Lydenburg, on the The Panorama Route, is situated at the foothills of the famous Long Tom Pass and surrounded by the Steenkampsberg and Mauchsberg mountain ranges - the highest points in Mpumalanga.
Only 290kms from Pretoria, makes it the ideal stopover to explore not only the well known Panorama route / Kruger Park, but the beautiful Waterfall river valley and local scenery. Four streams, namely the Dorps river, Sterkspruit, Doringbergspruit and the Klipgatspruit either run through or on the outskirts of Lydenburg making it a fisherman's haven.
In 1873 alluvial gold was discovered and the town experienced somewhat of a gold rush, and quite a bit of the precious metal was sifted from the waters. This supply soon dried up, and today Lydenburg is known as more of a thriving agriculture and chrome and platinum mining centre.
At the Lydenburg Museum where visitors are taken back to the early days of the town's existence, many unique and fascinating displays can be seen.
Lydenburg has a large Iron Age site with the many circles of rocks on hillsides a reminder of the early inhabitants to this beautiful part of the country. On the farm Boomplaas, north west of Lydenburg, you'll find engraved circles, geckos and other shapes into the rocks.
Painters, wood carvers, stained glass artists, botanical sketch artist are just some of the talented artists residing in this area. An annual exhibition is held in the Civic center to display and market their wares.
The Lydenburg Museum is well worth a visit, boasting in addition to its indoor displays, a display of "Outside Art", concrete figures created by the late Mr Dick Heysteck.
A strong cycling and running club arrange a number of events during the year, the most well known of which is the Long Tom Marathon, a gruelling road race from Sabie to Lydenburg, running over the Long Tom Pass.
Right on the edge of town is the Gustav Klingbiel Nature Reserve which comprises an area of 2,200 hectare, with typical escarpment fauna and flora - from orchids to cycads, trees to ferns.
The Lydenburg Waterfall, 16 km north-east of the town on the Dorps river, is regarded as one of the most spectacular waterfalls in Mpumalanga. The total height of the falls is 244 metres.
Lydenburg is an eco-traveller and adventure fundi's paradise. It is within easy reach of world-renowned attractions like Blyde River Canyon, Pilgrim's Rest and Kruger National Park, while the hiking trails, including the Crane Nature, Famba Farms, Maratan, Pedi, Protea Nature, Ribbok and Sterkspruit trails are a great option to see the beauty of the terrain.
Trout and fly-fishermen are in for a treat at the Sterkspruit Dam, which has excellent fishing opportunities.
