Rietvlei Nature Reserve

Rietvlei Nature Reserve is a gem on the edge of town in Pretoria East. This quaint, small and stunning reserve is the perfect place for a day visit no matter the season. It has a nice selection of wildlife, often is the home of a cheetah or six, and has an abundance of birdlife that make it a birder's must visit. Animals are relaxed, and the "Friends of Rietvlei" keep the reserve well looked after. It has a beautifully selection of hides, picnic areas, a nice "Coffee Shop" where you can enjoy drinks and food, and the tar roads are well kept, and most of the dirt roads are in good condition too but some sections can be a bit challenging for an urban car especially after rain. The reserve is very popular on weekends, so things can be a bit messy on Mondays and Tuesdays around picnic areas, but usually by Wednesday everything is beautifully pristine again. If you do enjoy this reserve or want to become an avid visitor, join "Fiends of Rietvlei" membership to support the volunteers who look after the reserve, or join their efforts yourself.

Nice place to cruise. The negative was that the map did not include closed of roads and we ended up having to take a long detour

Nice place to spend a few hours in nature. The bird hides are well kept and it's few of the places safe to get out of your car since there are cheetah and Rhino present and well as buffalo. Some nice birds and wildlife to photograph

It was great to see buffalo, red hartbeest, zebra and mating ostriches. The toilet facilities need some attention.

We visited on a weekend in September 2023 before heading to the airport for our flight home. It was not too busy. There was a short wait to get a ticket, but the roads weren't too bad. It is a nice reserve to drive around and see wildlife. We found the signage extremely bad. This picture of a road sign, with missing arrows and letters peeling off was typical. The bathrooms were pretty bad too. This place could definitely use some maintenance.

Awesome place to book a work function. The picnic area is wonderful and any vehicle can drive it.

A worthwhile daytrip, especially if you arrive early in the morning. There are a number of dams with bird hides. Buffalo, wildebeest and various buck can be viewed from the comfort of your car. Cheetas are sometimes seen. A scrumptious breakfast/ brunch is served at the restaurant located in an old farmhouse. You could also have a picnic or braai at the Marais dam.

Support an excellent nature reserve right in the heart of Gauteng. Easy access from the main routes and they offer a number of facilities along with some excellent game viewing. Very good picnic/ braai facility with ablutions. A tea garden with good coffee or hot chocolate on those cold mornings. Self drive and game drive vehicles. Some unique animals if you are lucky and you can be home in time for lunch if you like.

We spent a big part of a Saturday at Rietvlei and, in general, had a great overall experience. You are obviously never guaranteed that you would see specific animals but the ones we saw, made us happy.

However, we were disappointed about the shocking state of the toilets at the coffee shop / restaurant. Sies. Furthermore, the food there was just average and not really provided value for money.

Beautiful nature reserve, with lots of animals. Great lookout points. Great picnic area and very cute restaurant. A bird watchers paradise

Oooooh my goodness! Growing up in PTA and only after 15years realizing that Rietvlei Nature reserve is such a scenic place filled with wildlife! Black wildebees! Whaaaat! Buffalo, hippos and many more. The picnic spots are also wheelchair accessible and sitting under the trees next to the dam is extremely relaxing. For R65 this place is a no brainer to enjoy your day on a game drive/picnic/braai?

Went for a quick visit today 13-11-2021 and we got to see a few rhino, lots of zebra, antelope and ostrich but the highlight of the day was spending about 30mins with one of the two cheetah on the reserve. He went into stalking mode but the antelope saw him and started running away. A little gem hidden within the city that offers a quick fix for the nature lovers.

The place for a memorable outing. On the outskirts of Pretoria, Nature reserve with plains game, buffalo and cheetah. The birdlife is exceptional, with amazing bird-hides. Entrance fees are reasonable, and worth while considering the distance one travels to be in a nature. Great day out with children, a restaurant with coffee, cold drinks and modest menu to choose from. Great experience guaranteed almost every time.

Good family experience, make sure u have enough petrol in the car. Carry enough beverages and make sure u have enough space on ur device to take some pics.

Coming here on a cold morning in August might make you lucky enough to see a very foggy and very sexy sunrise. 10/10 abundant buffaloes, zebras and ostriches, or ostrï if you feel so inclined. Also saw donkeys standing around like statues, which made me question whether they were real, and upon realization- why can i also not just exist like that #donkeysteachimportantlifelessons.

Liked the picnic spot most. Not a lot of animals were seen but we managed to be up close with a Buffalo and zebra which was amazing.

Such a great place to visit from JHB. Plenty of exciting wildlife to see and it's so clean and the people are really friendly

Awesome place and I had the most amazing experience with rhinoceros. They where so close you could touch them.

If you are looking for a hideout from the bustle of city life, this is the spot. We spotted so much game, and got up close to a few zebra and ostriches

Very unexpected location not far from home. We enjoyed a relaxed drive on a well maintained gravel road. Most of the reserve is however covered in tar. Animals were a bit scarce in the initial part of the morning, however as the sun came up, we spotted quite a number of them. Buffaloes, Zebras, Wildebeests, Foxes, Ostriches etc. Entry is just below R100 per adult.
The picnic area is nothing to write home about but probably worth checking out. There's a coffee shop inside the reserve too.
Bird hides had no brids as it was probably too dry this time of the year.