My husband and I went to Mapungubwe during December. It was very hot, but thankfully the units at Leokwe have airconditioning. Although not everything was ideal for wheelchairs I was sooooooo impressed with what I could do.
There were ablutions at the camp, the main gate and confluence view point, which was a treat to go up the path which for the most part is good. The compacted earth has crumbled in places and I needed help in places.
However the real highlight was the boardwalk through the trees overlooking the Limpopo River. Up amongst the birds and overlooking animals grazing nonchalantly below, I could have stayed there all day and night.
I really look forward to going back to the park in winter time when it will be a bit cooler and I can stay in the Limpopo Tented Camp. We looked at the wheelchair accommodation and it looked great (maybe a couple of things that can be improved on). I'm also wondering if there are any plans to make the ruins accessible? (Not too sure how, but I'd love to get up there)
Mapungubwe: INFO
Moderators: ritad, RosemaryH, lion queen, Crested Val
Mapungubwe Access
Dear Umvubu,
I know the park management would really like to enable all people to get up Mapungubwe and take part in the historical tour, but they are unable to come up with a cost effective and environmentally responsible plan. If you or anyone else have any suggestions I'll make sure they get passed on to the right people.
I know the park management would really like to enable all people to get up Mapungubwe and take part in the historical tour, but they are unable to come up with a cost effective and environmentally responsible plan. If you or anyone else have any suggestions I'll make sure they get passed on to the right people.
Mapungubwe: INFO
An interesting article which also includes Mapungubwe info has been posted on the Kruger Forum under Camps & Roads. The title of the topic is Thulamela or you can click here for the contents of the post.
I visited the Mapungubwe Hill excavation site in Dec 2004 and was fascinated. Definitely a must when you're staying in Mapungubwe or anywhere near.
I visited the Mapungubwe Hill excavation site in Dec 2004 and was fascinated. Definitely a must when you're staying in Mapungubwe or anywhere near.
Last edited by Jose on Thu May 12, 2005 6:30 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Krokodile
- Junior Virtual Ranger
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- Joined: Tue Dec 21, 2004 12:13 am
- Location: Wondering if I'll ever get back to SA!
As info on Mapungubwe on the internet is not so easy to come by, we booked 2 nights at Tshugulu Lodge on the west side of the park, then 2 nights at Limpopo Forest tented camp.
We had not realised that both these accommodations were completely separate from the main body of the park around Leokwe -in fact to get from Tshugulu to Limpopo Forest, you have to leave the park and drive towards the Pontdrift border post before turning off through all the citrus farms and back into the park again.
Tshugulu Lodge was stunning - secluded and luxurious, a little haven of lushness in an arid landscape.
You get this whole part of the park to yourself with an exclusive 45km 4x4 eco-trail which left us laughing in amazement as the landscape changed completely at each turn in the track.
I've mentioned it before, but my feeling was that this was possibly a hunting lodge in its past life.
The wildlife was so nervous and, although you often heard something dashing off into the undergrowth, you very rarely saw anything. Despite this, Tshugulu Lodge and its spectacular surroundings completely blew me away and I must admit to entertaining a little fantasy of living there permanently!
I've just realised that I haven't posted any camp photo's since my trip so I'm putting that right now. Limpopo Forest will follow:
We had not realised that both these accommodations were completely separate from the main body of the park around Leokwe -in fact to get from Tshugulu to Limpopo Forest, you have to leave the park and drive towards the Pontdrift border post before turning off through all the citrus farms and back into the park again.
Tshugulu Lodge was stunning - secluded and luxurious, a little haven of lushness in an arid landscape.
You get this whole part of the park to yourself with an exclusive 45km 4x4 eco-trail which left us laughing in amazement as the landscape changed completely at each turn in the track.
I've mentioned it before, but my feeling was that this was possibly a hunting lodge in its past life.
The wildlife was so nervous and, although you often heard something dashing off into the undergrowth, you very rarely saw anything. Despite this, Tshugulu Lodge and its spectacular surroundings completely blew me away and I must admit to entertaining a little fantasy of living there permanently!
