© Lonely Planet 482 Limpopo If South Africa’s northernmost province sounds familiar, it could be from Rudyard Kipling’s Just So Stories, in which the curious young elephant treks to ‘the great grey-green, greasy Limpopo River, all set about with fever trees’. While Kipling’s pachyderm unintentionally gains a trunk, curious humans might, similarly, cross Limpopo to access Kruger National Park and stumble upon the less-visited Valley of the Olifants. The subtropical area packs in misty Magoebaskloof, where waterfalls crash in the forests, and mysterious Modjadji, home of rain-summoning queens and Modjadji palms (cycads). The mystique continues in the Venda region, a traditional area where a python god is believed to live in Lake Fundudzi, and artists produce highly original work. And that’s just to the east of the N1. To the west, attractions include the Waterberg, where the Big Five, the endangered Cape vulture and, yes, fever trees are found in the mountains. Heading north from there, the savannah gives way to the Soutpansberg, an island of biodiversity with 540 bird species, and secluded lodges at the top of steep tracks. Then the baobab trees appear, and the empty roads lead to Mapungubwe National Park, where the remains of a millennium-old civilisation overlook the confluence of the Limpopo and Shashe Rivers. With icons ranging from Mapungubwe’s gold-plated rhino figurine to ‘Breaker’ Morant, the second Anglo-Boer War folk hero, Limpopo is an extraordinarily diverse province. If one thing unites its tourist operators, including Fair Trade lodges and art or birding routes, it’s that they offer visitors something completely different. So if you come to Polokwane for the 2010 World Cup, be sure to also get out of town. HIGHLIGHTS LIMPOPO LIMPOPO Driving between baboons and baobabs in Mapungubwe National Park Mapungubwe National Park ( p496 ) Soutpansberg Discovering a new species in the Range Elim Soutpansberg range ( p495 ) Kings Walden Learning how to distinguish between Venda Haenertsburg and Tsonga-Shangaan designs in Elim ( p500 ) Marakele Watching the sun slide behind blue bluffs in National Park Marakele National Park ( p493 ) Climbing above the heat at Haenertsburg ( p501 ) and Kings Walden ( p503 ) POPULATION: 5.5 MILLION AREA : 79,490 SQ KM lonelyplanet.com 0 50 km LIMPOPO 0 30 miles Mazunga To Harare Serule Motloutse River (555km) Z I M B A B W E Tuli Mmadinare r Ὀ e Circle Bubi River v i Rv opo R imp Riv i Chicualacuala L er z e n Beitbridge e Pont LIMPOPO Mapungubwe R572 w B O T S W A N A Drift Limpopo River Serowe NP Musina M (Messina) Musina R525 Masisi Platjan NR Parfuri Gate Lotsane River Zanzibar Palapye Bridgewater R508 Thulamela Zanzibar River Gregory r Archaeological Matavhelo e River Tshipise v Site Alldays i 208 Ὀ ὈὈὈὈR Mamoluki Maasstroom Brak u r Nwanedi h R527 Sand Wyllie's v ve NP u Swartwater Ri Poort uv Makhado L R524 Waterpoor R523 Pass Tolwe Lesheba Wilderness; Lose Martin's Grobler's o u t p a n s b Sibasa Babalala Limpopo River Sefare Drift Bridge Lajuma Mountain Retreat S e r g Thohoyandou Tom Burke Vivo Louis Trichardt Mavamba Mahalapye R522 (Makhado) Tshakhuma Marnitz Magalakwin River Borchers R Beauty Lajuma; R521 LEGEND Medike Mountain Ben Lavin 81 Baltimore Nsama GR Game Reserve Reserve NR R578 MonteM Christo Legkraal NP National Park Limpopo Bandelierkop ὈὈὈὈGiyani o Dendron Mamaila Kruger NR Nature Reserve n Steilloopbrug g NP Stockpoort Botlokwa R529 River WA Wilderness Area o M O Z A M B I Q U E l N R R Moletzie Kalkbank WR Wilderness Reserve Marken 36 Mooiplaas i 11 v Lapalala River Bird Sanctuary Mooketsi Modjadji NR er R518 Ellisras Gilead N Modjadji Buffel's Drift Giriyondo 1 Letaba Letaba River Matlabas Modjadjiskloof Valley Hans Merensky NR Afguns R Lapalala Matlala (Duivelskloof) er Magoebaskloof iv 33 Wilderness Groesbeek Ndzalama WR Lulekani Lake R Pass Tzaneen a Mokamole R Letsitele R Nova Lagoa an River Elmeston Mokolo 71 71 Phalaborwa tw Polokwane Haenertsburg Namakgale Nova go Dam Melkrivier R518 Percy Fyfe Boyne N Spanwerk ὈSterkwater ὈNR (Pietersburg)ὈὈὈὈὈὈὈGravelotte River Hermanusdorings Wolkberg Mahwelereng R101 R R526 Olifants Oliphants Drift Rooibokkraal R510 Welgevonden WA C Reserve Mokopane 37 Trichardtsdal ro Matlabas Makapan's c Sentrum (Potgietersrus) Chuniespoort Mica o Marakele Vaalwater Caves Lekgalameetse Klaserie Private To Gaborone d Bakkers NR il NP NR (50km) e Kransberg Palala Pass Tweetstroom ὅὅὅ Lebowakgomo Hoedspruit Kapama River (2100m) Mookgophong r g Mosdene R527 GR Maricosdraai W b e (Naboomspruit) Timbavati R531 a t e r Alma NR Immerpan Hoedspruit Eastgate Airport River Rankin's R Orpen To Gaborone Ben Alberts Thabazimbi R517 ὅὅὅ 37 Kampersrus Gate Pass Drakensberg (85km) Derdepoort NR Modimolle R519 Roedtan Acornhoek d (Nylstroom) Nyani Cultural Kayaseput n Nylsvley ὄ ὈRooiberg Mabula ὈN ὈὈὈὈὈὈὈ Village a NR R N 11 40 Sand r R511 GR 1 R R n R510 R516 33 Watervalsrivier 36 River i Bushbuckridge e Northam Bela-Bela Pass Graskop t Leeupoort n (Warmbaths- o Settlers f RiverWarmbad) Elands River M P U M A L A N G A River i t N O R T H - W E S T Moretele Sabie Sabie W R101 Lydenburg River Hazyview P R O V I N C E Assen Klipvoor Grobersdal Dam G A U T E N G To N4 (45km); To 483 Sun City Beestekraal Marigo Temba To Pretoria (40km); Pretoria (289km); Nelspruit White River To Rustenburg (32km) Ὀ Johannesburg (83km)ὈDamwal Johannesburg (305km) ὈὈὈὈὈὈ(20km) LIMPOPO LIMPOPO.