The R38 is a provincial route in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

that connects Standerton with

Kaapmuiden Kaapmuiden ''(Cape Mouth)'' is a small farming town situated at the confluence of the Kaap and Crocodile Rivers in Mpumalanga, South Africa. The town lies just off the N4 national highway and is marked by a large abandoned silo visible from the ...

via

Bethal Bethal () is a farming town in Mpumalanga, South Africa. The farms in the region produce maize, sunflower seeds, sorghum, rye and potatoes. The town lies east of Johannesburg on the N17 National Route. History The town originated on an old farm ...

Carolina Carolina may refer to: Geography * The Carolinas, the U.S. states of North and South Carolina ** North Carolina, a U.S. state ** South Carolina, a U.S. state * Province of Carolina, a British province until 1712 * Carolina, Alabama, a town in ...

and Barberton. It is a main route through the province of

Mpumalanga Mpumalanga () is a province of South Africa. The name means "East", or literally "The Place Where the Sun Rises" in the Swazi, Xhosa, Ndebele and Zulu languages. Mpumalanga lies in eastern South Africa, bordering Eswatini and Mozambique. It ...

Route

The R38 starts at a junction with the R39 Road 16 kilometres north-east of Standerton, just north-east of the

Grootdraai Dam Grootdraai Dam is a combined gravity and earth-fill type dam located on the Vaal River, near Standerton, Mpumalanga, South Africa. It was established in 1981. Background Grootdraai Dam is a composite structure comprising a central concrete gravity ...

. It begins by heading north-north-east for 44 kilometres to the town of

. It bypasses the Emziinoni Township and enters Bethal as Anderson Street. At the Simon Street junction, the R38 becomes Simon Street eastwards. At the junction just after Bethal Police Station, the R38 meets the N17 National Route and the R35 Route and all 3 routes join to become the main road through Bethal Central northwards (Moses Kotane Street). At the sixth junction afterwards, just after crossing the Blesbokspruit, the R35 and R38 leave Moses Kotane Street (which remains designated as the N17) and become the road eastwards. At the second junction afterwards, the R38 splits from the R35 to become its own road eastwards (Station Road). At the Holland Street junction in Bethal East, the R38 becomes the road northwards. From Bethal East, the R38 goes north-east for 38 kilometres, crossing the Olifants River, to the town of

Hendrina Hendrina is a town in Nkangala District Municipality, in the Mpumalanga province of South Africa. The town is 53 km (32.9 mi) northwest of Ermelo, 40 km (24.8 mi) southwest of Carolina, and 53 km (32.9 mi) southeast ...

. It passes through Hendrina eastwards as Beukes Street and meets the N11 National Route (Church Street) in the town centre. The R38 leaves the town in an easterly direction and goes for 38 kilometres, crossing the Klein Olifants River and the Vaalwaterspruit, to reach a T-junction with the R36 Road just west of the Boesmanspruitdam. The R38 joins the R36 and they form

one road ''One Road'' is the debut album by first-season New Zealand Idol winner Ben Lummis, released in New Zealand on 16 June 2004. Chart and single information Chart ''One Road'' debuted on the official New Zealand albums chart at number 1 and held ...

into the

town centre, crossing the

Boesmanspruit Boesmanspruit is a small stream originating south of Secunda, Mpumalanga, South Africa, it runs from there in a southwesterly direction until it joins the Waterval River (English: ''Water Fall River''; this name is never used however). See als ...

. At the Voortrekker Street junction in Carolina town centre, the R38/R36 meet the R33 Route & the R38 leaves the R36 to become co-signed with the R33 on Voortrekker Street eastwards. Just south of the Carolina Railway Station, the R33 splits and becomes the road southwards, leaving the R38 as the road eastwards. From Carolina, the R38 heads east-north-east for 50 kilometres to

Badplaas Badplaas, officially eManzana, is a small town on the R38 road in eastern Mpumalanga, South Africa. It was established in 1876 on the Seekoeispruit, in the foothills of the Dlomodlomo Mountains (meaning "place of much thunder"), at the site of ...

, where it is joined by the R541 Route and crosses the Seekoeispruit. After 5 kilometres, the R541 becomes its own road northwards while the R38 continues east-north-east for another 56 kilometres as the Nelshoogte Pass, crossing the Komati River south of the Vygeboom Dam, to reach a T-junction with the R40 Road south of

Barberton Airport Barberton Airport is an airport serving Barberton and surrounding areas in Mpumalanga province in South Africa. The airport elevation is above mean sea level. Runway: 17/35 grass surface measuring 1,000 by 15 metres (3,300 × 49 ft). Ru ...

. The R38 joins the R40 and they are

south-east for 7 kilometres (Dikbas Avenue) up to a junction with Sheba Road north of the town centre of Barberton. At this junction, the R40 remains on Dikbas Avenue while the R38 becomes the road northwards (Sheba Road). The R38 goes north-east for 49 kilometres, bypasses the Mountainlands Nature Reserve, following the

Kaap River The Kaap River (also ''Umlambongwane'' or Little Crocodile River) is a river in the De Kaap Valley of eastern Mpumalanga province, South Africa. It is a tributary of the Crocodile River with which it has a confluence at Kaapmuiden. The Kaap River ...

, up to

(south of

Matsulu Matsulu is a township in the Mbombela Local Municipality under the Ehlanzeni District Municipality in the Mpumalanga province of South Africa. It lies next to the N4 national road 41 km east of Nelspruit (Mbombela) CBD, 3 km before th ...

), where it ends at a T-junction with the N4 National Route (

Maputo Corridor The Maputo Corridor is a major trade corridor which connects the Gauteng, Limpopo, and Mpumalanga provinces of South Africa with Maputo, which is a port and the capital of Mozambique. The corridor comprises roads - including the N4 toll road (from ...

References

External links

Routes Travel Info
{{DEFAULTSORT:R38 Road (South Africa) 38 Provincial routes in South Africa