I've just realised that I haven't posted any camp photo's since my trip so I'm putting that right now. Limpopo Forest will follow:
Last edited by Krokodile on Sun Jul 24, 2005 2:16 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Krokodile
- Junior Virtual Ranger
- Posts: 207
- Joined: Tue Dec 21, 2004 12:13 am
- Location: Wondering if I'll ever get back to SA!
Limpopo Forest was quite different from Tshugulu: very green and lush.
The safari tents were beautifully designed - each set in it's own boma with sleeping accommodation and bathroom on one side and a small, fully equipped kitchen on the other side of a seating area.
You can't see any of the other tents from your seating area, just the forest in front of you.
We spent most of our time here quite close to the camp.
Like all the camps in Mapungubwe, Limpopo Forest is unfenced so part of the experience is the ability to walk around the camp and just look at the smaller stuff.
Just outside our tent we had a golden orb-web spider and I also found a miniscule jumping spider (so cute! Wish I'd had a macro lens at that point!).
Bird life is also spectacular there and it was possibly the noisiest natural wake up call I've ever had in the bush.
As I mentioned before though, we didn't realise before we visited how disjointed the park actually is and therefore decided to see if we could get a flavour of the other side by changing our last nights booking to Leokwe on the eastern side of the park.
Leokwe details to follow.
The safari tents were beautifully designed - each set in it's own boma with sleeping accommodation and bathroom on one side and a small, fully equipped kitchen on the other side of a seating area.
You can't see any of the other tents from your seating area, just the forest in front of you.
We spent most of our time here quite close to the camp.
Like all the camps in Mapungubwe, Limpopo Forest is unfenced so part of the experience is the ability to walk around the camp and just look at the smaller stuff.
Just outside our tent we had a golden orb-web spider and I also found a miniscule jumping spider (so cute! Wish I'd had a macro lens at that point!).
Bird life is also spectacular there and it was possibly the noisiest natural wake up call I've ever had in the bush.
As I mentioned before though, we didn't realise before we visited how disjointed the park actually is and therefore decided to see if we could get a flavour of the other side by changing our last nights booking to Leokwe on the eastern side of the park.
Leokwe details to follow.
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Krokodile
- Junior Virtual Ranger
- Posts: 207
- Joined: Tue Dec 21, 2004 12:13 am
- Location: Wondering if I'll ever get back to SA!
Mapungubwe main reception is a striking building and is staffed by Nompumelelo Shongwe, who is one of the most helpful people out of a whole bunch of very helpful people I have met in SANParks!
As you need to check in at reception before going to any of the camps, we visited a number of times and she was always there, helpful and smiling.
My husband kept saying "We know this woman - we've met before", but couldn't put his finger on where. I (who have a very real problem with not remembering names or faces - very unfortunate problem!!) didn't think much of it.
It was only when checking in for Leokwe that the penny dropped with my husband.
Nompumelelo asked what our itinerary was for the rest of the trip and when we mentioned Pretoriuskop, she said "I used to work there", my husband said "You helped organise our wedding, didn't you?"
The penny then dropped with Nompumelelo too - she had been Esrom's (the Pretoriuskop camp manager) no 2 and had been instrumental in ensuring that our wedding day was so special and memorable.
I hope that she has been earmarked for greater things after her one year posting to Mapungubwe, as she is a charming lady and an excellent ambassador for SANParks.
Leokwe camp is beautiful. It's nestled in a valley surrounded by dramatic red rocks and striking vegetation.
The 2 person cottages are very well designed and not too close together
Each cottage has a shade by the seating and braai area .
The wall is your only protection from the beasties which are free to wander through the camp at any time.
We were fortunate enough to have our first ever sighting of a porcupine in the wild as it ambled past our wall shortly after nightfall). The reed arrangement on the cottage opposite is the outside shower area.
What an experience, to have your morning shower outside with the rising sun shining through the reeds and the sounds and smells of the bush all around you.
The inside part of the bathroom was possibly the most stylish I have come across in standard SANParks accommodation.
Although all the camps at Mapungubwe are unfenced, this camp really feels it!
There is so much to see in this part of the park. I really wished we had just one more day to really be able to see it.
The Treetop walk is stunning!
When you first arrive, you see the Rudyard Kipling quote on the fence (mentioned in the IOL article), which made me feel quite emotional.
