3-day -

 

Mapungubwe Amazement

 

Discover an ancient African Kingdom, Southern Africa’s first, established at Mapungubwe Hill between 1200 and 1290 AD. Home to a powerful tribe that flourished on trading with Eastern cultures such as China and India, Mapungubwe saw the rise and fall of this great civilisation more than 700 years ago. This is the place where archaeologists excavated the famous golden rhino and other evidence of a wealthy African kingdom.

The Kingdom of Mapungubwe World Heritage Site was a medieval state in South Africa located at the confluence of the Shashe and Limpopo rivers, south of Great Zimbabwe. The name is derived from either TjiKalanga and Tshivenda. The name might mean "Hill of Jackals". The Kingdom of Mapungubwe lasted about 80 years, and at its height the capital's population was about 5000 people.

This archaeological site can be attributed to the BuKalanga Kingdom, which comprises the Bakalanga people from northeast Botswana, the Kalanga from Western Zimbabwe, the Nambya on the Zambezi Valley, and the Vha Venda in the northeast of South Africa. They crossed the Limpopo River to the south, and established their kingdom where the Shashe and Limpopo conjoined.

 

     Itinerary:                                            

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If you arrive a day or two earlier, we recommend booking an excursion to Soweto or the Apartheid Museum.

 

You will be picked up at any of the following spots for the start of the tour between 6 am and 7 am:

1. O.R.Tambo Airport, 2. Gautrain Centurion Station, 3. Your centrally located hotel, 4. Home pick up.

Please request a quote (info@amatungulu.com) for home pick up, or if your hotel is not on our route. (Between the O.R.Tambo Airport and our destination.) Pick up point must be indicated on the booking form. 

 

Day 1: We will begin the journey with a 5 hour drive to the Northern Province of South Africa to a Private Game Reserve, renowned for many species of magnificent game. Enjoy wildlife at our overnight stay in a Wilderness Tented Camp.  This Private Game Reserve is situated in northern Limpopo, South Africa and is spread across 7,200 hectares in size, with 43 game species. There goals are to preserve and restore the environment and re-establish biological diversity while creating an up-close and personal experience that reaches into the heart and soul of every visitor.

The Wilderness Tented Camp is discreetly tucked away with stunning mopane bushveld views. Each luxurious tent has an ensuite bathroom with large tub, outdoor shower, air conditioning and quality bedding. The units are set apart so as to enjoy privacy while offering comfortable furnishings, ensuring all nature lovers can relish their time in this secluded and mystifying area of South Africa. Dinner and breakfast included.

A 2-hour night game drive in the reserve can be arranged as an optional activity.

 

Day 2: A Scrumptious breakfast follows the drive to the Mapungubwe National Park where you start with a museum tour near the main gate. The extraordinary curvature and lines of of the Museum and Interpretive Centre will mesmerize all visitors but the true treasures are located inside. It was constructed with the intention of merging the natural location with the park's cultural heritage by using modern environmentally sensitive techniques, and won the World Architectural Building of the Year Award 2019. The stone-walling technique used in the building of the centre was adopted from a native method prevalent in the Mapungubwe area. The holy grail of the museum is the Golden Rhino which was discovered in a grave in 1932, more than seven centuries after the civilization inhabited the area. The museum tour ends with a short walk to a look-out point where you will be able to see the hill that was, according to legend, the inspiration behind architect Gerard Moerdijk's Voortrekker Monument in Pretoria.

From here we take the “Heritage Tour”, where you will be given the opportunity to visit the elite graveyard at the top of Mapungubwe Hill, view a natural amphitheater and the entire spectrum of the region, and traverse the territory once walked upon by the ancestral Mapungubwe People - now roamed by four of the Big 5. This is a walking tour with an armed guide, lasts about 2 hours and requires a fair level of fitness as you walk up a staircase. The archaeological excavation site is also visited.

The drive around the park reveal many animal species like elephant, hippopotamus, white rhinoceros, lion, leopard, cheetah, Cape wild dog, spotted hyena, brown hyena, eland, blue wildebeest, kudu, zebra, bushbuck, waterbuck, impala, klipspringer, duiker, steenbok, red hartebeest, oryx, giraffe, warthog, bush pig, aardvark and baboon. With its proximity close to Botswana and Zimbabwe, all sorts of bird species could turn up along with the Limpopo species for South Africa such as Meve’s (Long tailed) Starling, Tropical Boubou and the reclusive Pel’s Fishing Owl.There is a high density of Verreaux’s (Black) Eagle in this craggy landscape and other raptors are also prominent.

Then to visit the confluence viewpoint of the Shashe and Limpopo rivers where three countries meet. We also take a walk among the riverine forest on a raised canopy walk that takes you to a hide overlooking the Limpopo River. Overnight is in the same nearby private Game Reserve where you will be treated with fantastic African cuisine for dinner.

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Day 3: Another scrumptious breakfast follows the 5-6 hours drive back to the OR Tambo airport, or you can book a tour to the Kruger National Park, a mere 2.5 hour drive from here.

 

Included:

 

• Accommodation as per itinerary

• Entrance fees

• National Park fees

• Half board, breakfast and dinner

• Driver/guide

• Professional guide at specialist venues

• Transport by private vehicle

• Welcome pack, and free use of smartphone and data