{"id":849489,"date":"2026-02-02T14:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-02T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=849489"},"modified":"2026-02-02T14:09:47","modified_gmt":"2026-02-02T12:09:47","slug":"hidden-5-star-gem-between-johannesburg-and-the-kruger-national-park","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/property\/849489\/hidden-5-star-gem-between-johannesburg-and-the-kruger-national-park\/","title":{"rendered":"Hidden 5-star gem between Johannesburg and the Kruger National Park"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Walkersons Hotel and Spa<\/a><\/strong>, located 10 kilometres outside of Dullstroom, is a hidden gem which offers luxury accommodation in an exquisite 800-hectare private estate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Walkersons hotel was built in 1993 by Howard and Ingrid Walker, who were inspired by the local beauty and conditions to create a Scottish country manor establishment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Walkers sold the hotel in 2008, but it retained its old charm while meeting the needs of modern travellers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Walkersons estate boasts numerous trout fishing dams, a lush mountain reserve, and a variety of fauna and flora.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apart from the hotel and spa, the estate also has numerous houses scattered across the landscape. Many of these houses are available for short-term rentals on Airbnb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The estate has excellent security and natural mountain barriers on most sides. It also has great wildlife, including zebra, blesbok, black wildebeest, and mountain reedbuck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are also cape clawless otters in the dams and rivers, servals, black-backed jackal, mongoose, and porcupines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Walkersons is recognised as a birder-friendly destination, with blue, grey-crowned, and wattled cranes, fish eagles, red-chested flufftails, and Gurney\u2019s sugarbirds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The hotel offers guided horse rides from the equestrian centre, which is one of the best ways to get close to the wildlife.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are also many hiking trails which take visitors to all parts of the estate, including the upper mountain reserve section, where most of the game stays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For those looking to stay fit, there is a network of 3,000m of paved paths and mountain trails for walking, jogging, and mountain biking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The estate is also famous for its catch-and-release fly-fishing culture and offers extensive infrastructure for outdoor enthusiasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For those arriving by air, the estate features a well-maintained 1-kilometre tarred runway for light aircraft and a helipad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Walkersons Hotel and Spa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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BusinessTech visited the Walkersons Hotel and Spa for a weekend getaway. We booked the dinner, bed, and breakfast special, priced at around R10,000 for the stay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Travelling from Pretoria took just under 3 hours, and the roads were in good condition. There were two toll roads, which cost around R130 combined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On arrival, friendly hotel staff welcomed us and took our luggage to the room while we checked in. It was all well organised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The room was spacious and offered excellent views. It was private and gave guests direct access to the hotel\u2019s amenities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We had lunch at The Terrace, and the food and service were top-notch. Pricing is in line with what you would expect from a quality restaurant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dinner was served at The Flying Scotsman. Guests are offered a refined 3-course gourmet experience. The price included all food, but guests had to pay for their drinks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The food was exceptional. It was fine dining at its best, in a great setting, and the staff was friendly and attentive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The same goes for breakfast, which was also served in The Flying Scotsman. It included fruit, baked goods, and a selection of warm breakfast options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Walkersons Hotel and Spa guests can enjoy numerous activities during the day, including horse riding, cycling, fishing, hiking, or golf cart rides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is also a top-class spa at the boutique wellness facility located within the hotel grounds, designed to complement the tranquil highlands atmosphere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For shopping, they can visit the close by Dullstroom, which has a range of unique shops and restaurants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We spent most of our time at the estate. It was extremely peaceful and offered guests the perfect environment to relax during a weekend away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Walkersons Hotel and Spa offers a world-class experience which is on par with most luxury hotels in South Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Walkersons Hotel and Spa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Breakfast at The Flying Scotsman<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Lunch at The Terrace<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Dinner at The Flying Scotsman<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Walkersons Hotel and Spa, located 10 kilometres outside of Dullstroom, is a hidden gem which offers luxury accommodation in an exquisite 800-hectare private estate.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":849493,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12755],"tags":[24645,24647,24648,24646,24644],"class_list":["post-849489","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-property","tag-dullstroom","tag-the-flying-scotsman","tag-the-terrace","tag-walkersons-estate","tag-walkersons-hotel-and-spa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/849489","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=849489"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/849489\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":849532,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/849489\/revisions\/849532"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/849493"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=849489"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=849489"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=849489"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}