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We have recently returned from a week in Mapungubwe which I think was one of the most magical in my entire life. The combination of a wilderness area, the cultural heritage aspects and extraordinarily beautiful scenery was such a gift - definitely another visit from us on the cards - it was worth every minute of the drive up from Cape Town. We stayed at all 3 camps, each one different, but with their own charm. I would also like to compliment the staff we interacted with at the park; their helpfulness, kindness and warmth was unsurpassed - Mr Madau, the Hospitality Manager, Cedric our guide, the two ladies at reception (forgive me as I can't find the paper I wrote your names on) and Leonard who gave us the most wonderful, quite unforgettable morning.

Indiajane, I am so happy that you enjoyed this mystical place.

I am going for a brief break next month and I can't wait. I am taking 2 Mapungubwe newbies with me and I am curious about their reaction.

Indiajane, glad you enjoyed your stay at Mapungubwe. I have never been there but it is on my list, sounds great.

I will pass your comments and compliments on - thanks for posting

Well Done staff at Mapungubwe

Indiajane - you have discovered one of the"hidden" jewels not only of Limpopo but also of SANParks! Glad that you enjoyed it

IndiaJane we also just returned after visiting for a week and we did not want to leave. I can not remember another time spend anywhere more magical. we decided next it will be 3 weeks and Vembe camp is on the map. Will my 80 year old mum manage to get to the unit? And tshugulu lodge is on the cards, if only for a night. we stayed for the first time in Leokwe and what a awesome surprise. elephants at our unit investigating our car. magic. did you see the mapungubwe photo's on the blog?

ps. Rosemary, I did complete the guest feedback form. At reception Winnie Sebatje is an absolute jewel and and at LFTC it is Frieda from the cleaning crew. both worth gold.

I have just returned from Mapungubwe, unfortuantely I was disturbed by a few things. There were a lot of shots being fired in the western part, and not immediately after each other so that I could assume it was smugglers coming throught the limpopo being chased off by park personnel. The shots were at times half an hour apart, which to me indicates poaching and not hitting the target. A total of 7 shots within 3 hours. When park personnel are questioned the reply is "oh we heard it and we are investigating". Well hello, its the next day, the guys with the guns are LONG GONE!!!!

The tree rehabilitation and reintroduction has gone for a ball of chalk, this area is fenced with electric fence, but somehow the ellies during October 2011 broke in and to date nothing has been done to get them out of this area or fix the fencing. The damage is to say the least disheartening. There seems not to be one tree that is not damged and split and broken in half. I wonder what National Geographic would have to say about this, as they funded this project??

In all my time in the western part, not once did I come across a ranger, but the personnel in the camp's have acces to drive around in the park vehicles.

Why is there no visible policing by rangers in the park?

I am to say the least very disturbed as to what this park is turning into and on hearing last week that Mapungubwe is at threat to losing is World Heritage Status, I fear this park will no longer be a national park, just a piece of barren land. I would love SANParks thoughts on this!!!

Bushbarmy, we spent a very short time in the Western part of the park and I agree with you that the fence situation is very distressing - it all seems rather pointless actually as there is no obvious upkeep to the fences and both animals and humans can come in and out easily. There is a marked difference between the Western and Eastern parts of the park - we noticed that, but as the bulk of our time was spent in the Eastern park, which had staff visibility, with exceptional service (and we had no problems in either part) - our experience was very different. I can't imagine that Sanparks will take the coal mining situation lightly as so much has been invested in the park?

IndiaJane

It is so sad really as Mapungubwe is really one of the finest SANP jewels. During a drive, we came across a local gentlemen on his bicycle on his way to work on one of the neighbouring farms between the east and west, and seemed that how dare we inform him that it is not allowed nevermind the dangers that go with it. The fact that the Den Staat road runs right through the park, leaves access to the park open and free 24/7. There is absolutely no control in this park and it seems as if nothing is being done about it.

I love Mapungubwe and it runs in my veins, however, as my previous statement, I fear with the situation currently which is going unmanaged, there will be no park in the future.

I must say the service in the east is impeccable and the service from the camps in west is also wonderful, and it seems that the tourism side of Mapungubwe is very well managed, but the conservation leaves very much to be desired. is it that these services are not getting the assistance they need in order to do their jobs or what seems to be the problem.

Conservation is ultimately the goal at the end of the day, preserving this jewel for generations to come.

I spent five nights at Mapungubwe in April (2 at Leokwe and 3 at the tented camp) and agree that it's a gem of a park, even tho as I drive a sedan, the roads that I could drive were limited — but even so, I had a very rewarding stay. I also agree that Frieda at the tented camp is a SANParks treasure — what a smile!

One day, exploring the far reaches of the eastern part of the park, I took a road that I later realised was likely a 4x4 road (altho it was a lot more sedan friendly than most of the roads at Marakele) and ended up at Zebra Pan, where I saw the following ruins. Does anyone know what they are/were?

I am thinking off camping in Mapungubwe, any one with advice on what time of year or what to take with. How are the facilities regarding ablutions etc. Any info or advice would be appreciated.

Thanks giraffe - I will pass this on



Bushbarmy, I will pass your comments re the service on - thanks

@arks - those ruins sure do look interesting. I am sure someone will be able to shed some light.

Arks, I will be going next month with my daughter who does a lot of work for WITS history department. We will certainly take a look.

Jan Smuts had a cottage at Mapungubwe and this is not shown on the usual maps. There were also military border posts during the bush war period. If it is recent and military, it might go back to that era.

Busharmy, we have to bear in mind that Mapungubwe is a work in progress. Much of the land in that area is owned by private concerns such as Den Staat. Sanparks has been negotiating for years to consolidate the 2 pieces of ground. Because the land is income producing, the cost of the land has been a major obstacle.

This was also hunting territory. There was little attention placed on land rehabilitation and care for the future. Many fenced off areas are areas not yet properly rehabilitated. On top of this, remember this area was once part of the homelands, so the previous government was not too concerned about throwing money in that direction.

I could not agree more though that it is a travesty to have mining anywhere near such an important place. However, when Sanparks took over Mapengubwe, it was pretty much barren land. What we see today is mainly thanks to Sanparks.

The heritage site and graves were kept secret my the previous government for many years, as it contadicted what was being taught in schools, that the whites were the first "known civilasation' in South Africa.

Arks , those are in fact the remains of military barracks from when the area was military property , saw when on a day walk there .
The area was closed to all but the military (and was not part of the homelands) as the area was a hotbed of insurgent incursions in the late '80's by freedom fighters who planted landmines indescriminately along the borders of SA .
I believe a reasonable degree of preservation of the area was maintained during this time considering the insurgent situation , I would go as far as saying it was better preserved at the time than is the case with heritage sights in general today .

We camped there last year and the ablutions were fine. It's a beautiful rustic camp set in amongst trees and thick bush.

Thanks, MM and ndloti, for your information on those ruins. I know that there is a lot of fencing and other evidence of the military use of the area during the 80s in the western part of the park, but wasn't certain whether these particular remains were from an earlier period.