After visiting this fantastic Park for the first time in 2023, I could not wait to go back. I decided that this would be the perfect place to spend my birthday, and I booked 3 nights at Vhembe Camp.
I drove along the N1 via Louis Trichardt and Musina to the Park. We drove the stretch of road between Alldays and Mapungubwe in December and the last 20 km was horrific – there is no way that you can call that a road. The N1 was a much better option.
When I arrived at Mapungubwe, I discovered that I would be the only guest at Vhembe for the duration of my stay. Suddenly my nerves were a little on edge. I had no safety concerns as far as animals or people were concerned. My biggest concern was my own imagination! There was a caretaker on duty, so I would not be completely alone. But still. After about 30 minutes of debating with myself, I changed my accommodation to Leokwe camp.
For a while I was disappointed. But in the end, I was glad I made the change. It was extremely hot for the duration of my stay, and I was happy to be close to the pool rather than having to drive from Vhembe to Leokwe. There is a project underway to upgrade the roads in the Park, and while most of the roads were perfection, the river road was still not great, and that impacted my driving options, also a good reason to stay in Leokwe.
When I visited in March 2023 it was still hot, but I did not swim. This time I made full use of the pool. I would spend the hottest part of the day in camp and most of that time was spent cooling down in the swimming pool. There is something so calming about that view.
I visited the Confluence lookout every day in the morning and late afternoon. The views were still as spectacular as I remembered.
I spotted a herd of Elephants in the distance. They gradually made their way closer.
I went for a sundowner on the first afternoon. There were only two other people, so it was very quiet and relaxing, leaving lots of time to contemplate life, and also just sit and enjoy the moment.
The afternoons at the Look Out are great, but there is something so therapeutic about visiting in the mornings and just enjoying the views and listening to the sounds.
There is a resident Squirrel living at the Confluence lookout points. I saw him a few times.
A little bird that was in the same tree next to one of the view points and that was very vocal was the Bleating Camaroptera (previously known as Grey-backed Camaroptera). I saw a pair of Mocking-cliff Chats at the Confluence lookout in 2023, and there was another pair this time. I wondered if it was the same pair as last time.
The best thing about Mapungubwe (for me at least) is the fact that there are so many incredible Baobab Trees. These majestic beings are my absolute favourite creatures, and no matter how many I see, I am in complete awe and have a wide smile on my face every time I see one.
As was the case during my first visit, I photographed most of the trees multiple times.
On the Monday I parked in the shade of one giant and had my lunch. As I looked up into its branches I wondered, for the millionth time, what stories that tree could tell.
In the soft morning light these trees look even more magnificent.
On the Monday afternoon dark clouds started to appear to the south of the Park. I drove to the Confluence look out for a sundowner. When I walked onto the one deck, the clouds started to look rather ominous, and I decided against having my sundowner there. I walked back my car and a very strong wind arrived just as I got into my car. The drive back to camp was a very windy and dusty drive. Despite the weather I still had to stop and photograph all the Baobabs with the moody sky in the background.
Baobabs are incredible trees. And when you add animals to the scene, it gets even better.
Just before I reached camp a Verreaux’s Eagle came speeding past with the wind at its back. He looked spectacular.
It started raining softly, but there was a corner of my patio that was dry and I sat there while I had my sundowner. I listened to the rain and the thunder.
All of a sudden four Kudus ran past. It was a really great afternoon.
The Baobab Trees were not the only gorgeous trees in the Park. There are many Rock Figs and they are spectacular. I am still fascinated by the baby Fig tree growing on the rocks by the swimming pool.
My 2nd favourite tree of all trees are the Shepherds Trees, and there are many of them in the Park.
This beautiful Shepherd”s Tree holds a very special place in my heart.
I saw lots of animals every day. There are no lions in the Eastern Section of the Park anymore, so the mammals live a comfortable life.
There were many herds of Impalas.
This summer’s youngsters had already grown but were still cute. The lambs were lying down in the tall grass, and you could just see their eye and ears.
I had a few Banded Mongoose sightings, and definitely the best sightings of these little predators I have ever had.
This group lived near camp and I saw them on three occasions. During one sighting they crossed the road and I counted between 15-20 animals.
On my last morning I saw a pair of Slender Mongoose. These guys normally disappear very quickly, but these two stayed in the road for a few minutes.
I saw Zebras every day.
There was one cute foal with one of the smaller herds.
It is always a delight to see Giraffes, and I saw some on a couple of occasions.
Blue Wildebeest were also numerous.
Some herds also had youngsters.
On the afternoon of the thunderstorm I came across a herd on the way back to camp. The wind kicked up a lot of dust. I am not sure if it was the weather or something else, but suddenly two of the youngsters got the “zoomies”. It was so much fun seeing them running and bouncing all over the place.
I was surprised at how many Klipspringers I saw, more than I thought I would.
One pair had a younger one with them.
There was a pair at the picnic area parking lot. The male was staring intently at something while the female was browsing..
I had a couple of Warthog sightings, but they were mostly far away from the road. Other mammals included Baboons (all of them were extremely skittish) and a couple of Dassies.
