Mapungubwe National Park

By Vicky · Published Dec. 4th, 2025

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Mapungubwe National Park is a World Heritage Site and was home to an ancient African kingdom, plus there’s fantastic scenery and river views.

How to get to Mapungubwe National Park

Mapungubwe National Park is roughly 6 hours drive north of Johannesburg and 2.5 hours north of Polokwane. The quickest route is via Alldays – make sure to fuel up here as there’s no fuel in the park. It’s at the border with Zimbabwe and Botswana, close to the Pontdrift border crossing into Botswana.

Mapungubwe National Park Map

Information and Itinerary

There are two sections to Mapungubwe, the western and the eastern part. It takes about 30 minutes to drive between the two. The eastern section is the most visited and it’s where you’ll find the main entrance gate, reception, Interpretation Centre, and it’s where the Heritage Walks take place. There are also elephants and the river confluence here.

In the western section, it’s much drier, but there is a nice drive along the river and a good bird/animal hide. It’s also where some of the accommodation is found (see below).

Things to do in Mapungubwe National Park

Heritage Site Walk

The Heritage Site Walk at Mapungubwe is a must-do. After a short drive in a safari vehicle, your guide will lead you up Mapungubwe Hill, where an ancient African kingdom was based around 1075-1220 AD. A complex society lived here, trading as far as China, and several gold ornaments were found at this site. The most famous is a small golden rhino, a replica of which can be found at the Interpretative Centre.

After walking up quite a few steps to the top of the plateau, you’ll have great views, and your guide will show you some archaeological remains in the rocks and explain the cultural significance of the place.

These walks take place at 7am and 10am, departing from the reception, and they last roughly 2 hours. It’s R343/320 per adult/child. The age restriction on this walk is 12-65, though older people can do the walk with a fitness certificate from their doctor. It’s not very far, but you do have to climb up many steps to the top of a rocky plateau. Make sure to wear suncream, a sunhat and sunglasses, and take water and snacks.

Visit the Interpretative Centre

A visit to the Interpretive Centre is also a must when in Mapungubwe. Alone the architecture of the building is worth seeing – it has won several prizes and looks a bit like something from Star Wars. Inside, you’ll find displays giving you more background on the cultural importance of this area. It’s open daily from 8am to 4pm, and you have to buy tickets from the park reception. There’s also a small curio shop and restaurant serving drinks and light meals (open 8am to 6pm).

Guided Game Drive

The park offers guided sunrise, sunset, and night game drives for R438/219 per adult/child. These start at 5:30am, 4pm and 7:30pm respectively. The sunrise and night drives give you a chance to experience the park when self-drive vehicles are not allowed, and give you the highest chance of seeing nocturnal creatures. All drives start from the main entrance gate.

Self-Drive Safari

There are four of the Big Five in Mapungubwe, with elephants, lions, leopards and rhinos in the park. The elephants are relatively easy to spot, while the others are more elusive. These animals roam over the Greater Mapungubwe Transfrontier Conservation Area, so cross into Botswana and Zimbabwe with a large range. There are plenty of easier animals to spot, such as zebras, antelopes, giraffes and many more animals. The wildlife is easiest to see at the waterholes in the dry season (winter) or near the river.

Guided Walk

Not to be confused with the Heritage Walk, the Guided Walks take you through the bush, where your guide will point out interesting plants and animal tracks. These can be booked at the reception and last roughly 3 hours.

View the Mighty Limpopo

There are several viewpoints of the river in the eastern part of the park, while in the western part, you can drive along the edge of the river for several kilometres.

The short Treetop Walkway, is an out-and-back walk along a raised boardwalk through fever trees to a viewing deck overlooking a bend in the Limpopo River.

At the confluence of the Shashe and Limpopo Rivers, there are also several Confluence Viewpoints. On this side of the river, there are wild animals, while on the opposite side, you may well see cows. There’s also a picnic spot here with picnic tables and ablutions.

From the same car park, you can walk along a well-marked path to the Pinnacle Lookout at the edge of a cliff, overlooking a gorgeous inland valley.

Birdwatching

The combination of arid landscape, rocky crags, riverine forest and the Limpopo River itself means there are many different habitats for spotting a wide variety of birds. Maloutswa Bird Hide is a good place to visit for the birds plus animals (though this was flooded and closed in 2025, potentially it will be rebuilt). At the hide, you’ll see many birds in wet season, plus potentially several animals. The Treetop Walkway and around the accommodation in the park are also good places to see birds.

Drive the 4×4 Eco Trail

This trail starts near Tshugulu Lodge, and as the name suggests, you need a 4×4 (with high clearance). There’s interesting scenery along the route, though it’s not well signposted and quite tricky in places. You can simply drive this trail; there’s no payment and no booking in advance needed.

Bush Braai

A unique experience, a bush braai involves a game drive followed by dinner on the edge of the Limpopo River. You need to book these in advance, and there’s a minimum of four people. It’s a fantastic experience to sit and listen to the sounds of the wilderness and eat by the light of the moon and lanterns.

Example Itinerary for Mapungubwe National Park

Below is an example itinerary for a road trip from Johannesburg to Mapungubwe.