The walk is very beautiful and there are so many species of birds and small animals in the trees.
there were plenty of birds to be seen here.
I found the confluence to be a bit disappointing, but that was mainly because a rather large and boisterous school trip was occupying the carpark and having a picnic.
The lack of water also meant it was a bit difficult to see exactly where the confluence happens!
We didn't have time to make it to Mapungubwe's Kanniedood dam, but we did the Plains 4x4 trail which - even though I've never been there - looked a bit like some of the Kenyan wildlife reserves look on TV!
As you need to check in at reception before going to any of the camps, we visited a number of times and she was always there, helpful and smiling.
My husband kept saying "We know this woman - we've met before", but couldn't put his finger on where. I (who have a very real problem with not remembering names or faces - very unfortunate problem!!) didn't think much of it.
It was only when checking in for Leokwe that the penny dropped with my husband.
Nompumelelo asked what our itinerary was for the rest of the trip and when we mentioned Pretoriuskop, she said "I used to work there", my husband said "You helped organise our wedding, didn't you?"
The penny then dropped with Nompumelelo too - she had been Esrom's (the Pretoriuskop camp manager) no 2 and had been instrumental in ensuring that our wedding day was so special and memorable.
I hope that she has been earmarked for greater things after her one year posting to Mapungubwe, as she is a charming lady and an excellent ambassador for SANParks.
Leokwe camp is beautiful. It's nestled in a valley surrounded by dramatic red rocks and striking vegetation.
The 2 person cottages are very well designed and not too close together
Each cottage has a shade by the seating and braai area .
The wall is your only protection from the beasties which are free to wander through the camp at any time.
We were fortunate enough to have our first ever sighting of a porcupine in the wild as it ambled past our wall shortly after nightfall). The reed arrangement on the cottage opposite is the outside shower area.
What an experience, to have your morning shower outside with the rising sun shining through the reeds and the sounds and smells of the bush all around you.
The inside part of the bathroom was possibly the most stylish I have come across in standard SANParks accommodation.
Although all the camps at Mapungubwe are unfenced, this camp really feels it!
There is so much to see in this part of the park. I really wished we had just one more day to really be able to see it.
The Treetop walk is stunning!
When you first arrive, you see the Rudyard Kipling quote on the fence (mentioned in the IOL article), which made me feel quite emotional.
The walk is very beautiful and there are so many species of birds and small animals in the trees.
there were plenty of birds to be seen here.
I found the confluence to be a bit disappointing, but that was mainly because a rather large and boisterous school trip was occupying the carpark and having a picnic.
The lack of water also meant it was a bit difficult to see exactly where the confluence happens!
We didn't have time to make it to Mapungubwe's Kanniedood dam, but we did the Plains 4x4 trail which - even though I've never been there - looked a bit like some of the Kenyan wildlife reserves look on TV!
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Krokodile
- Junior Virtual Ranger
- Posts: 207
- Joined: Tue Dec 21, 2004 12:13 am
- Location: Wondering if I'll ever get back to SA!
Do it, Francois!
You have to go to the main gate first to visit any part of the park, and I would recommend you spend your limited time in this part anyway.
A good trip for just a few hours would be to visit the Treetop Walk and perhaps the Confluence of the Shashe and Limpopo rivers also.
Birding is good round the treetop walk and it's a really pretty location - lush and green, which is quite a contrast to the red rocks and relatively thin vegetation away from the river.
Roads are not so good for small cars in Mapungubwe, being mainly dirt roads, although they are definitely do-able. The road from main reception to Leokwe camp was particularly corrugated on our visit but once we passed the Leokwe turning, it evened out considerably. If you want to see more of our pics of the area, look here
The Plains drive (head right once inside the gate) is also good, with wide open vista's, but this would definitely take more than a couple of hours.
An good alternative if you have a little extra time would be to go to the Limpopo Forest area and drive to Maloutswa bird hide. We saw more mammals than birds there, but it was a very pleasant place to spend an afternoon. I would only do this if you have quite a bit of time though, as you have to check into the park through main reception and the entrance to this part is right up near Pontdrift. I'd probably still go for the Leokwe part of the park - I left wishing I could have spent more time there.
