Limpopo Province
Picture yourself relaxing on the deck of a luxury game lodge, watching the sun set over the baobabs, while feasting on locally grown tropical delights. If your goal is to experience untamed, natural beauty and the diversity of fauna and flora in South Africa, then Limpopo is the destination for you. This South African province is a place of majestic landscapes, where rugged mountains tumble into verdant valleys and the horizon is accentuated by the iconic shapes of the baobab trees and other hardy vegetation.
Limpopo is especially popular for its many game reserves and parks. It is home to about half of the Kruger National Park as well as the Waterberg Biosphere and Timbavati Game Reserve. It is no wonder, then, that the province is on the bucket lists of many wildlife photographers, those wanting an authentic African safari, and keen bird-watchers. It is also a must for those that love to explore a destination on foot, as the countryside is teeming with scenic trails to explore. The Limpopo River and the various dams are gorgeous to enjoy while sitting idly on the banks or indulging in some fishing or white-water rafting.
There is also a deep sense of history and culture here, including some artefacts that attest to a long-ago civilisation here. Visiting some of these sites – the ancient ruins hidden in the forests and the untouched relics of the Iron Age – can be a really spiritual experience. Limpopo is an ideal destination for those wanting to get away from the hubbub of city living and to relish in the utter tranquillity of the South African countryside…
MORE \ Discover Limpopo \ To find a place to stay visit Limpopo Accommodation or see Limpopo Hotels. (Popular searches include Waterberg, Hoedspruit, Phalaborwa and Kruger park).
Top Hiking Trails in Limpopo and Mpumalanga – Hike the North Eastern Corner of South Africa
The outdoor lifestyle of South Africa only expands the further north east you go, so it isn’t difficult to find top hiking trails in Limpopo and Mpumalanga.
Dominated by far more than the Kruger National Park, the north eastern corner of South Africa is a patchwork quilt of game and nature reserves where largely uncharted mountain ranges (Waterberg, Blouberg, Wolkberg) give rise to wide regions of wilderness, winding rivers, lakes, lush indigenous forests (particularly in the Magoebaskloof), rugged kloofs and plenty of game.
To experience the wildness at the heart of South Africa take ad...
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Best Places to Stay on the Waterberg Meander, South Africa’s Mountain Wonderland
South Africa’s Waterberg is pure bushveld. It’s also known as Africa’s Eden.
You’ll find the Waterberg immediately north of Pretoria, with its northerly reaches snug up against the country’s border with Botswana - declared both a biosphere reserve and an indigenous forest in its own right.
Yet it remains surprisingly under-explored by those who head to the Kruger and Botswana for their bush experience (why, when there are so many malaria-free Big 5 game and safari lodges so much closer to home?)...
The Waterberg Meander zigzags between Marakele National Park and Wonderkop Nature Res...
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Secrets of Mapungubwe National Park That Will Have You Visiting, Tomorrow
Hardly anyone knows about Mapungubwe National Park...
It lies on the south bank of the Limpopo River at the meeting place of three countries: Botswana, Zimbabwe and South Africa, about five hours north of Gauteng.
It's more than a national park
It's also a world heritage site and serves as a cultural icon for its evidence of early civilisation.
And, whilst its famous for its archaeological digs (scroll for more on this topic), its wildlife and scenery are pretty spectacular too.
And it forms part of the Greater Mapngubwe Peace Park, formalising co-management between th...
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Limpopo Tented Camps perfect for a Glamping Weekend
Limpopo Tented Camps ~ South Africa's Limpopo province is synonymous with the bushveld, Big 5 safaris and tented camps.
Have a look through these 30 Limpopo tented camps, perfect for glamping weekends ...
Amanzimlotzi Riverside Bush Camp, Valley of the Olifants
Three safari tents in the heart of the bush in this rustic camp with shared bathroom and private lapa.
Highlight: walk freely on the 30 hectare farm.
Bonwa Phala Game Lodge, Waterberg
This affordable tented camp is set in a 4 000 hectare game reserve in a malaria-free area.
Highlight: the four tents are laid out around...
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8 Best Small Towns in Limpopo
South Africa's northernmost province is renowned for its bushveld and wildlife reserves that include the Kruger National Park.
Less well known, but equally deserving, are Mpumalanga's Blouberg Mountains, Makgabeng Plateau, Makapansgat, baobab trees, the Waterberg biosphere, Soutpansberg, Mapungubwe's significant Iron Age site, and Modjadjiskloof. All testament to the province's rich diversity and wide open spaces.
This is the land of the Venda people. The local lakes, forests and hills almost all spiritually meaningful. It is too often overlooked as visitors rush in to the Kruger, and t...
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20 Best Secret Scenic Spots in Limpopo
Limpopo is home to South Africa’s biggest attraction - the Kruger National Park - with plenty of exceptional scenic spots to keep one camera-happy.
But South Africa’s wildest province is not limited to the Kruger. There are other wonders too - baobab trees, the Nylsvley Nature Reserve - one of the top birding spots in Southern Africa - enough game reserves for a year of visits, and the Modjadji Cycad Reserve, to name but a few.
