The Haenertsburg village and Magoebaskloof area is located in the north-eastern escarpment section of the Drakensberg The areas vegetation originally consisted of escarpment mist belt and grasslands. The Woodbush State Forest is the main focus of forest birding in Magoebaskloof. Access to Woodbush is via the Forest Drive. The Forest Drive passes through about 9km of Woodbush Forest and ends up at Debegeni Falls and eventually the R71. The Forest Drive, when in good condition, can be tackled by high clearance sedans, best to do the drive from the top. It is usually recommended to drive the Forest Drive

“If you’re ever in Magoebaskloof in northern Limpopo province, treat yourself to a birding walk with David Letsoalo. His knowledge of birds, trees and plants is legendary, and he has such a great way of describing the wonders of nature. It was a chilly morning with dewdrops on some of the plants. The hanging ferns and the moss on trees are just other benefits of exploring the forests in Magoebaskloof. A big bonus was that we were able to get good sightings of the endangered Cape Parrot.” Rung Button

This is a self drive route. Birders visit Haenertsburg and Magoebaskloof primarily to explore the extensive Woodbush Forest Reserve. Woodbush is an Afromontane mist belt forest which has a high annual rainfall. The forests are home to Cape Parrot, Black-fronted Bush-Shrike, White-starred Robin, Orange Ground-Thrush, Buff-spotted Flufftail, Grey Cuckooshrike, Chorister Robin-Chat, Blue-mantled Crested Flycatcher, Yellow-streaked Greenbul, Crowned Eagle and many more.Access to the Woodbush Forest is by public road which is the Forest Drive.

This is a self guided route. The Louis Changuion Trail winds through grassland and forest patches for 10km.You may find Red-winged Francolin, Broad-tailed Warbler, Grass Owl, White-necked Raven, Red-winged Francolin, Yellow Bishop, Dark-capped Yellow Warbler, Drakensberg Prinia, Cape Grassbird, Croaking, Cloud, Wailing, Lazy and Wing-snapping Cisticola.

This is a self drive route. The Kudu’s River Valley road links Houtbosdorp to the lowveld village of Mooketsi. The road drops down steeply into the Mooketsi Valley taking you through bushveld and riverine habitats. Eventually you will be driving through agricultural fields and past irrigation dams.

This is a self drive route. From Haenertsburg you take the Annies Fortune Road and at the first T junction turn right towards the R71. This route goes through the Haenertsburg rain shadow consisting of dry thornveld that is home to a completely different group of birds compared with the Woodbush Forest.

“A great but wet week end in Magoebaskloof checking out some of the areas special birds. We used a guide on the Saturday morning, Paul Nkhumane, who was a total pro and a big help at finding some of these very difficult to see, forest birds. They call everywhere throughout the forest, – loudly and clearly but despite my best efforts, they are so hard to locate and seem to just be enticing you further and further into the forest. Teasing you, playing with you. A magical game of hide and seek where just about any bird seen is

This is a self drive route.