Mapungubwe National Park

Just a stone’s throw from South Africa’s northern border, where Botswana and Zimbabwe shake hands, you’ll find Mapungubwe National Park. Imagine stunning sandstone cliffs, lush mopane forests, giant baobabs, and ancient floodplains mixed with cool river forests – it’s like nature’s own movie set, but one that bears the signs of human habitation over the last 5,000 years. You’ll spot elephants, giraffes, buffaloes, white rhinos, gemsboks, and a bunch of other antelope roaming around, not to mention plenty of birds. If you’re lucky, you might even spot some of the park’s shyer residents like hyenas, leopards, and lions. 

Discovering Africa’s First Kingdom

Step back in time to Africa’s very first kingdom! Located on Mapungubwe Hill, this ancient site was bustling between 1200 and 1290 AD. The kingdom belonged to the Shona people, and they were savvy traders who did business with places as far away as China and India. By the 14th century, though, the kingdom was abandoned. One of the coolest finds here is the golden rhino, a real gem that highlights just how rich this early African kingdom was. Alongside it, archaeologists uncovered other treasures that tell the story of its wealth and influence.

On the same note, you can still see a stunning legacy of rock art (paintings and engravings) left behind by the San people. Today, the Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape, which includes the ancient palace ruins and two main sites, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and part of Mapungubwe National Park.

From dino fossils to endangered mammal sanctuary

Mapungubwe National Park hosts an impressive array of wildlife with elephants, leopards, giraffes, eland and gemsbok as your regular sightings. The park is also a crucial haven for some of the world’s most endangered large mammals: black rhinos, wild dogs, cheetahs and brown hyenas. With a bit of luck you can see them all, even though there is a lot of animal movement between South Africa and its two neighbouring countries Zimbabwe and Botswana, and numbers fluctuate.

Apart from these big guys, there are numerous smaller species (such as porcupines and monkeys) and the reptile fauna is just as varied (think python, scorpion and black mamba, to name a few scary ones!).
You can explore this wildlife abundance on hikes, walks and trails, and of course game drives are a must (at sunset or even during the night!). Plus, the park has some cool extras, like dinosaur footprints and massive baobabs—one with a circumference of 31 metres! Size does matter, when you’re a baobab!

Activities in Mapungubwe National Park

• Sunset and night game drives
• Bird watching at Maloutswa Bird Hide (467 bird species reside in the park)
• Guided bush walks 
• Picnics
• Rock art sites  (https://www.nature-reserve.co.za/images/mopane-bush-lodge-rock-art-786×446.jpg)
• Canopy walk (overlooking the riverine forest from a raised walkway)

How to get there

The closest (domestic) airport is Polokwane, at about 200 kilometres or a 3 hours drive from the park. The closest international airport would be Johannesburg (OR Tambo), from where it’s a good 5 hours drive to Mapungubwe. 

Climate

The climate is semi-arid with mean annual rainfall ranging from 350mm to 400mm. The 10 (on average) rainy days per year all occur during the summer months (December to March), when temperatures sometimes rise to 45°C. Agreed, the summer can be hot, but it’s still bearable and enjoyable if you plan your game drives early morning or late afternoon (which are the most rewarding times anyway). Winters (June to September) are mild. 

Best time to visit Mapungubwe National Park

Anytime basically. However, if you really don’t like the heat, it would be wise to skip the summer months. A splendid time to visit Mapungubwe is from March to May after the rains when the air is free of dust.