria to Maputo runs through here, and the 211-metre tunnel that carries it was drilled by hand between 1892 and 1893 as part of the strategic route the Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek needed to reach a non-British port. The tunnel is open to visitors and worth the walk.

Rock climbers discovered the quartzite cliffs here in 1991, and the area has since built a global reputation. There are over 450 sport routes and 150 traditional routes spread across multiple crags in the mountains above town. Grades run from beginner to seriously difficult. International climbers show up here regularly, and the local guiding network knows the rock. If you don't climb, this still matters: it means the area has a community of people who are outdoors, fit, and spending money locally.

The Elands River Falls can be reached through the NZASM road tunnel, a national monument, which adds an unusual dimension to what would otherwise be a standard waterfall walk. The river below the falls has swimming holes. Trout fishing is available in the mountain streams. Mountain biking and hiking routes run through the surrounding hills.

Waterval Boven has not been packaged for mass tourism. The main street is small and functional, the accommodation scene is modest and mostly driven by the climbing community, and the surrounding landscape is most rewarding to people who move through it actively. The N4 runs through town, connecting it to Johannesburg in the west and Mbombela in the east.