Pretoria - South Africa’s Natural Heritage and one of the world’s most popular national parks, the Kruger National Park (KNP) offers guests a self-drive wilderness experience.
Convenient to enter through one of the 10 gates, guests can drive themselves around looking for game, and also stay overnight in one of the Park's rest camps.
Sighting the “big five” has become a quest for many people when they are in the KNP. The Park has more than its fair share of these animals which are considered the highlight of nature’s creatures and the most important animals to spot.
There are, however other fascinating attractions in the African bush such as the cultural and historical landscapes which also play an important part in nature’s circle of life.
The sites are scattered over various locations in the park and are worth including in your itinerary during your visit. Many of these sites hold cultural and spiritual importance, while others reveal a moving history of the area.
Popular sites include the Thulamela, which dates back to the late Iron Age and is situated in the far northern part of the Park. This site forms part of what is called the Zimbabwe culture which is believed to have started at a confluence of the Shashe and Limpopo Rivers in Mapungubwe.
Wealth from the East Coast trade, along with an increase in population, slowly gave rise to an elite ruling class and the notion of sacred leadership.
This is evident in the archaeological record when a leader lives in a stone-walled palace on top of a hill, and the commoners down below.
The Masorini site, also a unique Iron Age site which is found on a prominent hillside just 12km from the Phalaborwa gate on the tar road to Letaba rest camp (39km from Letaba on the Phalaborwa road) is a must-see. The site was inhabited by the Sotho-speaking BaPhalaborwa during the 1800s, who developed an advanced and sophisticated industry of mining, smelting iron ore and trading in these iron products.
The Albasini ruins, which have the remains of the 19th century trading post of the famous Portuguese trader, Joao Albasini, can be found at the Phabeni Gate, 10km from Hazyview.
Through archaeological and ethnographic investigations, the Masorini site has been reconstructed as truthfully as possible. There is a site museum and picnic area at the foot of the hill and guided tours to the top where the reconstructed huts and furnace can be seen.
Pretoria News