A stone’s throw away from South Africa’s capital, Pretoria in Tshwane Municipality, makes it a popular day trip. Rietvlei is affectionately known as a “haven of nature” by the locals. Home to the endangered Bankenveld grassland and around 2000 different animals, it is the perfect game-viewing day trip. See rhinos, buffalo, black wildebeest, blesbok, zebras, waterbuck, reedbuck, and if you are lucky the elusive cheetah. It is also home to around 240 different bird species, particularly those with aquatic elements in their ecosystems. Look out for African fish eagles, half-collared and giant kingfishers, and purple gallinules. You’ll also find grassland specials like the grass owl, spike-heeled lark, buffy pipit and orange-throated longclaw. Two dams on the reserve offer bird hides, which provide open-water and wetland habitats.
