MAPUNGUBWE NATIONAL PARK
Midas and his mopane cloak
A Grade 7 pupil would be able to tell you all about the Kingdom of Mapungubwe: how several tribes lived in stone structures and traded in gold. They’d also recount how the original inhabitants moved away in the 13th century due to a severe drought. That’s where we’re headed. Leave Marakele at the main gate and turn left onto Alma Road. After 2 km, you come to an intersection, where you turn left again in the direction of Hoopdal. This is the dirt road that runs over the big culvert that connects the west and east of Marakele. The road first leads to Lephalale – buy provisions here – and then it’s Marken, Baltimore, and Alldays, before you reach Mapungubwe – a distance of 400 km. At Lephalale, however, a local warned us that this route had deteriorated and is in a very bad condition. We were advised to drive over Tom Burke and Maasstroom instead. The latter road was also a challenge, with more potholes than road. Consider heading for Bela-Bela instead and taking the N1 to Musina. The R572 regional road will take you from there to Mapungubwe. It’s 200 km longer than the direct routes through Tom Burke or Baltimore, but your tyres and shock absorbers will thank you for it.
Sign in at the Mapungubwe National Park, where you’ll receive a photocopied paper map. This map shows the routes through the park and also how to get to your overnight stay. Settle in at your chosen accommodation, whether it’s at Leokwe’s rondavels, the Vhembe self-catering chalets, Tsungulu Lodge, Limpopo Forest Tented Camp, or the Mazhou campsite, and return to the main gate to drive the circular route through the park the next morning. Look out for the M01 beacon as soon as you drive through the park gate. From here, a dirt road runs 2 km to a turn-off to the Dubbeldam 4x4 route. This loop is about 6 km long and doesn’t really require four-wheel drive. It’s rocky in places, but two-wheel drive bakkies with a diff lock will be fine. The 4x4 route eventually rejoins the main road, and barely 800 m later there’s a turn-off to the Nungu waterhole. This trail is also marked as “4x4 only”, but as with the Dubbeldam route, it’s not that challenging. The main road now winds down through rocky ridges, past the turn-off to Leokwe’s rondavels, and you’ll notice the broad waters of the Limpopo River in the distance. Wild fig trees (Ficus craterostoma) cling to the rocky ridges, and elephants tear long strips off the bark of baobab trees (Adansonia digitata) to supplement their diet. Pull over at Treetop on the banks of the Limpopo River, because here you can get out of your vehicle and take a wooden walkway high up among large fever berry trees (Croton megalobotrys) to take a closer look at the river. Chances are good that you’ll see elephants quenching their thirst. About 2 km from here is the confluence of the Limpopo and Sashe rivers – the Sashe forms the border between Botswana and Zimbabwe; so this is where the three countries meet. Feel free to pull
over and get out, as this is one of only three spots in the park where you can do this, and visit the clean and neat ablution facilities. There’s a SANParks tuck shop here, and you can buy soft drinks and chips. There are also braai spots under baobab trees if you want to cook an early lunch over the coals. After everyone’s refreshed and ready, drive along the Limpopo River on your left. Ilala palms (Hyphaene coriacea) grow on the shore, giving the impression that you’re in the tropics. Stop at Zebra Pan near Poacher’s Corner to see dozens of bird species frolicking in the water, and then drive past an old army bunker manned during the then border war.
The road now turns away from the Limpopo River, and before long you will find a road sign for the Khongoni 4x4 circular route. The first section of this route is concrete and winds down a beautiful mountain pass. At the foot of the pass, a 6,6 km twin-track makes its way through a hidden gorge. Although the Khongoni circular route is indicated as a 4x4 route, a two-wheel-drive vehicle with good ground clearance won’t struggle.
The gorge has been overgrazed by large herds of impalas that stand quite tame on the side of the road to stare at you – it’s as though lions, leopards, and other predators aren’t a threat in this valley.
Return to the main road after completing the Khongoni route, then drive 3,5 km to an intersection with an M16 road sign. Turn left here for the Kanniedood 4x4 loop and the Mopane pans.
The 7 km long Kanniedood 4x4 loop does require four-wheel drive – we even had to engage low-range gears to prevent the wheels from spinning and damaging the road. The road surface is very rocky, and where it gets very sticky, SANParks has cast a concrete slab to protect the road.
After driving the Kanniedood route, turn off to the Mopane pans. As the name indicates, mopane trees (Colophospermum mopane) flourish here, and you can’t see very far into the veld. At the pan itself, there’s mud and signs that vehicles recently got stuck here. It’s strictly forbidden to make new tracks through the veld and alight from your vehicle. If the mud during your visit looks too challenging, we encourage you to reverse back to where you can turn around.
This is pretty much the end of the game-viewing trail. All that’s left to do is to return to the main route and drive across the Ngorongoro Plain – no, not the one in Tanzania – to the visitor centre and reception where you checked in.
Well done! You’ve visited three national parks starting with an M. Which one was your favourite: Mokala, Marakele, or Mapungubwe? Although you don’t have to choose just one – they all offer something unique. And while it’s fun to spend a day or two in each park and relaxing by your fire in the evening, it’s just as much fun to hit the road and drive from one to the other. We live in an amazing country – don’t let anyone tell you different!