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Originally named Marthinus Wesselstroom after President Pretorius on 6 November 1859. Wakkerstroom celebrated it’s 160th year in 2019. It was laid out by Dirk Uys using a “riem” cut from the hide of a Eland to measure out the town around the NG Church.
The village teems with rich history and interesting stories from Ghandi’s visit to the wars.
Wakkerstroom, being then the first town from the Natal border, was one of the first to be occupied by British troops from 58th North Staffordshire and the 1st Kings dragon guards.
Wakkerstroom, is the second oldest town in Mpumalanga province, South Africa. The town is on the KwaZulu-Natal border, 27 km east of Volksrust and 56 km south-east of Amersfoort.
Wakkerstroom, which is set in a peaceful valley overlooked by Ossewakop Mountain, is a world-renowned destination. As the second oldest town in the province, Wakkerstroom is brimming with history that is only rivalled by its natural splendour. The region is home to three major bird habitat types, namely wetlands, grasslands and forests.
Wakkerstroom is situated on one of the southern hemisphere’s largest natural wetlands. Given the globally recognised importance for these diminishing habitats on the natural biodiversity and mitigation of climate change – this already makes Wakkerstroom a hotspot for birders.
The area surrounding these wetlands make up some of South Africa’s (arguably) second most vulnerable habitat – the high altitude grasslands. These grasslands host many rare and endangered birds including a wealth of Cranes, Korhaans, Larks, Pipits and Coursers.