One of South Africa’s largest and certainly wildest private nature reserves was launched on 25 June and 17 July.

The 3 500 hectare Mapungubwe Private Nature Reserve, part of the 24 000 hectare Mapungubwe Game Reserve, borders the Kruger National Park and is open to the famous Botswana game reserves on the other side of the Limpopo river. The reserve has only 64 stands, 14 of which are situated on the Limpopo River.

Lion, elephant, leopard, gemsbok and eland move freely again and the restoration of part of these old migration routes is contributing to the revival of this magnificent area. Great care is taken to preserve the beautiful rock art and archeological sites and the heritage of the land.

The launch took place in the late afternoon, treating the guests to a two-hour game drive on a small part of the reserve, ending on one of the river stands on the Limpopo. Big fires and more than 100 candles lit the path to the diner site on a cliff where the guests were treated to a traditional bush meal. With the moon illuminating the Limpopo River and the sound of the Southern Cross School’s drummers rolling through the koppies and the Baobabs, an enchanting and almost humbling atmosphere was created, reminding everybody of the great historical significance of this reserve.

Refreshing new architectural designs were presented alongside the more traditional bush designs, all with obvious touches of the architectural style of the ancient kingdoms.

Jurgen Elbertse, responsible for the development, trusts that with this development a significant boost will be given to tourism and nature conservation in the Alldays - Pontdrift area and that the communities can benefit from the extra jobs created.

And although the property market is still recovering it was announced that directly after the launch the first contracts were signed, showing that there is confidence and a healthy future for investments in big game reserves in South Africa.

Contact Elbertse at jurgen@mapungubwepnr.com or 082 316 4363.