The route winds through the epic Makhonjwa Mountains, connecting the historic town of Barberton with the tourist hub of Badplaas and beyond, and is a more scenic alternative to the N4 for drivers travelling to Nelspruit/Mbombela from Gauteng.

Not only is it brimming with bird, animal and plant life, but you’ll also see ancient rock formations and geological features that have given scientists fascinating insight into how life on Earth began.

Barberton’s Geotrail is the central point of the Genesis Route, where rocks date back as far as 3.5-billion years, making up some of the oldest mountains in the world.

At intervals along the Geotrail’s Bulembu Road, which runs from Barberton to Piggs Peak in Swaziland, you can examine a 3.2-billion-year-old beach deposit, so well defined that you can see ancient tidal intervals; or trace fossilised biomats (aggregates of microorganisms composed mainly of bacteria and algae) in sandstone – the first signs of life on Earth visible to the naked eye.

Well-marked observation areas also point out piles of volcanic pillows formed by lava extruding from an ocean floor, and volcanic hailstones preserved in dove-grey chert sediments. The Geotrail holds worldwide acclaim, and a growing international network of geologists make annual trips to the region in search of more clues to uncover this ancient phase of our planet’s creation.

Apart from a history lesson of grand proportions, you’ll also have loads to see and do while making your way along the Genesis Route.

Visit the inspirational stone garden of Nukain Mabuza near Kaapmuiden; tour the Barberton mines of the gold-rush era; go fly-fishing in the dams around Badplaas; or visit the Cradle of Life biopark, among others.

With so much going on, coupled with the Lowveld’s incredible beauty, you’re bound to return to the Genesis Route again and again …

From: Kruger Lowveld Tourism