30 Aug Welgevonden by Any Other Name is Still a Superb Game Reserve
Welgevonden by Any Other Name is Still a Superb Game Reserve
“Welgevonden” means “well found” in Dutch, the language spoken by the Dutch settlers in the then Cape of Good Hope, as well as the Voortrekkers, who left behind their compatriots and others, when the British took over overall governance of the Cape.
The Dutch and other early European explorers, travellers, and farmers were inclined to name places after natural features or events that occurred in various South African places. Welgevonden is one such example, initially the name of a farm and now a wonderful, private game reserve. It is some 38 000 hectares in extent, in which our exclusive, five-star luxury game lodge, Fifty Seven Waterberg, and our guests have access to approximately 36 000 hectares of prime, pristine Waterberg landscapes and Welgevonden territory.
A Great Escape
Fiercely independent, very religious, and exceptionally set in their ways and beliefs, these intrepid, determined, simple-living, Dutch-speaking Voortrekker folks packed their ox wagons and set off in a northerly direction for the unknown interior regions of the country, there to settle eventually, away from under the perceived yoke of British dominion.
En Route
The Trekkers were actually en route to Jerusalem and the biblical Holy Land, or so they thought, never having the slightest inkling about just how far they would have to travel to get there. It is said that when they reached a stream that they thought to be the sweet waters of the Nile River, they stopped, eventually naming this place in the Waterberg (Water Mountain/s) “Nylstroom” (Nile Stream or Stream of the Nile), which is now Modimolle. En route to Welgevonden Game Reserve by road, one passes through Modimolle.
Today’s Leisurely Drive
Today, it is no great trek to the Waterberg and Welgevonden Game Reserve, which is now a pleasant, scenic, and leisurely drive that takes only approximately three hours by road from Pretoria and perhaps half an hour longer from Johannesburg (stated travel time does not apply to ox wagons). Access to this beautiful, private wildlife conservancy park is strictly reserved for guests who have confirmed bookings at the select lodges within the reserve.
Visitors to Fifty Seven Waterberg should check themselves and their vehicles in at the West Gate, which is closest to our lodge. Vehicles are left safely at the gate, whilst guests are collected from this point, at set times, to begin their Fifty Seven Waterberg and Welgevonden wildlife adventures in earnest.
Luxury Accommodation
Fifty Seven Waterberg now offers more luxury accommodation than before. We have increased our number of private suites to ten, all still as elegantly appointed, beautifully furnished and spacious as before. The features that distinguish our game lodge’s guest quarters are:
- Five Classic suite guests are welcome to use the communal rim flow pool on the deck of the main lodge
- Four Luxury suites that each feature a private solar-heated plunge pool
- The Honeymoon suite is equipped with its own outdoor shower, plus a heated jet pool
These and other additional luxury features are above and beyond the creature comforts that one might expect in the bushveld heart of a game reserve, but are par for the course at Fifty Seven Waterberg in Welgevonden, where service excellence and lovely luxury are our priority, intended for your pleasure and enjoyment.