Hoedspruit is a town situated at the intersection of the R40 Provincial Route and R527 Regional Route in the Limpopo Province of South Africa.
Hoedspruit lies at the foot of the Klein Drakensberg, a mountain range that forms part of the larger Drakensberg escarpment. One of the highest peaks in this part of the range is Mariepskop, which stands at 1,947 metres above sea level.
The town is located on the historic Selati railway line, which connects Phalaborwa to Kaapmuiden. This railway line played a significant role in the region’s development.
The town’s name means “Hat Creek” in Afrikaans. The name came as a result of one of the town’s pioneers who took off his hat, after a particularly arduous trek over the mountains into the heat of the Lowveld, and threw it into the Sandspruit River, making an impulsive decision to stay.
Hoedspruit finds itself in an enviable position today because of its access to the private game areas of the Timbavati and Klaserie.
Hoedspruit is essentially an agricultural town located a stone’s throw away from the Kruger National Park and is surrounded by game-rich country that makes it an obvious stopover. As a result, what began merely as a couple of shops, a bank and a little rondavel that served as a station building, has grown into what is today marketed as a premier eco-tourist destination because of its association with some of the best ‘Big 5′ viewing in South Africa.
Hoedspruit retains a great deal of its rural charm, despite the number of scheduled airlines flying into the air force base just outside town, now conveniently used for civilian aircraft. The Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre is a non-profitable organisation working to conserve all endangered animal species and is one of the country’s leaders in the breeding and research of endangered species. Breeding programmes include cheetahs, blackfooted cats, African wild dogs and wild cats, and blue cranes.
And the Moholoholo Rehabilitation Centre also welcomes day visitors who can enjoy a couple of hiking trails in the area.
Hoedspruit is part of the Maruleng Local Municipality within the Mopani District Municipality of Limpopo Province.