Limpopo Ramble 2022: The Land of the Giants

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In the Mapungubwe National Park, three aspects are truly iconic of this landscape: Elephants, baobabs, and rocky hills and cliffs. It’s as if the entire atmosphere of the Park hinges on these key natural attributes.

Mapungubwe, situated as it is at the place where the borders of South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe meet, has a high population of elephants and especially so when the dry season concentrate the behemoths along the banks of the Limpopo River. From families of cows and tiny calves to enormous bulls can all be expected along any of the roads traversing the Park, and sometimes waiting for these charismatic animals to clear the way can be a very entertaining delay. At other times, the dense mopane veld may lead to you inadvertently finding yourself in the personal space of one of the giants and they might react with more than a little agitation!

Angry elephant (photo by Joubert)
Elephant cow with her herd (photo by Joubert)
Elephant cow and calf crossing the road (photo by Joubert)
Elephant cow
Young elephant bulls testing their mettle
Adult elephant bull
Big elephant bull reaching for tasty leaves
Elephant youngster (photo by Joubert)
Fully grown elephant bull (photo by Joubert)
Fully grown elephant bull (photo by Joubert)
Most impressive elephant bull foraging along the Limpopo (photo by Joubert)
Young elephant bull scaling a rocky outcrop
Elephant cow
Fully grown elephant bull (photo by Joubert)

The Elephants even move through Mapungubwe’s unfenced main camp Leokwe, as we experienced one evening upon arriving at out cottage.

Elephants in Leokwe (photo by Joubert)
Elephants in Leokwe (photo by Joubert)

Baobabs are the undisputable rulers of Mapungubwe’s plant kingdom. With this part of the world now firmly in Winter’s grip, the trees are mostly leafless, lending more credence to the myth that the Creator tossed them to earth, planting them upside down. Elephants have a paticular liking for the pulpy wood of the baobab, and many of Mapungubwe’s trees show damage as a result, leading to the Park authorities protecting some prime specimens by using wire as wrapping around their trunks (those of the trees, not those of the elephants 😉 )

Baobab showing elephant damage
Baobab showing elephant damage
Baobabs dotting the Mapungubwe landscape
Beautiful Baobab
Beautiful Baobab
Look carefully to notice the wire wrapped around this Baobab’s trunk to prevent further elephant damage
Baobabs dotting the Mapungubwe landscape
Baobab atop one of Mapungubwe’s hills
An enormous Baobab towering above the plains
An enormous Baobab towering above the plains
One of Mapungubwe’s roads hugging a Baobab
Young Baobab
Mapungubwe Baobabs
An enormous Baobab towering above the mopane
Mapungubwe Baobab
Mapungubwe Baobabs
An enormous Baobab towering above the plains
Baobabs dotting the Mapungubwe landscape
Baobabs on a hillside with dark clouds looming
A huge Baobab growing in the tiniest of spots among the rocks
A most impressive Baobab!
A most impressive Baobab!

On the largest scale of all, it is the rocky, hilly landscapes that really forms the basis of Mapungubwe’s ancient atmosphere. The hills are composed mainly of dolerite – the remains of molten rock pushed up from deep inside the earth through sandstone that has long since weathered away to leave only the harder volcanic geology visible.

Mapungubwe Landscape
Mapungubwe sunset
An elephant almost disappears in Mapungubwe’s landscape (photo by Joubert)
The road descending to the Kongoni plains
Mapungubwe’s own leaning tower
Side-on view of Mapungubwe Hill, seen from the south
Mapungubwe Hill seen from the northwest
Cliffs on the Zimbabwe side of the border loom over the Limpopo River
A rainy winter’s day in Mapungubwe
Interesting rock formation in Mapungubwe
Another of Mapungubwe’s hills that ,looks almost like a monument!
High hills towering over fertile plains
High hills towering over fertile plains
Mapungubwe Hill in its surrounding landscape
A watering hole at the base of a cliff
A herd of wildebeest in the foreground appears tiny in Mapungubwe’s vastness
Natural monuments in Mapungubwe
Schroda Dam is built among the hills
Schroda Dam is built among the hills
Sunrise over the hills east of Leokwe

21 thoughts on “Limpopo Ramble 2022: The Land of the Giants”

  5. wetanddustyroads

    Mooi foto’s van die olifante … as hulle daai ore so lig, dan raak ek so effe aan die bewe! Og, en die kremetart bome is soo mooi – nie een lyk dieselfde nie. Pragtige landskap tonele … daardie sonopkoms oor die heuwels is skouspelagtig. Dankie vir die deel!

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  8. janet

    Joubert, that top left shot is a wonderful one. The trees remind me of the Joshua trees in Joshua Tree National Park while the damage reminds me of what happens to saguaros when the birds nest in them.

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  9. H.J. for avian101

    You’re right about the Land of Giants, D. Those enormous bulls African Elephants are giants and the Baobab trees, so tall and beautiful. Great post, D. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

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