Limpopo Forest Camp, Mapungubwe National Park, SANParks

Limpopo Forest Camp, Mapungubwe National Park, SANParks

Description

Mapungubwe National Park and World Heritage Site is the ideal location for anyone interested in the park's wildlife and birds, to those in search of serenity, identity and the extraordinary history of this World Heritage Site...

Come and join these diverse pilgrims and share unforgetable moments sipping sundowners at the confluence of the legendary Limpopo and Shashe Rivers, watch the eagles soar over Botswana and Zimbabwe's skies, hear the echo of elephant trumpets, take a tree top walk or just relax and absorb the surroundings... Mapungubwe National Park and World Heritage Site is rich in biodiversity, great scenic beauty and the cultural importance of the archaeological treasures of Mapungubwe.

 Accommodation

Camp

Leokwe Camp

This is Mapungubwe’s main camp, located in the eastern section of the Park in the spectacular sandstone hills. Close to the camp guests can enjoy the Treetop Hide and the Confluence View Site & Picnic Area. The camp itself has a swimming pool and sundeck, as well as a central braai area.

Limpopo Forest Tented Camp

This camp, situated in the Limpopo riverine forest which offers excellent birding, is located in the western section of the Park. The camp is close to the Maloutswa Pan hide.

Tshugulu Lodge

This luxury lodge sleeps 1 x 12 in the guest lodge with 6 x bedrooms, a bath, en-suite swimming pool and an exclusive eco-trail.

In the eastern section of Mapungubwe National Park, Vhembe Wilderness Camp has been built on a small ridge within a valley, within walking distance of the Limpopo River and Mapungubwe Hill. Bookings can be made online.

Mazhou Camping Site

The Mazhou Camping Site in Mapungubwe National Park is situated close to the Limpopo Forest Tented Camp in the Western Section of the Park caters for 10 caravans or tents, and each camping site is equipped with a powerpoint.

Guests intending to stay over at Mazhou Camping Site check in at the Mapungubwe Main Gate. A Pensioner Discount is available from Sunday to Thursday nights within the normal Pensioner Discount Periods.

Mapungubwe National Park and World Heritage Site

Cultural Tourism

South African National Parks (SANParks) has established itself as a reputable nature based tourism destination within the global tourism market. Limitations of past apartheid and conservation laws have, in the past, inhibited SANParks’ ability to explore and promote a variety of community linked tourism opportunities as well as an exploration of associated park based cultural assets. In order “to deliver a people-centred conservation and tourism mandate for SANParks, all National Parks have effectively embarked on a mission to develop and promote culture-based tourism products. The strategy aims to tap into and support the development of those cultural dimensions that enable more depth of interaction with, and understanding of, local people in and around National Parks, the regions and their unique cultural identities.

Mapungubwe National Park and World Heritage Site

Mapungubwe and its recent declaration as a World Heritage Site has helped to highlight the significance of cultural heritage within SANParks.The inextricable links between people, biodiversity conservation and cultural heritage have become more evident through Mapungubwe. A number of initiatives have now come up within SANParks to enable a more dedicated focus on cultural heritage and community participation.

The Mapungubwe National Park provides unparalleled opportunities for the development of cultural resources as a sustainable component in the overall park development and management.

As contemporary South Africa increasingly takes interest in, and its inspiration from, the Kingdom of Mapungubwe, there are opportunities for building a national constituency across the country amongst particularly the youth. Significantly, the story of Mapungubwe and its importance in the overall history of the sub-continent has been incorporated into the national schools’ curricula. This means that the site itself is increasingly becoming a focus for educational tours, with many primary and secondary schools as well as students from tertiary institutions visiting the park.

The formation of the park at a time when issues of landownership and restitution has come to the fore throughout southern Africa also provides an opportune moment for the park authorities to implement models of outreach to local communities. The park now regularly hosts communities from Botswana and Zimbabwe who, for almost more than 100 years were cut off from ancestral land of which their ancestors once were an integral part. In this way the park is reaching out to a broader Southern-African community – an initiative that, it is hoped, will eventually culminate in the formation of a Transfrontier Conservation Area. Transfrontier Conservation Areas signifciantly promote regional integration, greater biodiversity, environmental tourism and economic growth.

General Information

Internal Road Network:

Approximately 35 km of roads are suitable for normal sedan vehicles. A further 100 km is accessible to all terrain (4x4) vehicles. Fill up your fuel tank at Alldays/ Musina as you cannot buy petrol at the park.

