Prospectors struck it rich in 1874, ending their search for gold in a picturesque Lowveld valley. Their original village, today restored to its modest glory, is unique: the diggers built in tin and timber thinking that, once the god was exhausted, they would move on. But the gold lasted almost 100 years, and Pilgrim’s Rest, 15 kilometres west of the Drakensberg escarpment, is a living part of history.

The entire village, situated 35 kilometres north of Sabie, is a national monument. A single ticket, available from the Information Centre, affords access to the buildings.

A leisurely downhill stroll from St Mary’s Church to the Post Office passes the old uptown area, where one can visit the cemetery. Most interesting of all the tombstones is the enigmatic Robber’s Grave. At the Diggings Site, on the bank of Pilgrim’s Creek, visitors may try their luck at panning for alluvial gold.