To avoid the tourists we’ve put together a list of 20 best secret scenic spots in Limpopo for those perfect #instagram and #love_southafrica moments…
Hangklip View...
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Win a two night stay at the Shangri-La Country Hotel & Spa (Closed)
This month’s SA-Venues.com competition gives our readers a chance to win a weekend getaway at the Shangri-La Country Hotel & Spa only 70 minutes away from Pretoria Accommodation in the town of Modimolle.
Nestled in the heart of the bushveld within the Waterberg mountain range, lies the tranquil setting of the 4-star Shangri-La Country Hotel & Spa. Guests wanting to escape the madness of modern life will be delighted by lush tropical gardens, a trickling waterfall and leafy stone pathways with luxurious pampering in 49 en-suite rooms...
THE PRIZE
Valued at over R6600.00, this p...
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Walks in the Wild – 7 Kruger Wilderness Trails
Wilderness trails are one of the only true ways to experience the essence of nature. They imply an escape into the great beyond, a following of your heart, rather than any designated paths. They necessitate the absence of people, society and the noise and bombardment that come with it.
Wilderness trails in the bush are totally unique to the African continent. Those who walk them claim they are the only way to know Africa. For once you have done a wilderness trail in the Kruger National Park, there is only one way to be in the bush, and that is to walk it.
There is, however, a proviso...
I...
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Top Ten Natural Attractions in Limpopo
Named after the river that runs through it Limpopo is the country's most northern province, often overlooked by visitors who head, instead, to the country's more exciting provinces like the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.
But if you consider that seven of the country's eleven languages are spoken in Limpopo; that the area has some of the most well established nature and game reserves with a rich stock of wildlife, as well as some of the most breathtaking mountainous scenery – and that's excluding the Kruger National Park, which functions as the country's main attraction – then the province ...
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10 reasons to head to South Africa’s Waterberg
The Waterberg is a chain of blue-tinged mountains that stretch all the way from Thabazimbi to Lapalala River in Limpopo, just three hours' drive from Johannesburg. The world's only savanna biosphere reserve the Waterberg is a geological treasure. Its base is derived from rock that dates back 2.7 billion years, and its cliffs a multihued delight of exposed coloured sandstone that sheltered early humans.
With surrounds that include rolling grasslands, semi-deciduous forest, cliffside caves, a collection of rivers that cut through the mountains, national parks, wilderness areas and private g...
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10 compelling reasons to visit the Mountain Republic of Haenertsburg – Magoebaskloof
Known by locals as 'The Mountain Republic' the area of lush forests and misty peaks in the reaches of the northern Drakensberg of Limpopo includes a plethora of hiking trails and mountain outdoor activities, mountain biking trails, and scenery so unfamiliar with South Africa that you would be forgiven for thinking you'd stumbled into the Scottish highlands.
Frequent mists, an overgrowth of vegetation, the odd pocket of afromontane forest, kloofs, rolling grasslands and the undulating slopes of mountains offer time out and down time in equal measure.
10 compelling reasons to visit the Mount...
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The Cultural Wealth of the Waterberg
The Waterberg is a visual extravaganza of the natural wealth and beauty that belongs to South Africa. Characterised by rugged mountain ranges that are sometimes tough to negotiate, but always spectacular to admire, the region is impressive in its sheer scale and topography.
In addition to the natural beauty that characterises Waterberg, there is also a deep cultural significance to the region. It has long been occupied by tribes of hunter-gatherers, who have lived off the produce of the land for centuries. These ones left generations of customs, as well as remnants of their way of life, beh...
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Backpacking Limpopo
Backpacking is, undoubtedly, one of the most fun ways to experience a destination. It gives travellers the opportunity to see South Africa in their own time, while meeting others and enjoying the adventure vibe. It is also, usually, a lot cheaper than hiring vehicles and paying for formal accommodation and transport, since backpacking lodges and hiking tend to be the order of the day.
Limpopo is a spectacular province, with a number of things to do and see that are either free or very cost-effective. These are, generally, appealing to backpackers, who are exploring a country or area on ...
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Put Your Feet Up at Mogalakwena River Lodge in Alldays
If you're looking for something a little different why not book yourself a few nights at the Mogalakwena River Lodge in Alldays, Limpopo. Mogalagkwena meaning 'fierce crocodile' is made up of the River Lodge, a craft art village, Artist's Retreat and a research centre.
The Artist's Retreat offers four two-bedroom self catering in Alldays as well as a writer's cottage which gives you the perfect opportunity to relax and restore and perhaps work on that novel you've been planning to start for ages.
Spend some time at the craft art village which was established in 1994 by Dr Elbe Co...
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In Search of the Baobab – Where to find them in South Africa
The African baobab or Adansonia digitata is the only of the now nine species (up until recently there were eight) of baobab trees native to the African mainland.
These monster trees with their swollen, gnarled bodies and incongruous branches that look more like roots than arms are also known as 'elephant trees', 'big trees' or 'upside down trees'.
Their lifespan is great and there are specimens in South Africa as old as 3000 years. Even the average baobab on the side of the road is 350 years old. The tree against which you lean to have your photograph taken was there during your grandfat...
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