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Hi all,

Advice required...

We are driving out of the top of kruger to mapungwabe for two nights in aug 2008.
We were going to camp for two nights but read about the tree top walk...and being their in the morning.

If we are driving from kruger which campis best to stay in first...will it be better to set up camp on the second day and stay in the tented accom. the first night.

Or should we camp for both nights..

Any advice on specific drives or places to stop, photograph and chill in the park.

Thanks all
john

Hi John
We got back home on Saturday after spending 8 nights at Mapungubwe. What a fantatic place it is. We spent 2 nights in Leokwe camp and then six nights camping. The cottages at Leokwe are really nice and they are close to the treetop walk which allows for an early start. If you are camping on the Western side it is a fair drive back to the main gate so you will need to get up fairly early. The main gate opens at 6h30 in August ( I think )

I don`t think I would stay in the Limpopo Tented Camp for only one night and then set up in the camp site the following day as you will waste time which could be spent exploring the place. We could have spent another five days and still not seen everything there is to see! The forest tents are only about one kilometer from the camp site so you will be in exactly the same type of surroundings.
The birding in the Limpopo forest area is excellent. We will definitely be back there sometime this year. Some of the more scenic areas in the Western side require a 4x4 or bakkie especially if its wet, but there are some really nice drives across the whole park. The game viewing is not that good but we are spoilt in KZN with places like Ithala and Mkuze etc ! There are lots of Elephant around though, although we saw none near the campsite at all. A lion did pay a visit to forest tent number 5 last Saturday night! It caused some panic to the guests who apparently ended up hiding under the bed!
Although there are no shops at any of the camps, we bought some really good firewood at both the campsite and the confluence picnic site. I ended up carting all my charcoal back home!

Another good place to see birds is at Maloutswa hide which offers lots to see. We where lucky enough to see a pair of Meves Starlings feeding a Honeyguide chick with a never ending supply of frogs. Birds must be colour blind as the chick was bright yellow! ( I only found this out on our last day when a bird expert told me that he had been told it was a Honeyguide)

hi Dave,
thanks for the advice, nice to hear from someone who has been their...
I dont suppose you have any pics to share.?
thanks again
john

Hi Jjohn and poppy

See my trip report on Mapungubwe for some pics here

Mazhou campsite is awsome! Spent 11 nights there and could have stayed for another 11 and another and another........

Our campsite under a magnificent Nyala tree

Our view


Entrance to the camp and the "gate"



Mazhou sunset

I posted some pics in the Birding section.

Meves's Starling and their little parasite

Hi Naomi c
sorry only saw your post now. We were quite close to your site. It was up the road past Rob and Sue. We had the Oryx caravan and the silver vw. We have two daughters one of three and the older one is 13. We also imagined ourselves being there alone for a few nights. The camp is laid out really well so if you pick the right site and there are not many other people there you do get a feeling of being on your own. We are looking forward to going up again but it`s a long trip for us from PMB.

Hi

New to the forum - please to meet you all!!

Can someone tell me more about the MAZHOU camp site? Can I take my caravan and will I be able to cross the Bots/RSA border?

Rhona

Hi Rhona and welcome to the Forum!

If you scroll down to the topic "Mapungubwe: camping" you will find lots of information as well as photographs.

We camped at Mazhou at the beginning of the year and enjoyed it tremendously. You can take your caravan - even if it is a conventional one.

If you need additional information you can PM me and I will gladly try to help.

Hi Normans

We camped at Mazhou in August last year. The Den Staat entrance road can be quite corrugated, I would suggest you pass this road and then at the T-junction turn right. After a few km take a right into the Den Staat road (you enter it from the other side). The route is slightly longer but is actually quicket since most of it is tarred. You will find the turn off to the camp site to your left, clearly marked

We have decided to try out a mobile camper and have booked two nights in the camping area. I could not pick up on any restrictions for campers in the park; does anybody have experience with these vehicles or know of possible obstacles?

Hi there krugs!

As far as I know there are no official restrictions for campers. Obviously your choice of roads is limited to those that are suitable for sedan cars. So don't try the 4x4 ecotrail in the Western Section or the Kanniedood loop in the Eastern part. If driving carefully the Kongoni loop should be possible (if you go before the rains) and you can also reach Poacher's Corner from the east (NOT from the Confluence!).

Lastly, the river road in the Western Section might be a bit of a challenge. The track itself is fine but there are usually quite a few low hanging branches. I would try it anyway, but you might be up for a bit of back tracking.

Thanks JoelR,
We are on our way this Friday and will spend Sat and Sun there before we move onto KNP.

Hi all

How bad are the roads in Mapungubwe? I drive a corsa lite so was wondering how limited my trip will be? What % of the park will i be able to drive? Was last at mapungubwe in 2003 for an archaeology trip but did not drive around the reserve to much (spent most of my time at the archaeological site). Want to go around October for 4-5 nights (camping and safari tents). Would it be better to go to Kruger?

Kind regards
Cliff