Rustenburg Kloof: Sometimes, Life’s Best Moments Are The Ones We Never See Coming– Day 2 in Magaliesburg

When Your Perfect Magaliesburg Plan Goes Up in Smoke

So, you know me - queen of spreadsheets and schedules.”

Naturally, I had BIG plans to conquer the Magaliesburg Mountain Range: trail-hopping and sunrise-chasing.

But, predictably, nothing went according to plan. And weirdly… that’s what made it great.

Glamping, But Make It Mildly Mortifying

We rock up at our accomodation after our hike, expecting “rustic.” Instead? Tents. Yes, actual tents. Me, at nearly 60, sleeping outdoors for the first time. Cute, right?

Except it wasn’t terrible.

We had one-man tents with beds, lamps, power, and even heaters. Basically glamping, but without the ‘glam’..

A year ago, I would have run for the hills.....or the mountains, but having seen the absolute paradise campers wake up to on our hikes, I had been weirdly intrigued by this whole camping thing. In fact I had seriously been considering trying it out - at least once.

It wasn’t the picturesque camping experience I’d envisioned (hello, still no Magaliesburg mountains), but it turned out to be a surprisingly soft landing., with no other guests around and the kitchen and bathrooms all to ourselves.

The hosts were lovely, the bed was heavenly, and I slept better than I had in years.

The Great WiFi Tragedy of Magaliesburg

But......the WiFi was down. I know, right? Salt had promised to finally help me with my social media setup, which was why we sacrificed our afternoon hike. Big mistake. Huge.

At dinner, we debated our next-day hike like we were solving quantum physics. We came across Kgaswane Mountain Reserve. And we decided...we'll get in early enough to finally see that sun rise from a mountain!!

When Google Maps Betrays You

We left at 5 a.m., full of hope — until Salt, for reasons unknown, used Google Maps instead of Waze.

After 7 km of sand road and my poor city car crying softly, we finally reached… a locked gate. In the dark. With zero cell signal.

My long-awaited Magaliesburg sunrise? Officially dead.

Salt, ever the optimist, found a backup trail at Rustenburg Kloof—thirty more minutes of driving. By the time we got there, it was 7 a.m.

Sunrise? Toast.

Dreams? Crumbs.

And to top it off, a delightfully grumpy gatekeeper informed us tickets only go on sale at 8. Fabulous. Just what I needed.

By then, I was done. Emotionally. Spiritually. Caffeine-deficient.

As I sipped my petrol station cappuccino, I realized — my weekend had turned into a sitcom. Missed hikes, no WiFi, dead plans.

Anyway, while snapping out of it, I saw the words on my coffee cup and thought, "This might actually turn out better." And you know what? It eventually did.

Rustenburg Kloof: The Trail From Heaven (and a Bit of Hell)

I asked the ticket lady if the trail was well-marked. Her response?

“No, there’s only one way. Just walk up till you see the waterfall.”

It was steep, technical, challenging, and absolutely my kind of chaos.

But, honestly? I’ve never seen a hike so breathtakingly beautiful and depressingly trashed at the same time.

AREA  

Rustenburg Kloof (close enough to Magaliesburg, okay?)

COST 

R 100 pp

DIFFICULTY 

Technical and challenging. Loved it!!

On an incline I’m a gasping old witch, but on a technical trail? Mountain goddess. Go figure.

LENGTH - 5 km

Apparently.....I felt it was much shorter.

HIGHLIGHTS AND LOW LIGHTS

The so-called “no markings” turned out to be either the most hilariously over-marked trail or the result of vandals with a spray can trying to hoax hikers.

By the time we hit the waterfall—on what could only be described as a trail gone rogue—we were surrounded by litter, graffiti (in the same colour as the “helpful” arrows), melted candle wax and makeshift fire pits.

But there was also the most breathtaking scenery. We just stood there, gawking at the jaw-dropping beauty before us, while simultaneously mourning the utter travesty of human disregard for this beauty.

FINAL NOTE 

Still — I’d recommend it to anyone who loves a challenge. It’s an extremely technical climb, and you’ll often be descending backwards, treading very carefully over loose stones on the way down.

ABLUTIONS - Not good.

SAFE FREE PARKING

AMENITIES - these......

Oh, and PS — as we drove back, I told Salt, that we’ve probably already hiked half of Magaliesburg without even realizing it.

NOTE TO SELF 

We might have driven in circles, missed the sunrise, and lost WiFi, but honestly?It was one of the best weekends ever.

Make fewer plans, be open to more surprises, and remember.....the magic that happens when you just… wing it.