Off-the-beaten-track - Sustainable & Interactive (Self-Drive): Cape Town – Soutpansberg Mountain Range – Mapungubwe – Hoedspruit – Kruger National Park – Johannesburg

Our beautiful home is a unique 7200 ha game reserve. Our guides would love to show you around, as there is so much to discover, sense, and experience! Mapesu is home to elephants, leopards, cheetahs, African wild dogs, buffalo, hippopotami, and a wide variety of big and small antelope. Come enjoy a Game Drive in the comfort of a game viewer and discover Mapesu’s beauty.

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Buffalo Credit: Federico De Lellis

Sable Antelope Credit: Federico De Lellis

Ostrich Credit: Federico De Lellis

Hippopotamus Credit: Federico De Lellis

Cheetah Credit: Federico De Lellis

Elephant Credit: Byron Grobler

Lion Credit: Byron Grobler

Blue Wildebeest Credit: Federico De Lellis

Sun downers at our Main Dam Credit: Byron Grobler

Zebra Credit: Federico De Lellis

Snack Box Credit: Rowan Poortier

The night brings the animals to life! Being enveloped in the electric sounds and secretive life of the animals under the canvas of stars in the comfort of our game viewer is exciting. The evening brings opportunities to see species you are unlikely to find during the day. Be on the lookout for bush babies (galagos), bushpigs, hyenas, genets, and the tiniest chameleons. Maybe you will get lucky and experience a thrilling encounter with a leopard!

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Leopard Credit: Rowan Poortier

Full Moon Credit: Camilla Sala

Brown Hyena Credit: Rowan Poortier

2 Male Lion Brothers Credit: Camilla Sala

Porcupine Credit: Quinten Knipping

Step behind the scenes and discover what it truly takes to protect a wild landscape. At Mapesu, the Conservation Drive goes beyond traditional wildlife viewing, offering a rare and immersive look into the delicate balance between nature, wildlife, and responsible management. Join our dedicated team in the field and gain insight into the vital work that keeps the reserve thriving—from bush clearing and habitat restoration to erosion control, anti-poaching efforts, and fence maintenance.

Along the way, you’ll learn how wildlife populations are carefully managed and protected, the importance of habitat diversity in sustaining a rich ecosystem, and the broader conservation initiatives taking place, including predator monitoring and species reintroduction. As you journey through the bush, a deeper understanding unfolds—revealing the ongoing commitment required to safeguard Mapesu’s remarkable flora and fauna.

This is more than a drive—it’s conservation brought to life.

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Setting up a camera trap Credit: Rowan Poortier

Collard Wild Dog Credit: Federico De Lellis

Gemsbok Credit: Camera Trap

Spotted Hyena Credit: Camera Trap

Collard Cheetah Credit: Federico De Lellis

Baby Rhino Credit: Camilla Sala

This exciting activity is to locate the animals through the use of telemetry, technology, and old-fashioned tracking. It will include both mobile and on-foot tracking while accompanied by an experienced guide. The experience will give you a deeper understanding of what it takes to safeguard, protect, and conserve the endangered species here at Mapesu. Wild dog or cheetah.

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Collard Cheetah Credit: Jason Savage Tracking cheetahs, and endangered wildlife in general, is crucial for their conservation and the health of ecosystems. By monitoring their movement, habitat use, and population dynamics, researchers gain valuable insights that inform management decisions and conservation strategies. This includes understanding their prey preferences, social behavior, and response to human activities like poaching and habitat loss.

Tracking with the telemetry Credit: Rowan Poortier Telemetry in endangered wildlife tracing involves using various devices, like radio, GPS, and satellite collars, to remotely monitor animal movements and behavior. These collars transmit data, including location and sometimes physiological information, allowing researchers and conservationists to track animals and gather crucial data for conservation efforts.

Collard Wild Dog Credit: Rowan Poortier Endangered wildlife tracking, particularly of wild dogs, is crucial for understanding their behavior, habitat, and population dynamics, which informs conservation efforts. This data helps in identifying threats like poaching and snaring, as well as assessing the impact of human activities and potential solutions. Tracking also aids in monitoring pack dynamics, identifying individuals, and predicting future movements, which are essential for proactive conservation strategies.

Collard Wild Dog Credit: Rowan Poortier Endangered wildlife tracking, particularly of wild dogs, is crucial for understanding their behavior, habitat, and population dynamics, which informs conservation efforts. This data helps in identifying threats like poaching and snaring, as well as assessing the impact of human activities and potential solutions. Tracking also aids in monitoring pack dynamics, identifying individuals, and predicting future movements, which are essential for proactive conservation strategies.

Rhino Credit: Camilla Sala Endangered wildlife tracking, particularly for rhino populations, is crucial for conservation efforts because it provides vital data for understanding animal behavior, habitat utilization, and population dynamics, enabling more effective protection measures. This data informs decisions about anti-poaching strategies, habitat management, and even successful reintroduction programs, ultimately contributing to the recovery and survival of these iconic species.

Credit: Mapesu Private Game Reserve

Put on your walking shoes to embark on a guided tour through the African bush for an all-encompassing experience. Immerse yourself in the tranquility of being in direct contact with nature. Traversing on foot without the confines of a vehicle allows for a greater sense of exploration. You will gain environmental awareness through listening, observing, and interpreting first everything around you. Accompanied by our expert guides, this will be a truly unique and unforgettable journey. Walk in the footsteps of majestic creatures like the African Elephant, tracing their ancient paths alongside us.

