Ezemvelo lies beyond the eastern extremity of the Magaliesberg, near Bronkhorstspruit and east of Pretoria. It resorts to the Bankenveld of the Savanna biome.

Here the Wilge River cuts though the ‘rust pigmented’ (haematite-coated) sandstone formations to form spectacular cliffs that represent relic remains of fossilised red sand dunes, an extension of the ancient desert landscape of the Magabeng Plateau, one of the oldest known.

The surprise element at stumbling upon the deep gorge is deepened since one approaches this dramatic landscape through wide, open, grassland country. Yet the openness of the grassland facilitates viewing and photography of the abundant game that utilise the nutritious grazing, including giraffe, zebra and eland, black and blue wildebeest, impala and springbuck, kudu and waterbuck, and the occasional rhino.

The broad grassland planes on Ezemvelo Reserve are interspersed with hills, and covered in plants of the Loskop Mountain Bushveld bio-region. To add further interest to the landscape, relic pockets of Drakensberg plant communities survived in protected localities.

With the proximity of perennial water in the Wilge River and the overlapping of the three vegetation types, namely Mountain Bushveld, grassland and Drakensberg, the Reserve is habitat to a variety of wildlife. The abundant dassies (hyrax) that live in rock crevices along the wooded valleys near the river attract predators such as black eagles and wild cats. Watercourses support dragonflies and damselflies, warblers and moorhen, hamerkop, black duck, purple galinule and even the secretive finfoot, while larks, pipits, quails, kestrels, korhaans and even bustards prefer the grassy planes.

The deep secluded valley, protected from cold and frost, has also served as a retreat to many different people, as is attested by the archaeological remains left in the natural shelter on the cliff high above the confluence of the Wilge River and the Zaalboom spruit.

The shelter had been used over millennia, from the time of the Middle Stone Age hunter-gatherer people who lived tens of thousands of years before the San (Bushmen). The fine grained microlitic tools of Late Stone Age people, and traces of San paintings have also survived here. More surprising, however, are the handprints and geometric designs associated with Khoe-khoe pastoralists who moved through the area. The white finger paintings of Sotho-Tswana people add further interest to the subject matter while graffiti, some in 19th century script, warrant further consideration.