Nylsvley Nature Reserve, Protected natural wetland in Limpopo, South Africa

Nylsvley Nature Reserve covers about 40 km2 on and beside the seasonally flooded floodplain of the Nyl River, near Mookgophong in Limpopo. The floodplain consists of wide reedbeds and grassveld, surrounded by open woodland; Maroelakop (1157 m) is the reserve's highest point.

The name Nylsvley combines vlei, a seasonally flooded pan, with "Nile". In the 1860s a Voortrekker group of farmers saw a large flooded plain and a river flowing northwards and, according to legend, took it for the Nylrivier, the Nile river.

The name Nylsvley combines vlei, a seasonally flooded pan, with "Nile": in the 1860s a Voortrekker group saw the flooded plain and a river flowing north and took it for the Nylrivier. Visitors today come mainly for the waterbirds, more than 100 species of waterfowl among some 370 recorded birds.

Access is via an 8-kilometer gravel road from the R101 highway between Modimolle and Mookgophong. Several accommodation types including chalets and camping facilities are available for overnight stays.

The reserve protects the only stands of Oryza longistaminata, a wild rice, in South Africa, and during peak floods more than 80,000 birds gather on the floodplain, over 100 of the roughly 370 recorded species being waterfowl.