I was hoping that I would be able to spend a lot of time with Elephants on this trip, and I was not disappointed. On the first day I saw this lone guy near the massive Baobab on the way to Leokwe.
The next day I saw this large gentleman feeding and having a small dust bath.
The birding during this trip was really exceptional. In 2023 I visited in March and did not see many of the summer visitors. This trip was very different. The only disappointment was that the Maloutswa Hide was closed due to damage, so I did not visit the Western Section of the Park during the day.
On the first afternoon I got really excited when I saw a Monotonous Lark at the camp. It almost felt like a lifer as I had not seen one of these birds since Nov 2020! Then I discovered that there was one on almost every bush. I did not mind at all. Their calls, along with those of the Cinnamon-breasted Buntings would be the sound-track for the trip.
Cinnamon-breasted Buntings were probably the most numerous bird I saw. Despite their numbers, getting photos of them was not as easy!
The Confluence lookout is only about 5 Km from Leokwe Camp, but it took me between 45 minutes to an hour to get there every morning because of the birds.
There were lots of little birds around. These included Scaly Feathered Weavers and Blue Waxbills that looked stunning in the green grass.
I heard the beautiful call of the White-browed Scrub-robin. I just love these guys.
Summer means Red-backed Shrikes are visiting, and I saw many of them. There were also a few Lesser Grey Shrikes. One of my favourite birds is the Southern White-crowned Shrike, but I only saw one in the Park.
The raptor sightings during the trip were incredible. On the first evening I was sitting on my patio at dusk when I saw what looked like 2 Wahlberg’s Eagles against the dusk sky. They were flying together, almost as if in a dance. It was such a spectacular sight.
I saw 5 raptor species in one morning – African Harrier-hawk, Black-chested Snake Eagle, African Hawk Eagles, Tawny Eagles and Martial Eagles. There were two African Hawk Eagles in a tree, but unfortunately not in a great position for photos.
I had two sightings of Black-chested Snake Eagles during the trip and also saw a Brown Snake Eagle near Zebra Pans.
I also had a couple of sightings of Martial Eagles of varying ages. Lions may the Kings of the Jungle, but when you see a majestic Eagle surveying his kingdom, you have to wonder who the real King is.
When I reached the turn-off to Leokwe on my last morning, I heard the call of a raptor coming from a nearby Baobab. It was quite insistent. I could not see the bird, but suddenly an adult Martial Eagle flew from the tree. The calling continued, and I could only assume it was the immature Eagle insisting the adult go look for breakfast!
This Tawny Eagle looked so handsome.
Another aspect of visiting the far north of SA is that you can see Meve’s Starlings. They are such stunning birds.
I saw many European Rollers on the way to the Park but only one or two inside the Park. There were a few Lilac-breasted Rollers as it to be expected.
Another one was having a little snack.
I had one sighting of a Broad-billed Roller and saw quite a few Purple Rollers..
There were loads of Namaqua Doves in the Park, but they were not eager to pose for photos, and I only managed a few pics.
We often overlook the more common birds, but the Ring-necked Doves looked pretty in the morning light.
Shortly after leaving camp one morning I saw a little bird flitting around on the rocks. It was a Bushveld Pipit, a little bird that I do not see often. It was one of the highlights of the trip.
I drove east on the Monday and stopped for a while at the Ngorrogorro Plains. I added a few more birds to my trip list – a Brown-hooded Kingfisher and a Pin-tailed Whydah. I saw movement in the grass – there were Red-headed Finches and Chestnut-backed Sparrow-larks. I saw more Chestnut-backed Sparrow-larks near camp the next day.
I came across a little pan and saw an African Hoopoo fly past. I was surprised to find Burchell’s Sandgrouse at the pan.
I saw all three hornbill Species. There were quite a few Red-billed Hornbills. I saw a Yellow-billed Hornbill near Zebra Pans.
An African Grey Hornbill was calling its friend not far from Confluence.
The Long-tailed Paradise Whydas were also numerous but would fly off as soon as I got close enough for photos.
I heard Red-chested Cuckoos and Klaas’s Cuckoos a few times. Diederik Cuckoos were vocal as always.
Grey-headed Sparrows were all over the Park.
On my last morning I was sitting on 99 birds for the pentad and wanted to get to 100. Gape Sparrows and Great Sparrows got me over the line.
By the time I got back to camp I was on 106 birds. A Black-backed Puffback, Rock Martins, an Black-headed Heron and some Lesser Striped Swallows also chipped in.
I always keep an eye out for smaller creatures, but there were surprisingly few during this trip. I went to the swimming pool on the first night, but there were no geckos or scorpions. I did see a Pearl-spotted Owlet on the way back. There were also very few Butterflies, but I did see a Striped Policeman.
The Park was very green, and there were also some other colours in the form of little flowers.
One afternoon I had lunch on my patio, and after finishing my sandwich I wiped the crumbs off my plate. Within a minute or two the crumbs were being removed!
