Mpumalanga Travel Guide


Welcome to South Africa's Paradise Country & Wildlife Capital: -		Search our Site: sitemap

Lying in the North Eastern section of South Africa, Mpumalanga encompasses markedly different landforms, climate and people. The capital of Mpumalaga is Nelspruit a town situated 446 km due east of Johannesburg.

No-one need wonder why Mpumalanga ( the former Eastern Transvaal ) is one of South Africa’s top tourist destination. The answers are easy to find.

Some people are drawn by the magnificent scenery, others by the fauna and flora, and yet others by the saga of the 1870,s gold rush era and a wealth of fascinating tribal legends.

Aptly known as " Paradise Country" few regions in the world can match the extraordinary beauty of the lowveld and escarpment. Mountains, panoramic passes, valleys, rivers, waterfalls and forests characterize the landscape.

This is also Big Game Country, the setting for dozens of sanctuaries teeming with wildlife and birds. Among them, the Kruger National Park is world renowned, as are several of the luxurious private reserves on its western boundary.

The entire area offers exceptional opportunities for bird-watching, hiking, horse-riding and fishing. Streams once panned for gold have become the haunts of eager anglers and lazy trout. Steeped in the history of pioneers, hunters and fortune seekers, fascinating gold rush towns abound.

Barberton and Pilgrim’s Rest are among the most famous. A special, additional dimension occurs in the Middleveld region which is inhabited by the Ndebele people, notable for their traditional costumes and attractively decorated houses.

This page contains information on the various towns on the backpacking route in Mpumalanga. The lodges in each town are linked to their home page.

Each lodge has a booking facility for each room in their establishment or the places on their tours. If you wish to book, just follow the instructions on their booking page.

Select a region or town from the list below: - You will be taken to that region or town.

Mpumalanga Nelspruit Graskop Hazyview Kruger National Park The Ndebele People of Mpumalanga Detailed Map of Mpumalanga Mpumalanga Backpackers Association.

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Nelspruit has been called the gateway to Mpumalanga. With its sub-tropical climate and abundant sunshine and lush covered hills and valleys it forms the ideal base to explore Mpumalanga from.

The lowveld botanical gardens just outside of the town boasts a rare collection of plant species and the first man-made rain forests. Nearby Sudwala caves, dinosaur park and cultural centre expose your senses to the primitive Africa. A short distance away above Nelspruit is the gold mining town of Kaapsehoop where the mist filled evenings and a herd of wild horses grazing in the town transport you into a world of yesterday.

Many beautiful nature and hiking trails are in the vicinity of Nelspruit and a 1-hour historical trail acquaints you with the architectural and cultural history of the town.

Visits to the crocodile farm, ostrich farm and Halls estate (one of the largest subtropical fruit production farms in the area) give some idea of the variety and beauty of this area.

Backpacker lodges in Nelspruit offer not only superb accommodation but being at the cross-roads to Mocambique & Swaziland they are gateways to East Africa and the Lowveld.

Funky Monkeys Backpackers, in the home of wildlife artist Ian and his wife Lorna (involved in tourism) borders a nature reserve. You get to experience the lowveld bush on your doorstep while having all the information to travel and explore the surrounding area literally at your fingertips. Excellent tours and a funky ‘chill out' bar make this new backpackers a great place to stay.

Kruger Park Backpackers in both Nelspruit and Hazyview offers great accommodation and Kruger National Park tours. Your host Andre will help you explore Mpumalanga on a shoestring.

The laid back atmosphere of Nelspruit Backpackers is a place for meeting new friends, shooting a game of pool or taking in their tours.

- ( ‘Grassy Hill' )

Graskop (grassy hill) is a small village setup as a gold mining camp in the 1880's. It now serves as the timber industry and milling centre.

The Summit Lodge Backpackers make full use of the magnificent surroundings and welcomes visitors to enjoy a one-stop stay with accommodations in train compartments.

This is also a place to enjoy cosy evenings in the restaurant chatting to bikers who cruise the roadways on a weekend motorbike safari.

Graskop is a great base from which to explore spectacular scenic beauty. Within easy driving distance is the deep gorge of the Blyde River Canyon.

Viewing sites have been created all along the edge allowing visitors a birds eye view of the river glittering some 800 metres below the summit of the escarpment.

Bourkes luck potholes, where paths and bridges offer viewing sites, are further evidence of the effects of river water on the land. Formations such as God's window and misty waterfalls with magical names tumbling down the escarpment in their rush to the lowveld show the dramatic topographical change from escarpment to lowveld in breathtaking glory.

The living museum town of Pilgrims Rest – a gold rush town and a drive down the spectacular Long Tom Pass to Sabie the centre for large-scale afforestation and sawmilling enterprises (the largest man-made forests in the world are planted here).

Hazyview is 16 km from the Numbi Gate of the Kruger National Park and it is an ideal base for exploring the area – especially if no accommodation is available in the Kruger National Park.

Accommodation in Hazyview

The thatch roofs of Big 5 Backpackers Lodge and Zulu style huts of Kruger Park Backpackers Lodge offer great budget accommodation.

The Kruger National Park is the largest wildlife sanctuary in SA. As the first wildlife sanctuary created in Africa it is regarded as a prototype of wildlife sanctuaries.

The park, covering over 2 million hectare features excellent drives and trails through both dense bush and dry scrub.

It features 147 mammal species (incl. The big 5) 500 bird, 340 tree, 50 fish, 34 amphibian and 115 reptile species.

Take a drive through or stay in this legendary piece of African splendour and you will relive not only a part of pioneer history but also indulge in a rich display of nature's most beguiling creations.

The Ndebele are renowned for their strikingly attractive dress, characterized by vivid colours, metal rings and beaded hoops.

They are also notable for the exceptional quality of their beadwork and the strong, geometric designs on the wall of their homes.

The older mural designs were usually painted in earth colours on a whitewashed background, but in recent times, bright, bold commercial colours have been increasingly used.

Detailed Map Mpumalanga

Backpacker Associations
| BAI - BackPack Africa International | BTSA | HISA |

Backpacker Travel Guides
| Lonely Planet | Rough Guide | Lets Go |

Tourism Associations
| Gauteng Tourism Association |