Wonderboom Nature Reserve, Nature reserve in Pretoria, South Africa

The Wonderboom Nature Reserve is a protected area near Pretoria that stretches across 200 hectares within the Magaliesberg range. The grounds contain various antelope species, primates, and over 200 bird species, along with archaeological sites featuring prehistoric tools and artifacts from different periods.

The area around the Wonderboom and both banks of the Apies River were declared a reserve by Pretoria's council on 28 December 1949. Fort Wonderboompoort, built near the end of the 19th century during the Second Boer War, stands derelict on the Magaliesberg crest and is reached by a steep paved walkway from the picnic area. The reserve also holds a Stone-Age site that produced the largest single accumulation of Neolithic tools found in South Africa, and an Iron-Age site.

The name Wonderboom is Afrikaans for "marvel tree", given in August 1836 by Hendrik Potgieter and his fellow Voortrekkers. The tree was already sacred to the original inhabitants of the Magaliesberg, especially after a chieftain was buried there. Later Trekkers pitched tents in its shade, and the Day of the Vow was long celebrated beneath it.

Visitors should come early to experience the most active wildlife and bird activity, bringing plenty of time to explore the walking trails. Stay on marked paths to protect habitats and remain safer, especially in the wilder areas of the grounds.

Until a fire in 1870 burned part of the original tree, a thousand people could sit in its shade, and records say its shadow covered twenty-two ox-wagons with twenty oxen in front of each. The tree was quarantined in 1985 after a fungal disease and fenced to stop it spreading; the quarantine was lifted in 2003.