Doornkop Fish and Wildlife Reserve is located off the beaten track in the tranquil Komati River Valley which forms part of Mpumalanga's premier fly-fishing region. The reserve is accessed from the Machadadorp - Carolina tarred road (R36) which links into the N4 at Machadadorp. The turnoff to Doornkop is clearly sign posted on the R36 approximately 28km from Machadadorp. The entrance to the property is about 9km from this turnoff along a well maintained dirt road. Doornkop has a 900m gravel landing strip. Enquire condition before use.

Light plane lifting off from Doornkop airstrip

Climate

Doornkop enjoys a moderate climate typical of the Mpumulanga middleveld. The hottest month is January (mean daily max. and min. temps. are 24.4 & 13.2 C respectively) while the coldest month is June (mean daily max. and min. temps. are 16.2 & 2 C respectively). Doornkop falls within the summer rainfall region receiving an average of 123mm in January and 7mm in June. Thunderstorms can be expected between October and March.

Topography

Aesthetic and serene. The morphology of the region is transitional between the eastern boundaries of the highveld and the western foothills of the escarpment and consists of rolling hills and grasslands with rocky outcrops and wooded kloofs along the drainage lines.

Vegetation

Doornkop has a wide variety of indigenous trees, shrubs and veld flowers occurring in natural grasslands.

Vegetation comprises North Eastern Mountain Grassland on the high lying areas (above 1500m altitude) and a shrub forest component in sheltered situations (kloofs, drainage lines etc).

Hydrology - Rivers flow through it.

Two perennial watercourses, namely, the Swartwater Spruit and the Upper Komati River, flow across Doornkop. Both rivers are shallow ripple streams with good water quality and provide suitable habitats for a variety of fish

The Swartwater Spruit flows through Doornkop for 5km

The colder north flowing Swartwater Spruit drains into the warmer north-east flowing Upper Komati River.

 

Doornkop owners have access to 7km of the Upper Komati River

Cold water from the Swartwater Spruit feeds into trout dams stocked with Rainbows and Browns.

A number of dams provide ample Stillwater fly-fishing opportunities