Pilgrim's Rest is situated on the magnificent Panorama Route on the eastern escarpment region of the Mpumalanga province of South Africa. The entire town of Pilgrim’s Rest has been declared a national living monument – steeped in history and drama of the old Transvaal gold rush which hit the area in the 1800’s. Here visitors can relive those days.
Declared a National Monument in 1986, Provincial Heritage Site and added to the UNESCO World Heritage tentative list in 2004, tours of the town and mining camps will give you a wonderful view into the past.
There is plenty to do and experience here - from exciting curio and craft shops to fascinating historical sights. Interesting historical sites include old church buildings, namely Sacred Heart Church, St Mary's Church, Methodist Church and Dutch Reformed Church, Drezden Shop and House Museum, Historic Cemetery, Joubert Bridge, the Digging Museum & Gold Panning and the Printing Museum.
There is an abundance of gorgeous arts and crafts shops where one can purchase pottery, stained glass, weaving, hot glass and even custom crockery. Other exciting activities include horse riding, bird watching, hiking, mountain biking and golf. The Mount Sheba Nature Reserve boasts a series of outstanding walks offering spectacular scenery.
- Craft shops
- Sacred heart church
- St Mary's church
- Methodist church
- Drezden shop
- Vast and interesting museums
- Horse riding
- Mountain biking
- Mount Sheba
The history of this quaint and delightful village dates back to 1873 when a miner, Alex Patterson, discovered alluvial gold on the farm named Ponieskrantz. Although the discovery was kept as a secret, once a second prospector named William Trafford also discovered gold close by the inevitable happened. Soon thereafter optimistic panners and prospectors from all over the country and the world descended on the area.
On 22nd September 1873 Pilgrim's Rest was officially proclaimed a gold field and the scatter of tents and elementary shacks soon grew into a flourishing little village complete with sturdy brick houses, shops, churches, canteens, a newspaper and the ubiquitous Royal Hotel. Within a year there were 21 stores, 18 canteens, three bakeries and all sorts of other fascinating establishments. Interestingly, the diggers called it Pilgrim's Rest because at long last after so many failed dreams, they believed that they had truly found their home.
