Here we are at the Mapungubwe National Park

After a trip of more than 500 km on South African roads, we finally arrived at the Mapungubwe National Park, it is 3:00 pm and we are on time according to our itinerary.

We enter the main gate of the park and go immediately to check-in, both for the entrance to the park itself and for the two nights we spend inside.

The ranger gives us the keys of the chalet and a map of the park, he also shows us the main things to see, such as the walkway leading to an observation point on the Limpopo river, the lookouts on the confluence of the Limpopo river and the Shashe river two ring routes that can only be traveled by 4x4; then, it shows us where the museum, shop and restaurant are located.

We enter the park and, as a first step, we immediately go to see the museum, since it closes at 4:00 pm; it is also not far from the entrance and therefore it is perfect to visit it today.

We go back on the car, turn right and drive a few hundred meters; we have already arrived!

We park near the museum and head towards the walkway leading to the entrance; shortly after comes a group of South Africans who is touring the park with the electric bicycle, well indeed in this park there are no big cats so you can play sports and ride freely by bike or go on foot.

The museum building is very beautiful with very spectacular stone domes; inside it preserves the archaeological findings that have been picked up in the area of the Mapungubwe National Park.

The archaeological findings that have been made in the Mapungubwe area are very important because they belong to a civilization of the past of which there is little information but that was very developed and had commercial relations with other distant populations; in fact, objects of Chinese and Indian origin have been found.

The first archaeological findings were made during the period in which the apartheid regime was in force in South Africa; the white government, deliberately, has kept hidden the findings and their historical importance because they were in contradiction with their theory according to which the whites were more evolved than the indigenous African populations.

Only once the regime was dropped this discovery were revealed to the world.

The museum is new, it was completed in 2009, and shows some objects found in this area of South Africa including the famous golden rhino, in reality it was originally a wooden statue covered with a gold plate, but, as the millennia passed, the wood was consumed and only the gold plate remained; there are also jewels, tools and various objects that have been found.

In the exhibition path there are some very interesting tables that illustrate the life, customs and habits of this population, as it was rebuilt by studying the findings that were picked up.

The museum leads to a terrace on the roof, from here, through a bridge, you reach a path; intrigued we wonder where it brings, well there is only one way to know: let's go and see!

The land is very dry, there are only dried shrubs and the earth is brick-colored; we continue for a few tens of meters along the path until, in front of us, opens a spectacular view: a huge plain with a rock formation in the center that is somewhat reminiscent of the Monument Valley in the United States: wow!

The effort under the sun to get here has been largely repaid.

We return to the museum, that in the meantime has closed, we visited it in time; we return to our car, go up and return to the gate, then continue towards the Leokwe Camp, where our cottage is located.

The first part of the track runs along the fence of the park but, shortly thereafter, it curves to the right and enters more and more into the park; we begin to see very spectacular rocky conformations that, with the light of the sun, that is descending towards the horizon, seem almost fiery.

We stop at a lookout from where you can admire the Limpopo river valley, we take some pictures and then continue our journey.

The road that leads to the camp creeps into a small canyon, but what a show, everywhere around us there are red rocks, many of which have been eroded by millennia of weather and atmospheric agents and have taken on curious shapes; it's fun to try and identify forms known as a frog, some faces, a pig, and more.

We arrive at the camp just before sunset, in time to enjoy our first sundowner; this is one of the most beautiful and romantic and unmissable moments of a trip to Africa.

The cottage is spectacular and very large: the structure is reminiscent of two traditional huts connected to each other, in one there is the bedroom with the bathroom, while the shower is outside, in the other hut instead there are the kitchen, the dining room and the sofa; there is also a large terrace with a huge braai and a view of the rocks to take your breath away.

We go on the terrace to enjoy a bit of deserved relax, drinking a glass of croatina from Casa Montini, our trusted cellar in the Oltrepò Pavese; this ruby ​​red wine with an intense, persistent aroma with fruity morello cherries is exactly what it takes to end this day, it goes perfectly with salami, game, and stews so we taste it while eating biltong.

We really like the Mapungubwe National Park and our cottage!