Rietvlei Nature Reserve, Nature reserve in Gauteng, South Africa

Rietvlei Nature Reserve is a large protected area in Gauteng with grasslands and wetlands that support diverse wildlife. A dam in the center creates water habitats that draw numerous animals and birds.

Rietvlei Nature Reserve lies in southern Pretoria, Gauteng, between the R21 highway on the west and the R50 road on the north-east. It covers about 4,000 hectares, including the whole of the Rietvlei Dam, which impounds the Rietvlei River; the dam accounts for only some 20 hectares of that area. The reserve sits at a mean elevation of about 1,525 m, from 1,542 m at its highest point down to 1,473 m at the dam's outflow in the Sesmylspruit.

The reserve's name comes from the Rietvlei River and dam; riet is Afrikaans for reed, vlei for marsh. Birders watch colonies of southern masked-weaver and the invasive common myna, while the annual summer arrival of Amur falcon and barn swallow marks the seasons. The reserve lies in Gauteng, South Africa's most densely populated province.

A network of roads criss-crosses the reserve, so most of it is seen by car; the R21 highway runs along the western boundary and the R50 along the north-east. The ground rises from 1,473 m at the dam outflow in Sesmylspruit to 1,542 m, so expect gentle slopes rather than flat plain.

The reserve's lions, four lionesses and two males, were killed by poachers in October 2019, and none have been kept there since. The Rietvlei Dam inside the reserve covers only about 20 hectares of its roughly 4,000-hectare surface.