Waterval Onder, meaning below the waterfall, aptly describes this villages situation at the base of the Elands River Waterfall which plunges 90 metres down the escarpment to the lowveld. Along with Waterval Boven, the town situated above the waterfall and equally aptly named, the towns were settled in 1895 due to the building of the Eastern Line Railway from Delagoa Bay to Pretoria.

President of the Transvaal Republic, Paul Kruger, resided here in Waterval Onder before he left South Africa via Mozambique during the Anglo Boer war. His house was named Krugerhof and proclaimed a National Monument.

Parts of the old railway track and the five-arch railway bridge where the track spanned Dwaalheuwelspruit, have also been proclaimed National Monuments and can be viewed along with the 212 metre railway tunnel, on the pleasant 8 kilometre drive between the two Waterval towns.

Little wonder, given its location, that Waterval Onder offers activities such as rock climbing, while Waterval Boven hosts bungee jumpers and abseilers. For the less adrenalin driven, fly fishing, swimming, horse riding and Hiking Trails can be indulged in.