South Africa is a true paradise for nature lovers like us, and before moving to South Africa, we spent a lot of time reading and dreaming of all the places we could visit on quick weekends away from Joburg as well as longer, extended trips all over the country and surrounding areas to get our fill of the great outdoors.  We looked at living in Joburg as sort of a gateway to all the places we really wanted to see in South Africa; just a big city that we would try and escape from as often as possible.  Jump forward a couple months and I am happy to report that you don’t need to escape Joburg for a nature fix.

Before moving here, we had never visited Joburg and I was very surprised by how green it is here (said to be one of the greenest cities in the world) and also totally enchanted by the beautiful, blooming Jacarandas when we first arrived.  We soon discovered that there are many nature reserves right in Joburg and the Melville Koppies was one of the first we visited.

Melville Koppies Nature Reserve

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