• Day 1: Drive from Johannesburg to Mapungubwe (roughly 6 hours) and stay in Leokwe Rest Camp or Vhembe Wilderness Camp (4×4 needed).
• Day 2: Go on the Heritage Walk at 7am or 10am. It lasts roughly 2 hours. Afterwards, visit the Interpretative Centre. Spend the hottest hours of the day at your accommodation – in Leokwe there’s a swimming pool. Later in the afternoon check out the Limpopo by walking the Treetop Walk and visiting the Confluence Viewpoints.
• Day 3: Early morning, go on a guided hike in the bush. Spend the middle of the day on a self-drive safari, then go on a guided night safari to hunt for noctural creatures.
• Day 4: Visit the Confluence Viewpoints for the early morning sun, then drive to the west of the park. Drive along the Limpopo River and visit Maloutswa Pan abd Bird Hide if it’s open. Stay at Limpopo Forest Tented Camp or Mazhou Campsite.
• Day 5: Spend the morning relaxing in the park befoer driving back to Johannesburg.

If you’re staying for a shorter time, make sure to go on the Heritage Walk, visit the Interpretative Centre, do the Treetop Walk and visit the Confluence Viewpoints. If staying for longer and you have a 4×4 and feel adventurous, you can drive the Eco 4×4 Trail near Tshugulu Lodge. Alternatively, you could spend an extra day on a self-drive safari on the easier gravel roads in the park.

Best time to visit Mapungubwe National Park

In the summer months (Nov-Mar), it can be very hot in Mapungubwe, up to 40 degrees. It’s also the rainy season, when the vegetation turns green and the rivers are flowing at their highest. This means the scenery looks its best, but the animals are scattered over the park as they do not need to visit the waterholes. However, it’s a great time for birdwatching. If you go on a walk during this time, try to start early to avoid the midday heat.

In winter (May-Aug), it’s a pleasant temperature and dry, often with clear sunny days. This means the animals often come to the waterholes; however, this is also when the park looks the driest and the rivers are quite low.

I love the scenery in Mapungubwe, while the game viewing is not so good as at other parks, so I think overall it’s best to come in the summer months.

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Accommodation in Mapungubwe National Park

Mapungubwe is split into an eastern and a western section, with accommodation in both, though check-in for everything is at the main entrance gate of the eastern section. Leokwe Rest camp and Vhembe Wilderness Camp are in the east, while Limpopo Forest Tented Camp, Mazhou Campsite and Tshugulu Lodge are in the west.

Leokwe Rest Camp

Leokwe is the main rest camp in Mapungubwe. It’s in the east of the park, 11 km from the main gate, taking roughly 25-30 minutes to drive. It’s set in an area with cool sandstone formations, and there’s a fun swimming pool amongst the rocks. It’s unfenced, so you have to be vigilant when walking about, especially at night.

There are 18 cottages in Leokwe Rest Camp, mostly for two people (with two extra on a sleeper couch), plus a couple of larger family cottages for four. They are all self-catering with kitchens, and they are all air-conditioned.

The 2-person cottages all have two single beds in the bedroom, plus a double sleeper couch in the main room. Some are slightly more expensive and have a better view. From R1,743.00 for two, and an extra R511/256 per adult/child. The 4-person family cottages have two bedrooms. From R2,767 for four.

Vhembe Wilderness Camp

To get to Vhembe Wilderness Camp, you need a 4×4 with high clearance. You’re rewarded with great views from the camp, where there are four wilderness cabins, each for two people. The cabins have bathrooms but no kitchen; instead, there’s a communal kitchen. The cabins have ceiling fans, but there’s no air-conditioning and no power points. The camp is unfenced and quite remote, so it’s not recommended for children. From R1,044 for two. It’s roughly 14 km from the main gate, so might take 40 minutes to drive.

Limpopo Forest Tented Camp

This is a small camp, with eight safari tents, each for two people. They all have two single beds, a kitchen, and a ceiling fan, but no air conditioning. They also all have a cute fenced-in outside area with a braai. The rest of the camp has a fence against elephants only, so take care when walking around and try not to be outside after dark. From R1,705 for two.

Mazhou Campsite

Mazhou Campsite is the only campsite within Mapungubwe National Park. There are only 10 spots and they can be fully booked, so reserve in advance. From R339 for two, and an extra R122/61 per adult/child up to six per site. Note the position on Google maps of this campsite is slightly wrong, but it’s correct on the map on this page and on the Tracks4Africa Map*. To get here, after checking in at Mapungubwe Main Gate, the best access is via Pontdrift.

It’s a lovely campsite, with each spot underneath a large shade tree, and all sites have electricity. There’s also a small swimming pool. The campsite is fenced against elephants, but not other wild animals. Make sure to have a good (head)torch for walking around in the dark, and try not to go to the toilet in the middle of the night. Make sure to keep a clean camp as monkeys can be a problem.

Tshugulu Lodge

At Tshugulu Lodge, there is a guesthouse for 8 people (two double beds, four singles) and a cottage for 4 (one double bed, two singles). It’s a lovely place, set beneath some dramatic sandstone rock formations. Both have a kitchen, air-conditioning, braai area and a shared swimming pool. An elephant fence surrounds the lodge, stopping elephants but not other wild animals from prowling around, so take care outside. From R5,613 for 8 in the guesthouse and from R1,937 for 4 in the cottage. Use the Western Entrance Gate to reach the lodge.

I hope you found this guide to Mapungubwe National Park useful. If you like national parks and hiking, discover more in our South Africa Guide.

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