The purpose of this specific tour is to expose more visitors to the wonderful Mapungubwe World Heritage Site. Come experience the natural beauty of this region.
Day 1:
We depart early morning as we have a long drive ahead of us. Fortunately is all on the N1, which is a double highway. We travel on the N1 route towards Polokwane and Makhado (Louis Trichard). Over the lovely Soutpansberg mountain range, through the tunnels, and onwards towards Musina. The whole route from Makhado to Mapungubwe is covered by giant Baobab trees. At Musina, we turn in a westerly direction towards the Mapungubwe National Park. We stay in the park at a lovely self-catering guest house. We will for the duration of the tour have breakfast & dinner at the guest house.
Day 2:
It is best to do the tour of Mapungubwe Hill early in the morning, otherwise, it becomes too hot. So we will depart early on the short drive to Mapungubwe National Park. On arrival at the park, our first guided trip will be to Mapungubwe Hill. On doing the guided trip to the “Hill”, guests must also realise that there is a set of steps (easygoing, but many – 147 steps) to climb to get to the top of the hill. We do the climbing very slowly. After doing the 3-hour guided tour to the Hill, we travel back to the guest house for a lovely brunch, and time to relax.
Around 14h00 we will have a light meal before returning to the park to visit the wonderful Mapungubwe Museum and Information centre, where many of the artefacts and information of Mapungubwe Hill are on display. For persons who perhaps do not want to climb the hill in the morning, the information centre will be a good substitute. We then return to the guest house, for another wonderful dinner.
Day 3:
After a relaxing breakfast, it’s time to visit the nature side of the Mapungubwe National Park in an open vehicle. We will travel via various paths in the park. Please note the drive focuses mainly on the natural beauty of the park – its fantastic landscapes, rock formations and Baobab trees, and not the animals only. The Northern boundary of the Park is the Limpopo River, and on its banks, it has giant fever trees, Mashatu or Nyala berry trees and Sycamore fig trees. The lookout point overlooking the confluence of the Shashe and Limpopo rivers is an awe-inspiring vista where three countries - Zimbabwe, Botswana and South Africa - meet. This is where will enjoy a picnic lunch. This experience lasts for about 4 hours, during which guests will enjoy tea and cookies on our return to the guest house, followed by time to relax and dinner.
Day 4:
A more relaxed but very exciting day lies ahead. After a leisurely breakfast, we do a short drive to a private game farm adjoining the Mapungubwe. Here we will do a short nature walk to a very well-preserved Rock art site. Our Guide will give us a very informative description of this very important site, which is in my own personal opinion, one of the best sites in the country. We return to the guest house for lunch, time for relaxation. Our last dinner will be at the guest house.
Day 5:
After an early breakfast, it is time to leave this beautiful area. We follow a different route towards Polokwane, where we join the N1 again, towards Johannesburg. Enjoy lunch on route home, and arrive home during the mid-afternoon.
