Modderfontein is one of the oldest settlements in greater Johannesburg, founded in 1894 as the site of a dynamite factory that supplied explosives for the South African mining industry. Temporary residential villages sprouted up around the dynamite factory, occupied by immigrants from Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and other parts of Europe. Much of the land was also left unoccupied to form a buffer around the factory and the potentially dangerous explosions that could occur there.

The remains of those villages and protected land, now owned by Heartland Properties (a subsidiary of AECI), have been transformed into the privately owned Modderfontein Reserve. Today the Endangered Wildlife Trust oversees the reserve on behalf of Heartland Properties, with input from the Modderfontein Conservation Society.

Modderfontein Reserve is spectacular in its simplicity: a large piece of undeveloped land, with beautiful flora and fauna and plenty of birdsong and the sound of water trickling through the reserve’s series of dams. 

The 275-hectare reserve is crisscrossed by relatively flat hiking and cycling trails that are very well-maintained and signposted. There are four specially designed mountain biking routes ranging from 10km to 40km, and an 8km hiking trail complemented by shorter walks that skirt around the reserve’s wetland areas.

All hiking and cycling trails are open daily for exercise and the Fourways Farmers Market is also open on weekends. There is no need to book although the reserve may close to extra visitors if it gets too full, so we recommend getting there early.