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Mapungubwe may be part of a possible trip soon. I have to nagging concerns: 1. Certain SA travel magazines have had less than flattering criticism of the park. Roads are bad and ablution facilities not very practical. What is the forum's experience of this? 2. Do you need a 4X4 or vehicle with high clearance? Any comments are welcome.

We stayed over in both LEOKWE and LIMPOPO TENTED FOREST CAMP.
All roads are suitable for sedans except the easten Wilderness Area which is sandy and you may get stuck.
The ablutions in the camps were good - nothing wrong with them - they were part of our accomodation - kept clean , same at reception.
Staff is friendly - go and enjoy it .

If you are camping you will have to use a communal ablution block. This is quite small but absolutely adaquete as there are only ten campsites. All the other huts have ( Leokwe ) bathrooms which are hotel standard. They are tiled with slate and have good quality finishes all round. The shower is outside but the access to it is through the bathroom. I cant comment on Tshugulu lodge as I have not stayed there. There are enough roads around the park for cars to drive on. The only part you cannot get to is the eco trail on the Western side, which is what gmlsmit meant I think? Dont delay book now!

Hi all,I'm new to the blogging thing.i worked and stayed in Mapungubwe for 6 yrs.Yes things are not as it is in kruger,but that is just it.MNP is not kruger and for all the money in the world i won't change it to kruger.amazing place.yes the bathrooms at the camping site is a bit small but how much time do u really spend in a bath room? My favourite camp is the trails camp.I believe 1 day is far 2 short to visit MNP.book a day walk and if you do i can even suggest where you should go.
Stay away from Musina if you intend 2 do shopping.It is locally known as Little Zimbabwe.The shops are most of the time out of stock on items like MILK,COFFEE and other basics.MAKHADO is abetter and safer and less stressful option.
don't skip mapungubwe!

Need any more convincing?

Mapungubwe is an amazing place and as I said before - go now, while it is still wild and relatively unspoilt, you will not regret it. We have camped at Mazhou and will definitely do it again.

we visited map. in August and really enjoyed it...
the hide near the tented camp is super and you can spend hours there.
If you dont have a 4x4 just book a morning drive.
The campsite is adequate but try not to camp under the big tree like us it has thoose sticky fruit and they get everywhere (depending on time of year i suppose)

Have a quick look at mine and others trip reports to help you

john

Yes go man go!wish it was me.
the sticky fruit is that of the Mashatu tree/nyalaberry.The sticky ness is mostly just sugar and disolves in clean water.had guest telling me that they saw a leopard taking out a vervet in that same trees at Mashou.

Thanks guys. I had a closer look at the trip reports and photographs as well. I am now curious enough to give it a go.

The bad press is due to the ablutions at the camp sites. There are no separate ablutions for gents and ladies, there are two showers and two tiolets. There are also two basins out in the open and not inside the showers or tiolets so if you're a lady you could be brushing your teeth alongside a strange gent!

You could have problems with a sedan on the western side especially near the river during the rainy season.

Another negative is that you have to drive about 20 km outside of the park (IIRC?) to get to the eastern section (the main part) if you're staying in the western section.

Apart from that Mapungubwe is great and well worth a visit.

That's what I was talking about. We won't be camping though so that helps.

As far as sedan goes I've heard about the sand and people getting stuck on roads they were told were quite safe. Also in various well-known SA travel magazines. Are the roads numbered for easy ID? So people can tell you before where to go or not?

No, just try to avoid the one in the western section that goes along the old border fence, escpecially if it has been raining. Sorry can't explain it any better. Otherwise stick to the eastern section, it is quite rocky so you should not have a problem there.

{Whisper mode on}

She needs more convincing... Please help me!
Any photos of the stunning views and such? Panoramic photos?

{Whisper mode off}

Well GP i hope we have convinced you now?

I will post some more pics tomorrow and add pics on some topics once the pages has turned

I gave the go-ahead after going through your pics, Jakkalsbessie. Mapungubwe and KNP North is in the pipelines.

JB, I didn't need convincing - would love to visit. But you've made me very !