Mapungubwe National Park

Mapungubwe National Park is a protected area in northern South Africa that conserves both a significant archaeological landscape and adjoining wildlife habitats along the Limpopo River. The park includes the ancient hilltop capital of the Kingdom of Mapungubwe.

Visitors come to see the archaeological remains on Mapungubwe Hill that indicate a regional political and trading centre in the 11th to 13th centuries CE, and to visit the park’s game areas where elephant, buffalo and large carnivores occur. The park offers guided archaeological tours, wildlife viewing drives and scenic riverfront landscapes that illustrate the link between human history and the natural environment.

The Kingdom of Mapungubwe flourished during the later first millennium and early second millennium CE with evidence of social stratification and long-distance trade; the hilltop capital yielded artifacts that illustrate its wealth and connections. The area received formal protection in the late 20th and early 21st centuries and was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in recognition of its cultural and archaeological importance.

Mapungubwe National Park lies in northern South Africa near the confluence region of the Limpopo and Shashe rivers, bordering Botswana and Zimbabwe and forming part of a transfrontier conservation landscape.

• UNESCO and archaeology: The archaeological landscape preserves remains of the Kingdom of Mapungubwe, an early state-level society in southern Africa dating to the 11th to 13th centuries CE and inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
• Wildlife and best season: The park combines cultural heritage with wildlife viewing - visitors may see large mammals such as elephant and leopard in the park's savanna and riverine systems, best visited in the dry season.

What to See #

• Mapungubwe Hill: Mapungubwe Hill, the archaeological core where timber-and-stone structures and burial sites indicate the capital of the Kingdom of Mapungubwe.
• Limpopo River floodplain: The floodplain and riverine habitats along the Limpopo and Shashe rivers that form the park's natural setting and support wildlife populations.