You have to go to the main gate first to visit any part of the park, and I would recommend you spend your limited time in this part anyway.
A good trip for just a few hours would be to visit the Treetop Walk and perhaps the Confluence of the Shashe and Limpopo rivers also.
Birding is good round the treetop walk and it's a really pretty location - lush and green, which is quite a contrast to the red rocks and relatively thin vegetation away from the river.
Roads are not so good for small cars in Mapungubwe, being mainly dirt roads, although they are definitely do-able. The road from main reception to Leokwe camp was particularly corrugated on our visit but once we passed the Leokwe turning, it evened out considerably. If you want to see more of our pics of the area, look here
The Plains drive (head right once inside the gate) is also good, with wide open vista's, but this would definitely take more than a couple of hours.
An good alternative if you have a little extra time would be to go to the Limpopo Forest area and drive to Maloutswa bird hide. We saw more mammals than birds there, but it was a very pleasant place to spend an afternoon. I would only do this if you have quite a bit of time though, as you have to check into the park through main reception and the entrance to this part is right up near Pontdrift. I'd probably still go for the Leokwe part of the park - I left wishing I could have spent more time there.
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Krokodile
- Junior Virtual Ranger
- Posts: 207
- Joined: Tue Dec 21, 2004 12:13 am
- Location: Wondering if I'll ever get back to SA!
I'm so glad you got to go, Francois. At least you have had a taster now. I know that most of the roads in the park only seem suitable for a 4x4, but I swear that using a vehicle with high clearance would have sufficed on 98% of the roads we went down on our trip. We had a "soft-roader" (x-Trail) and only needed to put it in 4WD once or twice in 4 days. We only found 1 road we simply couldn't get up and that was on the Tshugulu eco-trail, which you can only use from Tshugulu Lodge. The reason for that was that there were lots of very loose boulders and the road was headed uphill. I was gutted, because up that road, there was a hide set at water level. I'd seen pics of it in reception and it looked stunning. 
I forgot you couldn't go to Leokwe without a reservation - it's a stunning camp and the pics on the website don't do it justice. However, as there are no facilities there, unless you were staying, there would not be much point.
From what I can gather, Mapungubwe follows a lower-impact style which SANParks are trying to utilise in all new parks and camps - smaller numbers of accommodation units, constructed to really blend into the landscape, using natural materials wherever possible. Furnishings draw on local handicrafts. Accommodation is more expensive on average than in Kruger, but for fewer "resident" visitors, something, unfortunately, has to give.
I forgot you couldn't go to Leokwe without a reservation - it's a stunning camp and the pics on the website don't do it justice. However, as there are no facilities there, unless you were staying, there would not be much point.
From what I can gather, Mapungubwe follows a lower-impact style which SANParks are trying to utilise in all new parks and camps - smaller numbers of accommodation units, constructed to really blend into the landscape, using natural materials wherever possible. Furnishings draw on local handicrafts. Accommodation is more expensive on average than in Kruger, but for fewer "resident" visitors, something, unfortunately, has to give.
francoisd wrote:About 90% of the roads are only accessible to 4x4 vehicles and I think one will have a better experience of the Park when using such a vehicle when visiting.
The roads are far far better than the 4x4 roads in Marakele. I didn't thank a 4x4 was really necessary.
francoisd wrote:If it is solitude you are looking for Mapungubwe is surely the place to relax and wind down from the stresses of city life. I would like to return one day with a 4x4 and spend a couple of nights there.
We booked for 3 nights and stayed for 4. It was hard to drag ourselves away.
Krokodile wrote:From what I can gather, Mapungubwe follows a lower-impact style which SANParks are trying to utilise in all new parks and camps - smaller numbers of accommodation units, constructed to really blend into the landscape, using natural materials wherever possible. Furnishings draw on local handicrafts.
The design of the whole place is wonderful, especially the trails camp. There were very few people in any of the camps, when we were there.
Krokodile wrote:Accommodation is more expensive on average than in Kruger, but for fewer "resident" visitors, something, unfortunately, has to give.
The trails camp is very cheap at R300 a night for 2. The visit to the archaeological site was excellent value for money at R55.
Some notes on Mapungubwe:
Mapungubwe means "place of stone wisdom".
