Weenen is the second oldest Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

an settlement in KwaZulu-Natal

KwaZulu-Natal

KwaZulu-Natal is a province of South Africa. Prior to 1994, the territory now known as KwaZulu-Natal was made up of the province of Natal and the homeland of KwaZulu....

, South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

. It is situated on the banks of the Bushman River

Bushman River

The Bushman's River is an east to north-easterly flowing tributary of the Tugela River, in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. It rises in the Drakensberg Mountain range, with its upper catchment in the Giant's Castle Game Reserve, north of the Giant's Castle promontory...

. The farm

Farm

A farm is an area of land, or, for aquaculture, lake, river or sea, including various structures, devoted primarily to the practice of producing and managing food , fibres and, increasingly, fuel. It is the basic production facility in food production. Farms may be owned and operated by a single...

s around the town grow vegetables, lucerne

Alfalfa

Alfalfa is a flowering plant in the pea family Fabaceae cultivated as an important forage crop in the US, Canada, Argentina, France, Australia, the Middle East, South Africa, and many other countries. It is known as lucerne in the UK, France, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand, and known as...

, groundnuts, and citrus fruit. The town was laid out in 1838 at the site of a massacre by the Zulus following Voortrekker settlements in the area near the royal kraal

Kraal

Kraal is an Afrikaans and Dutch word for an enclosure for cattle or other livestock, located within an African settlement or village surrounded by a palisade, mud wall, or other fencing, roughly circular in form.In the Dutch language a kraal is a term derived from the Portuguese word , cognate...

 of Dingane

Dingane

Dingane kaSenzangakhona Zulu —commonly referred to as Dingane or Dingaan—was a Zulu chief who became king of the Zulu Kingdom in 1828...

. A now-closed narrow gauge railway was built in 1907 to connect the town to Estcourt, 47 kilometres to the west.

Weenen Nature reserve

Weenen Game Reserve is administered by KwaZulu Wildlife and covers an area of typical inland KwaZulu-Natal acacia grassland with occasional thickets. There are extensive game viewing facilities, guided walks and environmental education in the Weenen Game Reserve. More than 230 species of birds have been recorded (there are two hides overlooking a dam) and the park is an excellent example of how a severely degraded habitat can be successfully rehabilitated. There are three picnic sites. Mammals in the reserve include Rhinoceros

Rhinoceros

Rhinoceros , also known as rhino, is a group of five extant species of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. Two of these species are native to Africa and three to southern Asia....

, giraffe

Giraffe

The giraffe is an African even-toed ungulate mammal, the tallest of all extant land-living animal species, and the largest ruminant...

, hyaena

Hyaena

For the Siouxsie and the Banshees album, see Hyæna.For the group of animals commonly known as "hyaena", see Hyena.Hyaena is a genus comprising two of the living species of hyenas: the striped hyena from western Asia and northern Africa and the brown hyena from southern Africa...

, jackal

Jackal

Although the word jackal has been historically used to refer to many small- to medium-sized species of the wolf genus of mammals, Canis, today it most properly and commonly refers to three species: the black-backed jackal and the side-striped jackal of sub-Saharan Africa, and the golden jackal of...

, bushbuck

Bushbuck

The bushbuck is the most widespread antelope in Sub-Saharan Africa, and is found in rain forests, montane forests, forest-savanna mosaics and bush savannaforest and woodland. Recently, genetic studies have shown that the bushbuck, is in fact a complex of two geographically and phenotypically...

, reedbuck

Reedbuck

Reedbuck is a common name for African antelopes from the genus Redunca. These species are:* Southern Reedbuck, Redunca arundinum* Mountain Reedbuck, Redunca fulvorufula* Bohor Reedbuck, Redunca redunca...

, steenbok

Steenbok

The Steenbok, Raphicerus campestris, is a common small antelope of southern and eastern Africa. It is sometimes known as the Steinbuck or Steinbok.- Description :...

 and porcupine

Porcupine

Porcupines are rodents with a coat of sharp spines, or quills, that defend or camouflage them from predators. They are indigenous to the Americas, southern Asia, and Africa. Porcupines are the third largest of the rodents, behind the capybara and the beaver. Most porcupines are about long, with...

. The Weenen nature reserve has a small two-bedroomed cottage with BBQ facilities and its own trail and waterhole. There are 12 caravan and camping sites and a picnic site. There is a guided walk of 8 km and three self-guided trails which pass dams.

White water rafting

The major summer activity is white-water rafting, and the most exciting time to do this is between November and May. The 30 km stretch of river known as the canyon provides some of the most thrilling white water in the country. The South African leg of the Camel White-Water Challenge took place at Zingela in Weenen.

Weenen Museum

The museum (also from 1838) houses a collection of Voortrekker artifacts and was constructed by Voortrekker leader Andries Pretorius

Andries Pretorius

Andries Wilhelmus Jacobus Pretorius was a leader of the Boers who was instrumental in the creation of the Transvaal Republic, as well as the earlier but short-lived Natalia Republic, in present-day South Africa....

 whose waterwheel is one of the exhibits. It has previously done service as a magistrate's office, post office and a prison. Between 1907 and 1983 a narrow gauge

Narrow gauge

A narrow gauge railway is a railway that has a track gauge narrower than the of standard gauge railways. Most existing narrow gauge railways have gauges of between and .- Overview :...

 railway connected Weenen with Estcourt and provided an outlet for its produce and was thus called the "Cabbage Express'.

PO Box 13, Weenen, 3325
Times: 10.00 - 12.00 & 14.00 - 16.00
Tel: +27 (0)363 41855 41901

Thukela Biosphere Reserve

Thirty-one private landowners have combined to establish this biosphere reserve which integrates both conservation and farming. It encompasses the Tugela, Bushmans and Bloukrans River valleys and incorporates the Weenen Nature Reserve. There are horse trails through the biosphere, game viewing and bird watching - especially the thousands of white storks that inhabit the reserve.

Fishing is popular in the rivers, and for the hunter there is a variety of both buck and birds. The area of the reserve covers grasslands, steep forested valleys and riverine vegetation. One can see Buffalo, kudu, leopard, giraffe, hyena, elephant, rhino, zebra, wildebeest and many others. There are also crocodiles, pythons and monitor lizards.