The western section of Monate PGR is situated on the edge of the Boshoff Mountain Range with the eastern sections lying within the Rooiberg basin between the Rooiberg Mountain to the east and the Elandsberg Mountain Range to the north. Due to the almost 400m difference in altitude from Monate PGR’s lowest point at 1120m above sea level to its highest point at 1510m above sea level, the reserve is home to great diversity, exceptional surroundings, and wondrous vistas.
Several intermittent streams drain through the reserve from the southwest towards the north. Furthermore, Monate PGR has two large dams and numerous smaller pans. This water rich environment provides homes to many water dependent birds and other wildlife such as hippo.
The reserve is located within two main habitats, the Western Sandy Bushveld and the Waterberg Mountain Bushveld (Mucina &Rutherford, 2006).
Summer weather on the reserve is hot to warm with an average rainfall measured at approximately 600mm per annum. Combined with cold winters, these weather conditions give rise to a sourveld environment.
The wide variety of habitats in a relatively small area of land on Monate PGR create a wondrous wildlife experience for any nature lover and visitor to the reserve.
The reserve’s biodiversity is impressive with a bird list of over 220 species, close to 70 recorded species of mammals, and a plant diversity of nearly 200 species. Add to this the wide variety of amphibians, reptiles, insects and others found on the reserve, and one can simply describe it as nature’s paradise.