Vehicle Restrictions:

No caravans are allowed in the eastern section of the park due to roads conditions. We have a caravan park at Mazhou camping site on the western section of the park.

Fuel Stations: Petrol/ Diesel

There is no fuel station inside the park. The closest fuel station is at Dongola filling station about 30km east of the park. The other filling stations are in Musina 70km and All days 65km from the main gate.

Day visitors:

Entry is via the SANParks Wild Card system, or payment at the gate.

Official hours:

Reception:

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

Gate opening and closing times

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

Check-in / check-out

Check-in is from 12:00 to 18:00 and check-out is before 10:00.

Climate:

The climate is semi-arid with mean annual rainfall ranging from 350mm - 400mm. Rainfall is highly variable and usually falls during the summer months. Extended periods of below average rainfall occur. In summer temperatures sometimes rise to 45 °C. The winters are mild.

Summer can be hot, but bearable and enjoyable if planned correctly. Early summer mornings and afternoons are the most rewarding in the park, for birds, trees and game. Winters are mild. There is on average 10 rainy days per year.

Hints & Tips

• Mapungubwe National Park is an area with large and dangerous game animals and unguided walking is not permitted. Guests, who would like to arrange activities such as walks, drives and visits to cultural attractions, can do so directly with Mapungubwe.
• Guests should take precautions against malaria when visiting Mapungubwe.
• All Mapungubwe’s camps are accessible by normal sedan vehicles, as are many of the roads inside the Park. There are also a number of eco-trails for which a 4x4 is required.
• The closest shops and fuel supplies to Mapungubwe are in Alldays and Musina, both about 70 km’s from the Park.

What visitors need to take:

• There are no shops at Mapungubwe. The units are self catering and fully equipped. Take all food, drinks and firewood. The Vhembe Trails Camp is catered, but take your own drinks.
• Sunscreen, hat, binoculars, field guides, liquids for drinking.
• Fill up your fuel tank at Alldays/ Musina.

Conservation:

The significance of the Mapungubwe National Park and the areas surrounding it is enhanced by the potential role of the area as a sanctuary for viable populations of some of the most threatened large mammals on earth, such as the black rhinoceros, wild dog, cheetah, brown hyena and elephant. It also is one of the last protected areas of the Limpopo riverine forest.

Scientific services:

The area has tremendous potential for research, both cultural and biological. Currently there is an Elephant Project and numerous cultural research projects.

Projects

Poverty Relief projects worth R48 million was completed during 2002-2004. These projects provided work to more than 1 000 people. A next round of projects is planned for 2005-2007. With this funding the park intend to built an Interpretive Centre and rehabilitate numerous aspects of the park.

Attractions

Visit the Confluence

Enjoy a view over the confluence of the Shashe and Limpopo rivers where three countries meet...

There is a picnic site with ablution facilities at the Confluence with shaded picnic spots with tables and taps. You can also hire a skottel braai and stock up on cooldrinks at the tuck shop.

Vhembe Wilderness Trails Camp

The Vhembe Wilderness Trails Camp is about 14km from the main gate. The camp is situated on the eastern side of the park on the sandstone rocks not 5 km away from the mighty Limpopo River. The units are made of canvas and wooded plank on the sides, wooden floors and thatch roofs with netted windows. There are 4 cabins at the camp that can accommodate 8 people per night.

Heritage Tours:

As part of this tour, you will be given the opportunity to visit the elite graveyard at the top of Mpaungubwe Hill, view a natural amphitheatre and the entire spectrum of the region… traverse the territory once walked upon by the ancestral Mapungubwe People … now roamed by four of the Big 5.

Do the Tree Top Walk

Take a walk among the riverine forest on a raised canopy walk that takes you to a hide over looking the Limpopo River.

***Tariffs are effective from 1 November 2008 to 31 October 2009***

* Guided Walks are also available. Please contact the park for more information on this activity.

Follow the Route of Lost Kingdoms

The Route of Lost Kingdoms stretches from inside the gates of the Kruger National Park at the ancient stone wall site of Thulamela, follows a trail of myths and legends to the Mapungubwe World Heritage site and onwards to the small town of Alldays. The route gives tourists the opportunity to explore this undiscovered region in the north of South Africa, bordering Botswana and Zimbabwe.

Facilities

Forest Tent

Directions