moholoholotourism

MOHLOHOLO TOURISM

Moholoholo meaning the great great battle, was fought in 1864 between Mapulana and Swati tribe around the Drakensburg mountain, and now known as mariepskop named after the Mapulana Chief , Maripe Mashile, who assisted and led mapulana tribe to victory. The river, where the final attack took place and where the swazi was annihilated, they named Motlasedi. Today the river is known from Mariepskop to Klaserie Dam as Klaserie, which is an Afrikaans distortion of the word Motlasedi. The mountain where the swazi camped was named Swatini, which means “the place of Swazis”. The resort at the foot of this hill is incorrectly named Swadini.

Moholoholo is a region of superlatives and we are lucky enough to call it our home. Let us share our secrets with you. Let us show you our magnificent landscapes and our huge array of exciting creatures and plants. Let us lead you, walking with the elephant and soaring like the eagle. Let us drive the high passes together and step through the cycads and tree ferns in bird-filled rainforests buzzing with colourful insects and flowers. Let us climb onto the mountaintops and marvel at the view.

Let us show you our world, our Kruger Lowveld world. We will be your guides and yours hosts. We will feed you, entertain you, educate you spoil you. Bring your family. Bring your friends. We’ll do the rest. Come!

Moholoholo is home to Mariepskop and Salique, Blyde river Canyon,Moholoholo Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre, Khamai Reptile Park, Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre . But most importantly moholoholo region presents to you a gateway to the world renowned Kruger National Park. You can access the Kruger National Park through the klaserie Orpen gate.

Moholoholo Tourism was established to make sure that our tourism attractions are visited by both locals,domestic and interantional tourists. Moholoholo Tourism focus on making bushbuckridge,acornhoek,klaserie and hoedspruit a tourist desired destination.Given Moholoholo region people’s cultural diversity this means that you the tourist will be blessed with different cultural activities such as cultural dances which are conducted mostly on Sundays include amongst others, muchongolo and dinaka.

BEST PLACES TO VISIT IN MOHOLOHOLO AREA

Mariepskop

Enjoying a day with the family at the Blyde River picnic spot at Mariepskop /salique

Others will tell you it’s the unique, strikingly beautiful landscape – dry bushveld and sandy riverbeds mesh with lush forests found in the nearby Blyde River Canyon and hills leading up to the peaks of the Drakensberg. There’s magic in those mountains. Sip on a cold beer and watch while they turn deeper shades of purple as the sun dips behind them, and you’ll see what I mean. The river is great for tubing, and you can launch yourself into the refreshing water with a rope swing.

In the evenings, if you’re not braaing under the stars, there is a great restaurant in Moholoholo Lodge.

Mariepskop – the highest peak of the Drakensberg escarpment.You can see the Indian Ocean and Maputo on a clear day from the top of Mariepskop, 1 945m above sea level.Be sure to visit klaserie water fall whilst you are in mariepskop

Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve.

Over 300 bird species have been identified here, making it an ideal spot for birding enthusiasts. If the weather allows, take a boat cruise on the river, or make your way to the beautiful waterfall hidden at the end of a short forest trail. Monkeys often watch your progress along the leafy path with cheeky curiosity.

No matter what you get up to, or how long you intend to stay, be warned – once Moholoholo area gets under your skin, it’s there to stay.

Tufa waterfalls

At 200 metres (660 ft), the Kadishi Tufa waterfall is the second tallest tufa waterfall on earth. A tufa waterfall is formed when water running over dolomite rock absorbs calcium, and deposits rock formations more rapidly than they erode the surrounding rock. In the case of the Kadishi Tufa fall, the formation that has been produced strikingly resembles a face which is crying profusely, and is thus sometimes known as 'the weeping face of nature'.

Three Rondavels

Both geological wonders are on the Panorama Route, a highly popular tourist drive to follow when exploring the province, and, depending on which way you choose to drive along the 16 kilometres of the Blyde River Canyon, the Three Rondavels either starts or ends your journey. Exactly as they sound, the Three Rondavels are three round mountain tops with slightly pointed tops, very similar to the traditional round or oval African homesteads made with local materials called rondavels. They are sometimes also called the Three Sisters (although this confuses them with a similar threesome visible from the N1 in the Free State lower down in the country). Once known as The chief and his three wives – the flat-topped peak represented Mapjaneng, famous for opposing invading Swazis in a memorable battle is on the right, whilst the rondavels are three of his more troublesome wives – Magabolle, Mogoladikwe and Maseroto. The view point is spectacular. From here one looks over the canyon to the Three Rondavels on the other side of the northern edges of the Drakensberg range of mountains. An outlook that is overwhelmingly beautiful and deserves more than a moment's respite. The beautiful to look at formations are explained geographically as the slow erosion of underlying soft stone, leaving the exposed quartzite and shale rondavels at which we marvel. Whatever their origin, they are undoubtedly breathtaking. Together with God's Window and Bourkes Luck Potholes, the Three Rondavels are a highlight of any trip along the third largest canyon in the world.

Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre

The Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre focuses on the conservation of rare, vulnerable or endangered animals. Cheetah Conservation is one of their core disciplines. The Centre is actively involved in:

The breeding of endangered, vulnerable or rare animal species
The release and establishment of captive-bred cheetahs to the wild
The treatment and rehabilitation of orphaned or injured animals which are brought to the Centre
The education of learners, students and the general public in conservation and conservation activities
Eco-tourism
A hands-on Student's Programme to conservation and adventure enthusiasts from around the world.

Moholoholo Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre

A home for many of South Africa’s abandoned, injured and poisoned wildlife and a highly regarded contributor to wildlife education in our country. Situated in the shadow of the majestic “Mariepskop” the unique Rehabilitation Centre is home to many animals and birds. Some of them are the rescued Lions from an Egyptian Circus; Queen the Crowned Eagle, Chui the Leopard, Jolly & Juba the Cheetah ambassadors and many more. The Centre has a long standing and successful Serval Breeding Project which is a success story all of its own. Having bred and released over 160 back into areas where they have previously become extinct.We have received reports that some of the females have since mated with wild males in the area of release! Another first for Moholoholo, we are the only facility in South Africa to have successfully bred the endangered Crown Eagle.

This tour is designed to allow for an unforgettable hands on experience with a number of animals at the park. A curator will guide the guests through the facility and give them an intimate hands on experience with live animals. You will be allowed to feed, touch and photograph some of the more interesting reptile. The guide will take reptiles out of the enclosures for you to genuinely interact with the animals in a safe humane manner.

ZAR1000 – 00pp (1 to 2 pax)

ZAR950-00 (3 to 4 pax)

ZAR 850 (5 to 7 Pax)

Includes entrance fees

Times: 08h00 to 17h00

Both centres offer valuable insight into vulnerable animal species, and give a fascinating overview of the conservation efforts playing out in these regions. Get up close with cheetah, wild dog, lion and other rare and endangered species

KHAMAI REPTILE PARK

Formerly known as Swadini Snake Park, Khamai Reptile Park is home to some of South Africa’s deadliest snakes. Experienced guides will show you the scariest beasts - black and green mambas, boomslangs and Mozambique Spitting Cobras. If that isn’t enough to get your pulse racing then check out the Nile crocodiles and water lizards or get up close and personal with scorpions, baboon spiders and puff adders. You can also check out an awesome array of reptiles and amphibians from the rest of the planet. Khamai Reptile Park is owned by Donald Strydom, who has appeared as the ‘house expert’ in a number of BBC, Discovery and Animal Planet channels television features. A well-known black mamba handler, he also worked with the BBC to enable the filming of some unique footage of the Nile Monitor Lizard in its natural habitat. Donald and his team also capture and relocate over 300 ‘problem’ snakes in the region. In addition to that, Khamai Reptile Park have an educational programme for locals about the vital role reptiles play in the ecosystem and to dissuade the ‘kill on sight’ approach to the venomous snakes.

ZAR1000 – 00pp (1 to 2 pax)

ZAR950-00 (3 to 4 pax)

ZAR 850 (5 to 7 Pax)

Includes entrance fees

Times: 08h00 to 17h00

BIG FIVE GAME DRIVE JABULANI CAMP

Camp Jabulani – Kapama. Guests will experience the thrill of riding elephants. This tour lasts for about an hour. Learn how to get onto the back of an elephant. These gracious animals tend to grab a grassy snack along the way. Videos can be made on request.

ZAR2990 – 00pp (1 to 2 pax)

ZAR1590-00 (3 to 4 pax)

ZAR1390 (5 to 7 Pax)

Includes entrance fees

Guests must be there by 06h00am

Jessica the Hippo

Come Feed, touch and Play with Jessica the Hippo. Jessica is a 10 Year old Hippopotamus. Guests will first watch a video about Jessica and her history. We will then move to the raft and feed Jessica her snack of the day. After the snack we will give her two bottles of tea. We will then move on to give her a back rub with our feet and we will sit with Jessica for a while.

ZAR 890 pp (1 to 2 pax)

ZAR800 pp (3 to 4 pax)

ZAR700pp (5 to 7 pax)

Includes entrance fees

Monday to Sat 09h30 - 12h00 & 14h30 to 17h00

Sunday 09h30 to 12h00