Barberton Mpumalanga South Africa:

One of the principal towns of the Southern Lowveld , Barberton is often called the jewel of Lowveld. The historic little town of Barberton forms the heart of the Wild Frontier, one of the seven flagship tourism regions in South Africa. Situated in a beautiful basin, the De Kaap Valley, Barbeton is surrounded by the Mokhonjwa Mountains. At an altitude of 877m above sea level the town is a malaria free area. The Barberton Mountainlands are classified as one of the few areas in South Africa with un spoilt scenery and has had the least human intervention of anywhere in the country.

Barberton is located: (latitude 25°47'S, longitude 31°03'E)

70 km from the Kruger National Park
60km from the brand new Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport
45 km from Nelspruit
360 km from Johannesburg International Airport
adjacent to the newly proclaimed Barberton Mountainlands Nature and Game Reserve
near the mountain kingdom of Swaziland
160km from warm waters of the Mozambique coast.

Climate:
The climate is subtropical with summer rainfall of 755 mm per year. Comfortable temperatures apply year round, ranging from 32°C in January to16°C in July (Winter). The Barberton region is a malaria free zone and has a great deal to offer tourists.

Adventure Activities:
Popular activities include, hiking trails, 4x4 adventure trails into the Mountain lands, Kruger National Park, Swaziland and Mozambique as well as mountain bike, micro light flying, gold panning, horse riding and quad bike trials.

History:
Barberton is older than the city of Johannesburg and was founded in 1884 by Graham Barber, from Natal, who found what they called Barber's Reef - a reef so rich that it glittered with gold and was proclaimed as a town in 1884. Gold is still mined in the Barberton area today and the town can also boast the oldest gold and silver deposits in the world.

The first gold was discovered in Barberton on 20 June 1883 by Auguste Roberts (French Bob) and this led to the establishment of the very first South African Stock Exchange in the town center, the remains of which can be seen to this day. The well-known Sir Percy Fitzpatrick and his dog, immortalized in print as ‘Jock of the Bushveld’ had a many great adventures in this region and a statue to Jock still graces the town.

Today the town boasts all the modern infrastructure and facilities one needs; such as private and provincial hospitals, all the relevant local council collective services, police services, private and public schools, churches, filling stations, shopping centers, banks, sporting facilities, hotels, restaurants and clubs and many different forms of recreational activities ranging from angling to paragliding.

The Barberton Mountain lands are home to some of the oldest exposed rocks on the planet. Some of the earliest and most intriguing rocks have been dated to 3500 000 000 BC and these 3.5 billion year old volcanic rocks, which scientists call the Barberton Greenstone Belt, have given up direct evidence of conditions of life on the surface of the very early earth.

The first form of life on earth, a bacterial microfossil "Archaeospheroides Barbertonis" was discovered here and has been identified as being 3 200 000 000 years old!

Natural Heritage:
The region is also one of the most bio-diverse areas of South Africa with around 1500 plant species (only second to the Cape Fynbos), 350 bird species and 80 animal species. The well-known Barberton daisy (Gerbera Jamisonii) was discovered here in 1889 by Robert Jameson. Another rare plant is Protea curvata which occurs in the mountain range south of Barberton. It is also unique to find the world’s largest aloe Aloe bainesii, which can attain a height of 30 meters, growing next to the smallest aloe, Aloe albida of only 15 cm, in the wooded ravines behind Barberton.

The Fortuna hiking trail has approximately 100 species of trees identified in a one and a half kilometre area - all marked with identifying plates! So those of you who are interested in trees here the perfect opportunity to test your knowledge. I find that name plates are an excellent way for beginners, like I was in the not so distant past, to learn the more difficult species. Some fine examples of the Red Current, Wild Mulberry, Red Ivory and the Wild Olive can be viewed on the trail. Several butterflies, plants, spiders and insects are endemic to the mountainland.

Visit the InfoHub Portal -- Barberton Business Directory.