Mapungubwe National Park

Mapungubwe is one of the remotest national parks in South Africa.

Here there is the confluence of 2 rivers (the Limpopo and the Shashe) and 3 countries: South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe.

At present, the Mapungubwe National Park is still split in two sections with a public roads (and a few private farms) in between. Potentially, this will become a huge transfrontiers wilderness area, extending over a size of about 6000 sq. km.

The park is widely appreciated for its stunning and mystic landscapes. The wildlife counts elephants, lions, leopard and spotted hyenas. But in spite of its beauty and great biodiversity, the park is seldom visited.

How to get there

You can drive from Johannesburg (5 hours) or from Polokwane (2 hours). You can easily fit Mapungubwe in an itinerary including Leshiba Wilderness (2 hours) or northern Kruger (3-4 hours). To visit some areas of the park, especially in the rainy season, you’d better have a 4×4 vehicles, or at least with a good clearance.

Travel tips

1) Treetop walk. In the eastern section, 11 km from the gate. Spectacular wooden walkaway, at a height of 6 meters, snaking for about half a km through tall fever and ana trees. You might even find yourself walking at the side of an elephant! At the end, you’ll find a hide overlooking a dry river bed, often visited by herds of elephants or antelopes. The best time to go there is in the early morning.

2) See one, two…three countries. In the eastern section, 13 km from the gate. There are not many other places where you can experience that. One of these is at the confluence of the Sashe and the Limpopo rivers.

3) The Khongoni Loop. Again, in the eastern section. But this time you really need a 4×4 vehicle. You’ll be driving through a grassland where you may have the chance to spot lions.