It was the discovery of gold in the streams around what is known today as Kaapsche Hoop that led to the establishment of the town.
The gold, and its prosperity, have long left the area, but the town remains. Now the green gold of commercial forests drive the town. And, off course, the scenic beauty of this region on the escarpment, the rare and endangered Blue Swallows and the wild horses.
For the tourist Kaapsche Hoop (established in 1882) offers many nature and eco-related activities. The climate was ideal then, with no malaria so prevalent in the hotter Lowveld, and it would have been an ideal place to set up a new community. The lack of significant gold deposits, however put an end to this.
The climate still is ideal, with crisp winters and moderate summers. The lack of gold did not deter many prospectors, some of whom still own claims, dotted all over the area, to this day. The old, abandoned mine shafts, however created an ideal breeding ground for the rare blue swallows, one of the exciting features of the town.
The prosperity also brought horses into the area. The were abandoned when the gold ran out and the remaing horses became wild with free access to everything in the area, including the town. This is probably one of very few places where the homes have to be “horse proofed”
Thus, with these two features that came into being as a result of early human activity, was born the town of Kaapsche Hoop, which has become a very popular tourist destination in Mpumalanga.
Being an old town with a long history but with limited economic activity, it has become known as a ghost town.
Recently the town was the subject of an insert on the TV programme 'Catre Blanche', when a group of interested persons spent a few nights looking for these phenomena. They were led by Art Lang and more information may be obtained from this web site.
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