Mapungubwe National Park

Mapungubwe National Park and World Heritage Site is the ideal location for anyone interested in wildlife, beautiful nature and birds. It is a wonderful place for those looking for peace and the extraordinary history of this World Heritage Site. The National Park is located in the province of Limpopo, on the border of South Africa, Zimbabwe and Botswana.

Mapungubwe means “place of the stone of wisdom” and the rich culture and spiritual powers of Africa are still felt in this ancient and unchanged landscape.

Visit the place where the Limpopo and Shashe rivers meet, enjoy unforgettable moments when the eagles soar in the air above Botswana and Zimbabwe and where you hear the echo of trumpeter elephants. Take a tree-top walk or simply relax and take in the surroundings.

The Mapungubwe National Park and World Heritage Site has great scenic beauty and is of cultural interest through finds from the archaeological treasures of Mapungubwe. This was once the site of an exceptional civilization, the oldest and most complex community in Southern Africa. Now it is a UNESCO World Heritage site and contains pristine remains of the palace of this kingdom, something that clearly refers to this greatest ancient civilization. The golden rhino found here is still a symbol of Africa’s cultural heritage and can be seen in the museum.

Flora and Fauna
The area covers 28,000 hectares and is part of the Limpopo-Shahe Transfrontier park. It offers a home to elephants, numerous goats, but also cats and birds. Lions, wild dogs, cheetahs, rhinos and hyenas can be spotted regularly at the Maloutswa Salt Pan.

The landscape here is incredibly diverse and in addition to sandstone rock formations, you will be introduced to the Baobab, the mopane forests, acacia trees, wild figs etc. All that greenery attracts more than 400 species of birds, including beautiful songbirds and large birds of prey such as eagles and owls .

Activities:

– Visit the Mapungubwe interpretive center, a great building, also architecturally speaking, with a museum and an information center. You will get an explanation of the park here from expert guides.
– The Lost City: visit Mapungubwe Hill where African civilization originated between 1200 and 1270 AD. A place where trade was already taking place between Egypt, India and China at that time. The place where archaeologists found the ‘Golden Rhino’, another proof of the rich times in this African Kingdom. The Mapungubwe Hill is the burial place for the elite from those days. Once the old civilization walked here, now 4 of the Big 5 walk around freely here.

– Go on a game drive (you must book organized game drives in advance) and look for African wildlife and the lucky ones among you will probably see the lions, leopards or hyenas.
– Where the San people lived in the past, you can find rock paintings. There are around 150 registered rock art drawings in the shelters of this area.
– In the park there are shelters – hidden places – from where you can watch the animals beautifully.

General information:
– Approximately 35 kilometers of the road network is suitable for normal sedan vehicles. In addition, there is 100 km of road that is only suitable for 4×4 vehicles.
– The park has various picnic areas
– There is a restaurant where you can go for breakfast, lunch and dinner and there is a shop with basic necessities
– There are swimming pools for guests staying in the park
– There are no ATM facilities
– There are no petrol stations, so remember to fill the tank in Musina (70 km from the main entrance) or Alldays (65 km from the main entrance).

Park opening times:
From 06:00 to 18:30 from September to March
From 06:30 to 18:00 from April to August

Climate

The climate is semi-dry with an average annual rainfall in ± 10 days, ranging from 350 mm – 400 mm. In the summer the temperature can rise to 45 ° C but are generally tolerable. The winters are mild. Plan day trips in the morning and in the late afternoon.

Conservation Fees: the South African National Park administration has set a daily entrance fee (entrance fee) for all individual SAN parks. If you are going to visit several SAN parks in South Africa then it may be useful to purchase a Wildcard.

Accommodation in the Mapungubwe National Park:
SAN Parks Limpopo Forest Tented Camp
SAN Parks Leokwe Rest Camp

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