The Tree-top walk was closed, but you could see one of the trees next to it from the road. I saw a Black Heron in the tree as well as some Yellow-billed Storks.
There is a little pan next to the road to Confluence. African Spoonbills were hanging out in the area. I saw a Wood Sandpiper on one occasion as well as a Three-banded Plover. A Hamerkop was fishing in the Pan one morning,
The pan was also the spot where I had a lovely Elephant encounter. I was driving back to camp to pack up before leaving for home when I came across an Elephant in the road just after I passed the little pan.
He was sauntering towards me and I reversed until well beyond the pan as I guessed he was on his way for a drink.
He did just what I expected, and after a short drink he was on his way again. The roadblock took 15 minutes to clear, but I was not complaining!
The Pan was an obvious attraction for birds, and other birds I saw included Black-faced Waxbills, Egyptian and Spur-wing Geese and a few Swainson’s Spurfowl.
I saw a Kori Bustard one morning on the way to Confluence. I would see him again the next day not far from where he was the previous day.
I had one sighting of a Little Bee-eater, and a couple of sightings of European Bee-eaters. I saw many White-fronted Bee-eaters.
These guys sitting in a row early one morning were just too adorable.
But the most numerous Bee-eaters were the Southern Carmine Bee-eaters.
They were everywhere, but I did not mind. I love these gorgeous birds, and was so happy to see so many of them. When I stood at the Confluence lookout in the mornings I could hear them from afar as they approached from the west and flew in small flocks over my head. If they were willing to pose for photos, I was happy to snap away.
A few were posing near the turnoff to Leokwe camp.
A few younger ones were sitting in the road.
I was driving near Zebra Pans when I saw a large herd of Elephants approaching. The younger ones were quite cute.
It was very hot, and there was a lot of ear-flapping to cool down.
A large gentleman looked really handsome in the late afternoon light.
I saw a few reptiles during the trip. Mapungubwe is home to the colourful Zimbabwe Flat Lizards. There were many of these by the swimming pool and at the Restaurant.
While walking between the look-out decks at Confluence I saw a Stevenson’s Dwarf Gecko and a Variable Skink.
I found a teeny tiny Leopard Tortoise crossing the road near the dam at the gate. It was smaller than the palm of my hand.
I also saw a few Rainbow Skinks.
The reptile sighting of the trip happened near Zebra Pans. As I approached, I heard some birds making a racket and was just in time to see an African Python cross the road and disappear into the reeds.
The main reason for this trip was for my birthday. After the rain the previous evening, the morning was stunning. I was up early and on my way to Confluence at 06h00. After spending some time enjoying the magnificent views I headed back to camp. Mapungubwe is home to two of my ultimate favourite things – Baobabs and Elephants. I have always wanted to get a shot of Elephants under a Baobab.
And just before camp it happened.
On my birthday.
At one of my favourite trees in the Park.
I had the biggest smile on my face! It was as if the Park knew that it was my birthday and that this would be the best birthday present it could give me.
I spent some time with them.
The spot I stopped for for photos also had cell phone signal at that moment, and my son called, making the moment absolutely perfect. After talking to my son I sat with the four wonderful creatures for a while longer. What a gift!
When I went for a drive later it happened again! An elephant next to one of the biggest Baobabs in the Park. I was so happy!
There was a full moon while I was in the Park. Even in the day it looked beautiful. and on my last night a slightly less than full moon rose in a huge ball of orange.
I wanted to go on a night drive, but no-one else had booked for any of the nights I was in the Park. I decided that I if I have to pay for two people to be able to go, I would book the drive on my birthday. Leonard said we would drive to the Western Section of the Park as that is where they had seen lions on the night before I arrived, and as a result we left a little earlier. On the way we saw Eland, Steenbokkies and Spotted Eagle Owls. We did not find the lions, but I did not mind as we found so many other wonderful things.
The first was a lifer bird in the form of a Three-banded Courser. No photo, but a really wonderful sighting.
Other new birds for the trip included a sleepy Marabou Stork, Spotted Thick-knees and many Square-tailed Nightjars. We came across a Bronze-winged Courser and a few Common Buttonquails.
We saw so many Bat-eared Foxes, more than I have ever seen.
I saw my lifer Brown Hyena on my birthday in MZNP in 2023. And this year I saw another on my birthday! He wasn’t close to the road and the photo is terrible, but unmistakable.
One of the best things about a night drive in Mapungubwe is that you can drive the 11km from the gate back to camp on your own. I saw a few more Spotted Eagle-owls.
There were also many more Square-tailed Nightjars.
I had heard Freckled Nightjars call every night, and on the way to camp I was finally able to see a few and get some photos!
Just before camp I got a photo of a Spring Hare (or Krugeroos as I call them), the first photo I have ever managed of one!
I could not have asked for a better birthday – Mapungubwe certainly delivered!
It was a short but exceptional trip. The trip lived up to all my expectations, and the Park once again provided many amazing moments, just like it did during my first visit. I wanted to spend quality time with Baobabs and Elephants, and I could do just that. Mapungubwe may be in the remote northern part of SA but it is absolutely worth a visit.