Dust swirls as the mighty African elephants lock tusks in the fight for dominance, with tribesmen running for cover, anxiously scanning the surrounding bush to detect sneaky predators. With the demise of the Mapugubwe Kingdom, tribes migrated north in 1300, giving impetus to the development of Great Zimbabwe. Considered to contain the most endangered vegetation communities in the South African environment, the Limpopo Riparian Forest and the Acacia-Salvadora, the South African Government proclaimed Vhembe a botanical reserve in 1922. Subsequent archaeology findings in 1932 of ivory objects, pottery remains, imported glass beads, as well as a golden rhino figurine, resulted in the state purchasing private farms to conserve the history of the area.

Vhembe Dongola, now know as Mapungubwe, was formed in 1995, when the South African National Parks was appointed to conserve and enhance the tourism potential of the area. proclaimed a World Heritage Site in July 2003, Mapungubwe is situated in the northwest corner of the country, and protects a corridor of mopane veld adjacent to the Limpopo River boardering Botswana and Zimbabwe. The terrain south of the Limpopo River is flat with sandstone and conglomerate ridges and koppies. Closer to the Limpoppo River, the flat landscape changes into rugged, mountainous terrain.

The diverse vegtation, gaint baobab and mashatu trees, riverine forest and the associate plains, provide an intriguing mix of habitat to accommodate a variety of wildlife including elephant, lion, leopard, cheeta, spotted hyena, rhino, eland, duiker, impala, zebra, Sharpe's grysbok, steenbok, waterbuck, blue wilderbeest, as well as abundant birdlife including the rare Pel's fishing owl. Twenty-six Red Data plant species occur within Mapungubwe.

Attractions in the park include Small Iron Age sites at Greefswald, stonewalled sites on hilltops, some identified as Khami-type ruins, San rock paintings, engravings (petroglyphs), fossilised dinosaur footprints and sekeltal remains of the dinosaur Massospondylus cainatus, which became extinct some 65 million years ago.

Situated at the confluence of the Limpopo and Shashe rivers, Mapungubwe will form part of the propsed Limpopo Shashe Transfrontier Park, which will incorporate the tuli Circle in Zimbabwe and the Mashatu reserve in Botswana.

Facilities and Activities

Guests to Mapungubwe can reside in an up-market rock lodge or cultural cottages in the main  restcamp. For a close to nature experience, guests can also stay in the semi-luxury tented camp, located under huge mashatu trees, or opt to explore the park by foot , by reserving space on the overnight Wilderness Trail. Other facilities within the park include a Treetop Walk, a picnic site and bird hides.

Activities within the park include guided tours to archaeological and SAN art sites, an Eco and a 4x4 Trail and self-drive game experiences to view the abundant wildlife and geomorphology riches of Mapungubwe.

Useful information

Visitors are advised to use malaria prophylactics and mosquito repellent as Mapungubwe is an endemic malaria area.

How to get there

The Mapungubwe National Park is 480 km north of Pretoria. The park can be accessed via the N1 north to Polokwane, and then following the R521 to Dendron/ Pontdrift. From here, simply follow the signs to the main entrance gate