Go back in time to when the planes game roamed in huge herds across the grasslands, when eland and blesbuck, zebra, impala and hartebeest, elephants and giraffes inhabited the veld in abundance. Go back to when Early Man greeted the sun when he hunted to eat - and not for sport - and learned to fashion the first tools and create his own language.
And then go even further back to when the Earth began, when the molten mass of lava and igneous matter rumbled and grumbled and boiled up from the core of our planet. Go back beyond what you can imagine to be the primordial beginnings of life
There is no need for a time machine and no need to wander into the realms of science fiction and fantasy. In fact, no need to travel more than three hours from Johannesburg to the north-eastern corner of Mpumalanga, between Badplaas and the Barberton mountain land, to find both the earliest evidence of life on Earth and also experience the scenery as it was until, perhaps, as recently as 400 years ago.
It is here, in the Nkomazi Wilderness - a place of heart-stopping beauty and mind-blowing history - where you can do the time warp and step out of the 21st century and immerse yourself in the 3,5-billion-year-old history of the Earth and also do a retrospective trip into the wilderness as it was before modern man plundered the veld, shooting the animals and destroying their habitat.
It is here that Fred Daniel has created a 17 000ha reserve and wildlife sanctuary by restoring to pristine splendour what was an area of derelict and failed farmlands and defunct mines.
In 1998, when Daniel moved to the area and bought the first of several farms, that old tobacco-drying sheds, broken tractors and the carcasses of rusted and wrecked bakkies littered the veld. Barbed-wire fences, concrete dams, crumbling farm buildings and man-made contour lines were among the eyesores that he had to remove bit by bit. A couple of asbestos mines added to the scars on the landscape and damage to the environment. Canals had been dug and the wetlands drained.
Most of the wildlife had been exterminated, explains Daniel. The game had been shot out or snared, the grasslands had been ploughed and the indigenous flora was all but exterminated. The bird population was ravaged.
It has taken Daniel eight years of "blood, sweat and tears", not to mention some heavy financial outlay, to achieve the miracle of turning the land around and restoring it. He has registered Nkomazi Wilderness as the Cradle of Life trademark.
The wilderness area includes part of the Barberton mountain land as well as the valleys and plains on both sides of the Komati River. The Barberton mountain land extends some way south of Barberton itself and includes geologically interesting sites such as Boesman's Kop, the Steynsdorp Anticline, the pyroclastic rocks of the Hooggenoeg Formation and the ash beds or tuffs near Tjakastad.
There are plans to declare the whole area a World Heritage Site and also to create a transfrontier park.
Support for this proposal and Daniel's efforts "to conserve and preserve" the wilderness area has come from University of Cape Town's Professor Maarten de Wit, who writes: "By all global standards, this (the Barberton mountain land) is the best preserved oldest record of life on Earth."
He describes the area as a "mecca for scientists" and a "scientific and ecological treasure trove".
Not only will one find some of the oldest rocks on our planet here, but these same rocks are in fact the best preserved examples of the early greenstones. Other notable sites are in Australia's Pilbara block and in Labrador, Canada.
De Wit comments that "walking around these mountains is a life-changing experience". And it really is. Few people would find themselves unmoved, not only by the ancient history of the area but by its intrinsic beauty, with its sweeping grasslands, rugged conical koppies and slumbering purple mountains and its amazing biodiversity.
Leaving the R541 that runs between Lochiel and Badplaas, I turned into the reserve and followed a gravel road leading past ancient pinnacle koppies of granite through swathes of golden grasslands that stretched, fold upon fold, down to the Komati River and way beyond to the high peaks of the Barberton mountains. Round the next bend was a group of hartebeest - the newest arrivals and still a little nervous.
I had travelled barely 2km and was already smitten
But there was no time for more sightings as I followed Linda Daniel around the huge boulder koppie and turned onto the grassed area fronting a small farmhouse surrounded by paperbark thorn trees and aloes, and sheltered by the koppie.
The thatched roof, a wide stoep (essential for sundowners and early-morning coffee) and a panoramic view of the mountains all added to my pleasure. And then there were a few little extras like sunbirds flashing their deep-crimson collars as they flitted among the bushes and a bright-yellow oriole swooping from the acacias to the rocks and back again.
I guess I was asking for too much when I expected to see a rhino on my doorstep, but rhino dung scattered across the lawn offered the promise of a such a visit.
Later, as Linda took me around the reserve in the Land Rover, I did see rhino, blesbuck, rhebok, kudu, impala and zebra. I saw yellowfish in the Komati River and a kingfisher swoop in for the catch; I saw the langtoon kalkoenkies (the orange-throated longclaw); I saw yellow-billed kites and stepbuzzards; and I heard the fish eagle call.
We passed a sight where an outcrop of banded chert was clearly visible next to the road. Linda explained its significance, saying it was some of the oldest rock in the area and that the black bands between the chert showed traces of the earliest microbial life forms on Earth.
Later, Linda negotiated the Landy up a huge rock (she is no mean 4x4er, despite her delicate looks) and we gazed down over the valley towards the Komati River. From our vantage point we could see far into the golden-grassed yonder, with the purple Barbert on mountains zig-zagging the horizon.
To one side a herd of blesbuck grazed, to the other, five rhino moved slowly through the terrain like mobile mounds of grey-black rock. A group of black wildebeest galloped into view, playing games with lunatic rules known only to these clowns of the veld, charging at the zebra and startling the bushbuck that retreated over the hill in treacly line of burnt siena.
Then it was back to my cottage in time to plonk myself down on the stoep to watch the evening creep in and to see the veld and mountains turn to flame as the sun set.
The Daniels have converted all the accommodation to solar power and gas. All the cottages and lodges are fully equipped with stoves, fridges, crockery and cutlery. They all have braais. Paperbark Lodge sleeps four in two double rooms. There are also extra bunk beds for children.
Boulder Lodge sleeps eight. With twin and double beds, it is ideal for group or family stays. It has a swimming pool and a circular braai pit for convivial evenings under the stars. And, yes, it also has a view of the valley and the mountains.
Komati River Cottage is an old stone farmhouse overlooking the Komati River, which has been converted for group accommodation - great for a fishing getaway. Lots of bed space, sleeping 10, but no frills. There is also a camping and picnic site a little further down on the banks of the Komati. Again, no frills but a chance to enjoy a real wilderness experience in a magical setting. Guests can arrange to be taken on game drives but cannot go on self-drives.
Daniel is a mine of information and very enthusiastic, not only about the wilderness factor but also about preserving and protecting the geological sites. He is also a passionate and dedicated conservationist. I was lucky enough to spend the morning with him as he explained the different facets of the area's geology, geography, its fauna and flora.
He showed me parts of his collection of Stone Age implements found on the reserve and which are heading for a museum he is busy creating. As I wrapped my hand around an Acheulian hand axe, I seemed to pick up the vibes of the early Stone Age man who lived here and crafted this implement to help him skin an antelope or dig up some roots. I picked up a smaller, more neatly fashioned, later Stone Age tool and was amazed by the advances made by Homo sapiens from those early days.
The trip from there to the creation of the modern computer chip is about 40 000 or so years. A long journey and a hard one for evolving man, but one that would have been in vain if we continue along our present path of destruction and vandalism.
- Self-catering accommodation costs are from R200 to R300 per person, depending on the lodge. For further information, call 017- 844 1056 or email: [email protected]