Panorama Route town close to God's Window and Bourke's Luck Potholes.
- Do Africa Silks silk farm tour
- Do Big Swing gorge swing
- Do Jock of the Bushveld Trail
- See Berlin Falls
- See Blyde River Canyon and Three Rondavels
Pilgrim's Rest
A preserved gold-rush village that is now a living museum.
History
Alec 'Wheelbarrow' Patterson and then William Trafford found alluvial gold in Pilgrim's Creek in 1873, and the area was proclaimed a goldfield on 22 September 1873. Transvaal Gold Mining Estates (TGME) was formed in 1895 and the Belvedere hydro-electric station made the town one of the first electrified in southern Africa (1911). A Boer emergency mint struck Veldpond coins here in 1902. Mining stopped in 1971-72, the village was sold to the provincial government in 1974 and declared a national monument in 1986.
Getting there
On the R533 between Graskop (about 15-23 km east) and Mashishing/Lydenburg via Robber's Pass and Ohrigstad; Sabie is reached via Graskop or the R532/R533. There is no ATM in the village, so bring cash.
Weather & climate
Summer-rainfall valley at roughly 1,250 m with warm wet summers, frequent mist and cool to cold, dry winters.
Things to do
- Diggings Museum and gold panningReconstructed alluvial gold diggings in Pilgrim's Creek with panning demonstrations and hands-on panning.
- Ghost TourEvening guided ghost walk through the village (about 2.5 hours), booked through Trips SA.
- Prospector's Hiking TrailFive-day, 62.5 km hiking trail starting near Pilgrim's Rest.
- Village TourGuided historical walking tour of Uptown and Downtown.
Things to see
- Alanglade House MuseumMine manager's mansion built in 1915 by TGME, furnished in early-1900s style; guided tours only.
- Dredzen Shop & House MuseumRecreated general dealer's shop of 1930-50 with the attached family home.
- Historic CemeteryGold-rush graves, including the famous robber's grave facing a different direction.
- House MuseumLate-Victorian house built in 1913, furnished as an upper-middle-class home of the time.
- Joubert BridgeStone bridge over the Blyde River built in 1896/7.
- Pilgrim's Rest living museumRestored gold-rush buildings and gold panning.
- Printing MuseumHand-printing equipment once used for the local newspapers.
- Robber's PassScenic pass on the R533 towards Ohrigstad, named after stagecoach robberies in the gold-rush era.
- St Mary's Anglican ChurchThe oldest church building still standing in the village (1884), with an old organ.
- Thelwall's Transformation MuseumDowntown museum with an exhibit on the goldfields and the Sekhukhune wars.
- War Memorial and Delville Wood oakMemorial to local men lost in both world wars, beside an oak grown from a Delville Wood acorn.
Close by Pilgrim's Rest
More to do and see in towns a short drive awayA forestry town surrounded by waterfalls including Mac Mac, Lone Creek and Bridal Veil.
- Do Fanie Botha Hiking Trail
- Do Fly-fishing on the Sabie River
- Do Forest Falls
- Do Loerie Trail
- Do Mac Mac Pools
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