Milorho Lodge - Place of Dreams
We have always admired the ‘mushroom’ rock images in Utah, which is 16 000 kms away, and wished we had these subjects here in South Africa to photograph, especially under the milky way!
So, we were searching for best places to see stars in Gauteng and came across Maropeng at The Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site, situated in the southern part of the Magaliesberg Biosphere Reserve.
This was just 50 kms from home, but no mushroom rocks and too much light pollution for star photography.
This led us to images of mushroom rocks in the Magaliesberg! These rocks are situated in Mountain Sanctuary Reserve.
We were excited but then read about the visitors to the reserve (on TripAdvisor, Google and Facebook) who had been attacked and robbed over the past 10 years. (Not just in Mountain Sanctuary but other places in Magaliesberg and South Africa as a whole, and security is important to us).
The Magaliesberg Mountain Club has the following warning for most of the hiking trails "The general area has had muggings, so be alert."
Eventually our search led us to Milorho Lodge in the heart
of the Magaliesberg. They are situated just 100 kms from our home, where there are
many mushroom rocks, and other appealing rock formations on their property...
they have excellent security, and they are in a relatively dark area (more on this later).
Some of the reserves have no accommodation and close at sunset so you cannot photograph at night, but Milorho has an option of staying in fully furnished cottages or tents.
The lodge has two hiking trails spread over 600 hectares with wildlife and spectacular bird life, sparkling rock pools, scenic kloofs with magnificent views and stunning rock formations with the diverse flora and fauna of the Magaliesberg area.
This is a part of the property that the hiking trail passes through...
Many of William Cornwallis Harris’
paintings are of the Magaliesberg, like this Sable painting of his, and the lodge has nyala, zebra, wildebeest and impala.
Milorho – meaning a place of dreams is based on the traditional Tsonga word for ‘dreams’ or ‘dreamer’. Milorho is a family-run lodge, nestled comfortably on the northern slopes of the Magaliesburg Mountains.
We spent three nights at the beautiful Milorho Lodge and here is our trip report…
Milorho Lodge – Place of Dreams trip report – day-1
There are 5 stone cottages, and we were in Red Ivory. This spacious cottage sleeps six people, with three bedrooms- one downstairs and two upstairs, two bathrooms, a large lounge and dining area, fully equipped kitchen and braai area on an outside wooden deck.
The Lodge supplies the wood for both the braai and indoor fireplace.
We took a walk round the sculpture park and photographed some of the many sculptures on display.
There is an life-size elephant, created by the famous artist Andries Botha, which is nearly finished - we can't wait to see it in it's new home on the hiking trail!
As a sculptor, Andries Botha is best known for his elephants and this one of his WIP projects!We then explored the shop with its many paintings, the stunning live wood designs that Iain makes on the farm, and the many treats like raw honey, biscuits and health products. All their products are quality - it's like having a Woolies in the bush!
On our first night we explored the different rock formations looking for the perfect spot to catch the mushroom shaped rocks with the beautiful stars above. It is important to have an app that will show you exactly where the stars will be.
The Milky Way core is best photographed in winter in the southern hemisphere, June-August, but you can still get a glimpse of the tail end in September and October.
Night one was windy and there were many airplanes criss-crossing the sky and ruining our shots! That's why we recommend a minimum of a three night stay.
Milorho Lodge – Place of Dreams trip report – day-2
Day two we enjoyed a lunch time braai and relaxed while planning our evening shoot.
On night-2 we hit the jackpot! the weather was perfect- no clouds, no wind and just 2 planes so we photographed 3 different mushroom rocks. They are also known as rock pedestals and have been formed by wind and/or water erosion over the past few thousand years.
Milorho Lodge – Place of Dreams trip report – day-3
Day three was a little cooler with some nice clouds, so we took a walk to the rock pools and got some photographs of the pools.
Later that day we went up the mountain through some stunning gorges, we hiked up rocky outcrops and found lovely pools, waterfalls and beautiful trees.
The scenery up there was spectacular and well worth the panting, huffing and puffing, but we did it and I’m so grateful for the opportunity to have seen this magical place.
The wildflowers are also spectacular...!
Then it was time for Mario set up for some sunset photographs of the rocks and the beautiful scenery. For sunset, sunrise and daytime landscapes we want clouds as they enhance the photos.
On our last morning, we went to look at the AfriCamps tents, perched on one of the hills overlooking the beauty of the Magaliesberg.
These tents are well kitted out with everything one needs for glamping and more – aircon, fireplace, hot tub and more!
We have stayed in many tents that were considered ‘glamping’ but this is true boutique glamping!
Milorho Lodge - Place of Dreams & Dark Skies
To photograph stars, you need to find a dark place. Here in southern Africa, the NamibRand Nature Reserve in Namibia and the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park are two such places, but they don’t have rock pedestals, and they are far.
So, our next best was to find a darker place closer to home.
To locate a dark sky we suggest you find a dark sky map.
The Bortle dark-sky scale (usually referred to as simply the Bortle scale) is a nine-level numeric scale that measures the night sky's brightness of a particular location. It quantifies the astronomical observability of celestial objects and the interference caused by light pollution.
The scale ranges from Class 1, the darkest skies available on Earth, through to Class 9, inner-city skies.
The Bortle dark-sky scale: 6-9 are not good for stars. 1-3 are the best, but 4-5 can also provide good photographs.Milorho Lodge is situated in about a Class 4.5 - not ideal but much better than the cities, and you don't have to travel 1000 kilometers from Johannesburg the Kgalagadi or nearly 2000 kilometers to the Namib desert!
If you have the right lenses and choose the right settings and time of year, you can still capture amazing images!
One last word - hiking through the mountains is the only way to truly experience the geology, history, flora, and fauna of the Magaliesberg, and you can do this at Milorho without looking over your shoulder.
While we were up on the mountain photographing the stars, the security staff contacted Iain to let him know that they saw lights on the hilltop and they were going to investigate. He told them it’s okay as he knew we were there.
There are also many cameras monitoring the perimeter fences – hiking in harmony and photographing in peace!
Thank you, Iain and Renée, for your wonderful hospitality and sharing the peace and tranquillity that Milorho Lodge offers.
For more information or to book your stay, Phone: 083 290 6464 or Email: info@milorholodge.co.za
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