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My hubby are planning to visit Mapungubwe in December. This is our first time in this park. My question is about the 4 x 4 trails. Since we are coming from the US, we will need to hire a vehicle. Are the 4 x 4 trails worth paying the extra it will cost to hire a 4 x 4?

Thanks!

YDJanet a very warm welcome to you. You will be staying in one of my favourite parks, I hope that you have a stunning time.

You do not say how long you will be staying and at which camps. While it is possible to visit with a sedan, many roads require 4X4.

However, if your stay is a short one and you are staying at Leokwe, or the Limpopo tented camp, I would suggest that you book for the sundowner/night drive. This would mean that you could explore the park using their vehicles. This will take you through many 4X4 routes without worrying about the extra expense. Tne main attractions, such as the confluence can all be reached with a sedan.

The Mapengubwe hill tour is also a must and this can only be done with an official vehicle. If Cedric is still giving the tour, you are in for a treat.

We will be at Leukwe for two nights and Limpopo Tented Camp for two nights, Dec. 16-19, leaving the 20th. Thanks for your input!

How wonderful . That would be my ideal choice. The waterhole close to Limpopo offers wonderful sighting opportunities and Leokwe is in the most magical setting. It is almost impossible to describe the atmosphere.

My own choice would be to make use of what Mapengubwe has to offer and use the extra money for walks and drives. I have never been on their moring drive, but I thoroughly enjoyed the sundowner drive. The canopy walk and confluence are all accesible with a sedan. It is also very, very hot at that time of the year, so you might well prefer to chill out in the camp when the heat of the day is at its worst.

Hi YDJanet, as MM said, December is very hot.
We’ve never stayed at Leokwe however all the cottages have magic aircon .
However we’ve stayed many times at LFTC and the tents do get hot in summer with only a ceiling fan but then you can take a dip in the pool.
Remember to take something to swim in. The past summer we managed to have a couple of evenings swimming under millions of stars with only the sounds of the bush floating by and lightning miles away on the horizon. Priceless . We were even luckier to be, for one night, the only occupants in the whole camp.
But don’t walk alone or walk far at night. The camp is not fenced for predators.
You do not need a 4x4 to get to most of the sights however during the rainy season I think you would need a 4X4 for the muddy patches at the main reserve’s river section and for the sandy areas up on the ridges in the western section near Tshugulu lodge. You don’t want to get stuck there. We found huge lion tracks. Lots of them.
Getting to Maloutswa hide and back in the western section shouldn’t be a problem without a 4x4.
Enjoy your stay. Mapungubwe is an extemely unique experience.

I am so looking forward to our visit, short as it will be. We've been to Hwenge a couple of times, and Kgalagadi twice, and many times at Kruger .... you might say we're totally in love with Southern Africa. I have a feeling that we're going to add Mapungubwe to our top favorites, and that we'll wish we could stay longer. The heat won't bother me much, especially with a pool available.

I hope that you enjoy the new information centre. I have not yet experienced it, but I did see it as it neared completion. It is an award winning design and by all accounts another star attraction.

The pool have a story all too itself. Before the elephant fence it was a bit awkward having all that cool water to yourselves with a dry river and thirsty animals but not anymore. A Huge baboon troupe frequents the pool. They sit around, grooming, barking, laze around, having the odd drink now and then but they never swim. and they're very nervous. We tried to take pics without sucess.
Whenever a human approach the lookout gives a bark and they melt into the bush. Through a hole in the fence. Don’t be scared of the baboons. Monkeys are the menace.
The tent occupants never swim together. We occupy the pool alone. Taking turns. It’s a neat operation. Unfortunately we’ve witnessed an old couple from tent number 1 being run out of the pool by a bunch of campers with kids. Don’t me get started on it? I do not condone it.
Other than that you have the pool to yourself. Especially at night. Magical moments. Enjoy Janet. And send my love to Maloutswa. Be there from 10 to around 12. Take newspaper to sit on. I do hope there is water in the pan.

We're planning a trip in July August before the big rains so I hope to give an update.

As a last thought. During March we had the most magnificent charge by an ellie bull in the main park. he charged through the mopanie trees trumpeting at full throttle. We think he got spooked by something other than us. It was awesome. Breaking trees and trumpets galore.
SO's first charge.
How humbling it was to some of us. Hahahahahahha. Priceless and frightening and awesome.

Approximately 35km of roads are suitable for normal sedan vehicles. A further 100 km is accessible to all terrain (4x4) vehicles. Fill up your fuel tank at Alldays/ Musina as you cannot buy petrol at the park.

The Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape bears testimony to the interaction between people and the natural environment and to the social orders, belief systems and modes of production of those who have inhabited it over thousands of years.

• Mapungubwe means the “place of jackals” from the Sotho word pungubye and the TshiVenda word punguvhe, both meaning jackal.
• Other African tribes e.g the Lemba translate the name as “the place where the rock flowed like liquid or water” which refers to the ancients people’s ability to work molten metal.
• It could also mean “place of wisdom” according to Dr. Mathole Motshekga, head of the Kara Heritage Institute.

The central position of Mapungubwe hill, situated at the confluence of the Limpopo and Shashe rivers, made it from the earliest time accessible through old camel caravan routes to Egypt and the Mediterranean trade, and via the Limpopo river to the monsoon-based African east coast trade reaching as far as China.


http://www.sanparks.org/parks/mapungubw ... hp#contact

Hi, we just returned from Mapungubwe after our first visit.
We stayed at Mzou camp site. The waterhole close to Mzou and Forest tented camp is great, we found that the breeding herds of elephant visited it around 2 to 3 and another group after 3 each day, they move around the hole in the 4m space between the hide and the water hole, what an experience, our children were gob smacked and so were we.
Enjoy your visit.

Oh wow, wish I could go there now.

A friend is going on Sunday so I will tell her about the ellies.

Thanks MvE, and please do a trip report.

I am delighted that you have enjoyed the time spent in Mapungubwe and that the canary has provided you with serenity. While the Elephants and other jewels of the royal Mapungubwe have brought jovial moments that will forever be engraved in you’re thoughts.