Hartbeespoort Dam and the Magaliesberg

6 min read Updated November 2026 Compare all tours

Hartbeespoort Dam was completed in April 1923. Its concrete arch wall is 59 m high and closes a gorge in the Magaliesberg, holding back the Crocodile and Magalies rivers. The range around it has been a UNESCO biosphere reserve since June 2015, covering about 360,000 hectares. Hartbeespoort has no public transport from Johannesburg: you drive, about an hour from Sandton, or book a tour with pickup.

On the water

The two-hour cruise is based in the Kommando Nek nature reserve on the shore and leaves at 10:00, 13:00 and 16:00 every day. A welcome drink is served on boarding, followed by hot and cold South African finger food; other drinks come from the bar, and cool boxes or your own drinks are not allowed on board. The day pass for the nature reserve and the beach café stays valid after you land. The boat is not suitable for wheelchair users or people prone to motion sickness.

Guests like the views, the music on board and the amount of food. The complaints are about basic seating, food served cold and the lack of commentary on what you pass. One South African guest found water plants covering much of the surface on his trip. The 16:00 departure returns towards dusk, so if you drive yourself, allow for the road back to Johannesburg before dark.

The cableway

The Harties Cableway climbs the Magaliesberg from the shore of the dam. The original cableway was built in 1973 and closed in 2005; the new one has 14 cabins for six people each and can carry 300 people an hour, News24 reported when it reopened in 2012. It runs from Wednesday to Sunday and on public holidays, and is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. The last car down leaves half an hour after the stated closing time.

Without a car, a private half day from Sandton combines the cableway with a wine tasting. Pickup is at 08:30 sharp at the My Sandton City stop, on the corner of 5th Street and Maude Street, and the drive takes about an hour, depending on traffic.

Lion & Safari Park

Lion & Safari Park moved in 2016 from its old 80-hectare site near Johannesburg to about 600 hectares on the R512 near Hartbeespoort. It is about 13 km from Lanseria Airport. The guided tour takes two hours in an open game truck through the antelope area and the enclosures for lions, cheetahs, wild dogs, hyenas and leopards, and runs in all weather. A shorter predator drive of one hour covers the lions, wild dogs and cheetahs. With your own car you can drive through at your own pace; soft-tops and convertibles are not allowed. At weekends and on public holidays the lions are fed at 12:00 and 15:00.

The park’s record on cubs is mixed. In May 2016 it announced that cub petting and walks with lions would end, and in August of the same year management brought cub petting back “temporarily”. We could not confirm the current position. South Africa’s government said in 2021 that it wants to end captive lion breeding, and in 2025 it prepared a notice against new commercial facilities, but as of February 2026 no ban on cub petting had been published. We do not recommend cub interactions. For other reserves within reach of the city, see game reserves near Johannesburg.

Balloons over the Magalies valley

Bill Harrop’s, which has flown here since 1981, launches from a site near Skeerpoort, west of the dam, about an hour from both Johannesburg and Pretoria. You arrive before sunrise for tea, coffee and biscuits while the balloons are filled, fly for about an hour and land to sparkling wine before a buffet breakfast at the clubhouse. The whole morning takes three to four hours. Transport is not included, and cancellations made less than six days before the flight are only partly refunded.

Every flight depends on the wind and weather on the morning itself. Passengers must be older than seven, taller than 1.3 m, able to climb into a basket 135 cm high without help and able to stand for the whole flight. A package with private transport from the My Sandton City stop covers the same flight. More on the season and the operators on balloon flights.

Lesedi on the way

Lesedi Cultural Village lies on the R512, the same road as the safari park, about 10 km north of Lanseria Airport. A village guide shows you five homesteads, Zulu, Xhosa, Pedi, Basotho and Ndebele, before a song and dance performance. The evening programme with dinner runs from 16:30 to 18:30, and Germany’s Foreign Office advises against driving between towns after dark, so the guided tours with transport are the easier choice for the evening. More on day trips from Johannesburg.