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Guests admiring a giraffe Credit: Rowan Poortier

Track & Sign Credit: Rowan Poortier

Sun downers and snack box Credit: Rowan Poortier

Black-backed jackal Credit: Danielle Carstens

Giraffe Track Credit: Rowan Poortier

Leopard Track Credit: Camilla Sala

The rock art shelter is known worldwide as one of the most impressive collections of San rock art and one of the top 10 in South Africa. This tour will leave you amazed and in awe of the ancient, unique, and stunning paintings encrypted on sandstone thousands of years ago. Our guide will help you understand and learn about the San people, their belief system surrounding these rare and unique works of art, their culture, and their ways of life.

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Credit: Mapesu Private Game Reserve

Credit: Mapesu Private Game Reserve

Credit: Mapesu Private Game Reserve

Credit: Mapesu Private Game Reserve

Grab your binoculars and join us for a guided tour to see some of the most remarkable bird life Limpopo has to offer! This tour is completely tailored to your wishes. Depending on what you would like to see, we have various locations and different habitats to look for that one feathered friend you would like to target. Our birding excursions are possible at the following locations; Mapungubwe National Park (both the Western and Eastern sections), Mapesu Private Game Reserve, Scroda Dam, and San Maria Wetlands. Mapungubwe National Park has 383 recorded Bird species and over 433 in our region, including the elusive Pel’s fishing owl and the visiting broad-billed rollers.

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Grey heron Credit: Stefaan Bouwer The grey heron is a long-legged wading bird of the heron family, Ardeidae, native throughout temperate Europe and Asia, and also parts of Africa. It is resident in much of its range, but some populations from the more northern parts migrate southwards in autumn.

Ceimson-breasted shrike Credit: Federico De Lellis The crimson-breasted shrike or the crimson-breasted gonolek, or the crimson-breasted boubou, is a southern African bird. It has black upper parts with a white flash on the wing, and bright scarlet underparts. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated it as a "least-concern species".

Woodland kingfisher Credit: Stefaan Bouwer The woodland kingfisher is a tree kingfisher that is widely distributed in Africa south of the Sahara.

Lilac-breasted roller Credit: Federico De Lellis The lilac-breasted roller is an African bird of the roller family, Coraciidae. It is widely distributed in Southern and Eastern Africa, and is a vagrant to the southern Arabian Peninsula. It prefers open woodland and savanna, and it is for the most part absent from treeless places.

Crestec barbet Credit: Federico De Lellis The crested barbet is a sub-Saharan bird in the Lybiidae family. Its specific name commemorates François Levaillant, a famed French naturalist.

Knob-billed Ducks Credit: Rowan Poortier The knob-billed duck or African comb duck is a type of duck found along the tropical/sub-tropical wetlands and waterways of Sub-Saharan Africa and the island of Madagascar, as well as most of South Asia and mainland Indochina. Most taxonomic authorities classify the knob-billed duck and the comb duck separately.

Woodland kingfisher Credit: Stefaan Bouwer The woodland kingfisher is a tree kingfisher that is widely distributed in Africa south of the Sahara.

Kori bustard Credit: Stefaan Bouwer The kori bustard is the largest flying bird native to Africa. It is a member of the bustard family, which all belong to the order Otidiformes and are restricted in distribution to the Old World. It is one of the four species in the large-bodied genus Ardeotis.

Squacco heron Credit: Stefaan Bouwer The squacco heron is a small heron, 44–47 cm long, of which the body is 20–23 cm, with 80–92 cm wingspan. It is of Old World origins, breeding in southern Europe and the Greater Middle East.

Grey-headed bushshrike Credit: Stefaan Bouwer The grey-headed bushshrike, colloquially known as the ghostbird, is a species of passerine bird in the family Malaconotidae. It is widespread throughout sub-Saharan Africa, although relatively absent in Central Africa and the interior of southern Africa.

Grey heron Credit: Stefaan Bouwer The grey heron is a long-legged wading bird of the heron family, Ardeidae, native throughout temperate Europe and Asia, and also parts of Africa. It is resident in much of its range, but some populations from the more northern parts migrate southwards in autumn.

Join us on a drive in the comfort of a game viewer in South Africa’s youngest and most northern national park. Covering roughly 28,000 ha the park plays an essential role in conserving the stunning and unique Limpopo Valley’s ecology.

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Confluence look out point Credit: Mapesu Private Game Reserve

Warthog Credit: Mapesu Private Game Reserve

Road to Mapungubwe Credit: Mapesu Private Game Reserve

Mapungubwe Credit: Mapesu Private Game Reserve

Sun downers at the Confluence point Credit: Byron Grobler

Giraffe Credit: Mapesu Private Game Reserve

Schroda Dam look out point Credit: Mapesu Private Game Reserve

Snack box & drinks Credit: Byron Grobler

Baobab tree Credit: Mapesu Private Game Reserve

You will join us in the western section of Mapungubwe National park for this game drive. Here we have the opportunity to spend some quality time at Maloutswa hide overlooking the waterhole and the animal activities surrounding it. The hide offers a great way to experience wildlife - big and small without interrupting their daily activities and natural behaviour.

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Elephants Credit: Federico De Ellis

Giraffes Credit: Federico De Ellis

Warthog Credit: Federico De Ellis

Zebras Credit: Federico De Ellis

Baobab tree Credit: Federico De Ellis

Elephant Credit: Federico De Ellis

Steenbok Credit: Federico De Ellis

Mongoose Credit: Federico De Ellis

Elephants Credit: Camilla Sala

Walk the steps to the summit of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Mapungubwe Hill, the location of

the first South African Bantu Kingdom. Guides will regale you with tales of gold artefacts and ancient

civilizations. After touring the Heritage site, you’ll visit the award-winning Mapungubwe Museum and view history and the treasures on display.

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Credit: Mapesu Private Game Reserve

Credit: Mapesu Private Game Reserve

Credit: Mapesu Private Game Reserve

Credit: Mapesu Private Game Reserve

Credit: Mapesu Private Game Reserve