A visit to Mapungubwe National Park and Heritage Site

The end of the year trip (or mid year trip depending) has concluded and this time the volunteers spent a week in the magical Mapungubwe National Park.  Situated along the confluence of the great Limpopo and Shashe rivers, Mapungubwe straddles three countries: South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Botswana.

Confluence of the rivers where 3 countries meet

It is always wonderful to get together with the volunteers and provides a wonderful opportunity for them to catch up with one another and to brainstorm about new projects and ideas.  During our time the volunteers also showcased some of their hard work, their hardships and successes, and overall feedback.  All the volunteers in country have done amazing things in their parks and the diversity of projects is astounding.

Doing some birding on the Limpopo River

While in the park we did some game viewing around the majestic flood plains and sandstone koppies.  Some nice elephants were seen weaving in and out of baobabs and we were lucky enough to have one wander through the unfenced camp, always a pleasure!


One of the highlights was touring the new interpretive center that had won a world wide architectural design contest.  The amazing thing is that every piece of material was sourced from the park and every brick was made by hand by the local community.  Inside the center are housed endless artifacts from the ancient civilization that once ruled from atop K2 and Mapungubwe Hill.  A fitting testament to the wonder of the civilization!

The new interpretive center

Another highlight was visiting Mapungubwe Hill.  Atop this hill was the nerve center of an ancient civilization that ruled the area in 1200.  The peoples eventually spread out and ended up being the predecessors of the Great Zimbabwe civilization.  It is a tremendous feeling standing atop the hill and looking out over the undulating landscape, standing where kings once slept and ruled from atop their hilltop.

Vols getting a tour of Mapungubwe Hill

Overall the trip to Mapungubwe was amazing and one that the volunteers enjoyed.  Keep an eye on this space for more blogs from the volunteer perspective!

Left to Right: Romayne (Golden Gate), Caitlin (Mokala), Ben (Kruger), Ben (Coordinator)

Benjamin Tupper
GVI/SANParks Coordinator

A visit to Mapungubwe National Park and Heritage Site