Mapungubwe boasts 4 of SA's 10 largest trees, including the 3rd ranked, a massive nyala berry.
Mapungubwe forms the centerpiece of the proposed Limpopo/Sashe Transfronteir Conservation Area.
Mapungubwe has some very large baobab trees, the trunk circumference of the Hamilton baobab is more than 31 metres.
Taken from the latest printed edition of Africa Geographic Magazine (October 2005, Vol 13 No 9)
You can read the online article here
Mapungubwe means "place of stone wisdom".
Mapungubwe boasts 4 of SA's 10 largest trees, including the 3rd ranked, a massive nyala berry.
Mapungubwe forms the centerpiece of the proposed Limpopo/Sashe Transfronteir Conservation Area.
Mapungubwe has some very large baobab trees, the trunk circumference of the Hamilton baobab is more than 31 metres.
Taken from the latest printed edition of Africa Geographic Magazine (October 2005, Vol 13 No 9)
You can read the online article here
"The measure of life is not its duration but its donation." - Peter Marshall
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/francois700926/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/francois700926/
I was only able to spend about 8 hours in this park during September and although it was extremely hot and that I lost a tire due to a sharp stone, I enjoyed it very much. You will have to spend at least 1 night there to enjoy everything.
Another place to maybe stay in the Mapungubwe is at Limpopo Forest Camp in the western section. It reminds one of the forest areas around Pafuri. Excellent game hide in that section as well (do not forget the Treetop hide in the eastern section). The accommodation is in the form of permanent safari tents under a canopy of trees. There was a swimming pool there and according to a guy I met at the hide, 3 elephants had a drink at the pool minutes after I passed the camp.
Another place to maybe stay in the Mapungubwe is at Limpopo Forest Camp in the western section. It reminds one of the forest areas around Pafuri. Excellent game hide in that section as well (do not forget the Treetop hide in the eastern section). The accommodation is in the form of permanent safari tents under a canopy of trees. There was a swimming pool there and according to a guy I met at the hide, 3 elephants had a drink at the pool minutes after I passed the camp.
"The measure of life is not its duration but its donation." - Peter Marshall
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/francois700926/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/francois700926/
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DuQues
- Honorary Virtual Ranger
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- Location: Red sand, why do I keep thinking of red sand?
The Route of Lost Kingdoms
The 'Route of Lost Kingdoms' is open to the public
The Route of the Lost Kingdoms stretches from inside the gates of the Kruger National Park at the ancient stonewall of Thulamela, follows a trial of myths and legends through Mapungubwe National Park to the small town of Alldays.
The route gives tourists an opportunity to explore this undiscovered region in the north of South Africa, bordering Botswana and Zimbabwe.
What is on offer?
Visitors to Mapungubwe are able to meet villagers of this ancient land.
They will have an opportunity to see many baobabs as they line the roads and can visit the biggest recorded baobab in the world, which is believed to be approximately 3000 years old.
There are also opportunities of good game viewing at the Kruger National Park, Mapungubwe National Park or many of the private game reserves in the area.
The Venetia Wild Life Project is also located on the route where tourists are given an opportunity to radio-track the Venetia wild dogs with the researchers on the project.
For more information, please see The Route of Lost Kingdoms (pdf) as well as http://www.africandream.org/.
The Route of the Lost Kingdoms stretches from inside the gates of the Kruger National Park at the ancient stonewall of Thulamela, follows a trial of myths and legends through Mapungubwe National Park to the small town of Alldays.
The route gives tourists an opportunity to explore this undiscovered region in the north of South Africa, bordering Botswana and Zimbabwe.
What is on offer?
Visitors to Mapungubwe are able to meet villagers of this ancient land.
They will have an opportunity to see many baobabs as they line the roads and can visit the biggest recorded baobab in the world, which is believed to be approximately 3000 years old.
There are also opportunities of good game viewing at the Kruger National Park, Mapungubwe National Park or many of the private game reserves in the area.
The Venetia Wild Life Project is also located on the route where tourists are given an opportunity to radio-track the Venetia wild dogs with the researchers on the project.
For more information, please see The Route of Lost Kingdoms (pdf) as well as http://www.africandream.org/.
