Machadodorp Day 2:Dear Wathaba, I Think I Love You

So, how did Wathaba even happen? Well, if you read my last blog (gold star if you did), you'd already know. But for the rest of you skimmers, here's the summarized version.....Thanks to social media I saw a gazillion waterfall pics. I messaged my adventure partner Sage “Wanna hike Wathaba?” Her reply: “What time?” Translation: It’s on. The algorithm clearly knew us too well—either fate, or creepy internet sorcery. Probably both.

I got increasingly hyped about Wathaba. I started mentioning it to a few people (okay, everyone I’d hiked with in the previous three weeks—multiple times. And every time, the question was:

“Are you going in a group?”

Which, honestly, felt a little dramatic. Like, sorry I didn’t hire a security detail and a Sherpa.

Apparently, Wathaba has a bit of a rep. Sure, she’s beautiful—but think more “enigmatic femme fatale” than “approachable girl next door.”

And then, the terms and conditions were received. Oh yes, this trail came with fine print. Booking policies, trail rules, emotional support disclaimers—okay, maybe not that last one, but it felt like it. So, needless to say, I started wondering if maybe, just maybe, we were not the dynamic duo to conquer this "beast" solo.

Well, let me tell you, Wathaba is one of the most well-wrapped, well-kept trails I’ve ever stomped my boots on.

You honestly don’t need to stress about going in a group. The trail doesn’t just take care of itself—it takes care of you.

When we arrived, we were greeted by a delightful man named Happy, who cheerfully ran us through the rules one more time before we set off.

It’s such an adventure. Not easy, though—Inclines that don’t come at you all at once. No, Wathaba likes to play. Now you see them, now you don’t.

There are bridges, ladders, and more than a few seriously steep (albeit shortish) inclines and declines. Emphasis on seriously.

Wathaba doesn’t hit you with one big, dramatic climb—it’s more like a sneaky ninja. A “guess who’s back?” moment every few hundred meters. And the only time you’re sure the ups and downs will stop? When the trail ends.

It's riddled with delicious technical bits. But here’s the thing—it’s not technical in the “hope you brought a rope” way. It’s technical in the “we knew you'd need a rope, so here we go” way.

It’s like the trail has an invisible guardian angel—always one step ahead with ropes and steel poles right where you need them.

I got to the top of a ladder, paused for a bit, thinking, “Uh… now what?” And boom—right there beside me, a steel pole waiting like it read my mind.

They’ve somehow taken what could’ve been sketchy, slip-and-pray kind of moments and turned them into still spicy, but doable challenges. Precarious? Yes. Panic-inducing? No. Just the right kind of thrill.

Also, we never felt lost. Not once. The trail is so well marked and thought-out, it basically walks itself—with you sweating on top of it.

And the waterfalls... oh my greatness. Just when you think they’ve peaked—they haven't. They get better. Bigger. Bolder. And because this trail is absurdly well-designed, it saves the pièce de résistance for last: the final waterfall. A showstopper. A mic drop. The kind of view that makes your brain short-circuit.

And not to forget the lush green forests—like stepping into a mossy, green wonderland where everything feels a little quieter, a little softer, and a whole lot more magical. The kind of place where you half expect a woodland creature to hand you a cup of tea and a motivational quote.

Between the universe and Wathaba, I swear they conspired to create a trail that feels like it was handcrafted for grown-up adventure seekers—equal parts playground and paradise.

10km trail: done.Afterwards? Sage and I didn’t speak for the next eight hours... literally. Not because we were sick of each other. Not because we were physically wrecked. No—because we were too busy scrolling through our photos and videos, with ridiculous grins on our faces.

Trying to process the magic we’d just hiked through like, “Did that actually happen? ”Yes. Yes it did. And we had the footage to prove it.

RATING

AREA – Machadodorp, Mpumalanga

COST – R 100

LENGTH – 10km

TIME

6 glorious, adventurous, fun-filled hours

MARKERS

Excellent - even marking every km for us to see how much we have done.

ABLUTIONS

SAFE FREE PARKING

AMENITIES

There are various types of accomodation. We did not stay there, as it was fully booked, but also, I think that is where you would need to go as a group to keep the costs down.

There’s a little shop with curios for the memory hoarders.

NOTE TO SELF 

You showed huge restraint at the end there, when you saw the monstrous, cinematic waterfall just casually hurling itself off a mountain—and didn’t take a million photos. Just stood there, nodded like a grown-up, and told yourself, “No. Must belong to tomorrow's hike. Be patient.

DIFFICULTY

Not impossible, but definitely requires experience and caution.

HIGHLIGHTS

The waterfalls, obviously… wait, the forests… no, no—the ladders and bridges? Or maybe those “are you kidding me” views?? Wait, maybe.......What was the question again?.

TOSOLO OR NOSOLO? 

NOSOLO - Wathaba is not the trail to test your lone wolf energy.

ON A FINAL NOTE

I’m obsessed. If Wathaba had a guestbook, I’d write a full-blown sonnet. 10/10 would hike, gasp, and dramatically fall in love all over again.