Lying in the beautiful Crocodile River Valley some 40 minutes from Johannesburg, to the south of the Magaliesburg Mountains, lies the Oori Private Game Reserve. (Oori is Tswana for Crocodile).

Did you know? Both the southern and eastern borders of the Oori Private Game Reserve are formed by the Crocodile River, once known as the Oori River by the Tswana people.

The total area of about 1800 hectares is made up of roughly 56 properties, all of which have done away with internal fencing in order to live in harmony with nature.

The commonly held belief is that human habitation has almost always been at the expense of the environment and the conservancy is attempting to change this and return the area to what it was – every game species reintroduced, every tree replanted and every bird species released is another step along the path.

The Oori Private Game Reserve lies within a transitional zone between grassland and bushveld known as Bankenveld – rolling countryside and rocky ridges, principally dolomite, where trees find some protection against fire.

Both the southern and eastern borders of the reserve are formed by the Crocodile River, once known as the Oori River by the Tswana people.

The Oori Private Game Reserve has already introduced 52 animals and residents are slowly planting indigenous plants and trees, replacing those exotics mainly around dwellings, striving to keep existing eco-systems intact.