Offroad adventure in Limpopo Province

If I were to choose a song that best describes me, it would be “Don’t Fence Me In” by Roy Rogers.

“Oh, give me land, lots of land under starry skies above | Don’t fence me in | Let me ride through the wide-open country that I love | But don’t fence me in”.

I’ve been in the 4×4 guiding industry for a quarter of a century, and until recently all my adventures have been on the far side of our border. The Namib Desert, the Kunene River Mouth, Botswana, Zambia, the origin of the Zambezi, and the mountains of Lesotho. But things changed with the arrival of COVID-19.

What a disaster! Running tours to neighbouring countries was my primary source of income, and there was no way of knowing how long the borders would be closed.

I was forced to look for alternatives in South Africa. And although I’ve travelled extensively in other countries, I had to admit to my shame, that there were places in my own country I hadn’t seen or visited. We have one of the most beautiful countries in the world, so this turned out to be the perfect opportunity to start exploring SA.

The Limpopo Province offers many options, but I needed something close to Johannesburg that was interesting, fun, and offered something of a skills challenge.

I found it in the form of the Mountain and Two Rivers trip, so if you’re looking for a local adventure that’s not far from Gauteng and is as varied as it is scenic, I can highly recommend the following.

Orrie Baragwaneth Mountain Pass

There’s no better way to kickstart this adventure than the Orrie Baragwanath Mountain Pass. Situated to the south of the town of Polokwane, Orrie Baragwanath runs between Lebowakgomo and the tiny village of Ofcolaco, with the first part of the route part of the road numbered as the R37.

The pass features a steep ascent which lumbers up the eastern slopes of the northern Drakensberg Mountains, crests at around 1 370 m, and then makes an abrupt descent towards Lebowakgomo.

Most of the pass is situated in the Lekgalameetse Provincial Park, which boasts a fair number of zebra and blue wildebeest; however, it’s not uncommon to see the locals taking a gap and grazing their cattle here too.

The Fairy Forest

While driving the Orrie Baragwanath Mountain Pass you can visit the so-called Fairy Forest, a spot traditionally used by the locals to host their church gatherings. It’s truly a remarkable place and makes for a great lunch stop. On the descent, be sure to stop at the beautiful Lekgalametse waterfall before exiting the park and making your way toward Leydsdorp.

Leydsdorp

This former goldrush town is situated near Gravelot and is steeped in history. A visit to the local hotel is an absolute MUST! Rumoured to be haunted, it’s an old-style hotel with a quaint little bar and a cellar below. The cool cellar is rumoured to have been used as a morgue, so it’s no surprise that there’s a ghost story or two.

The town developed from a gold mining camp and was proclaimed in 1890 but was abandoned almost overnight after the discovery of gold on the Witwatersrand. It was named after Willem Johannes Leyds, the State Secretary from 1888 – 1897.

Paul Kruger owned a house in the town and used to hunt lions in the area. The local hotel manager arranges and guides tours to some of the historic spots, including old mineshafts. It’s a truly beautiful part of our country, with plenty of fruit farms around.

In terms of accommodation, you have two options, the hotel itself, or camping on a game farm some 10 km from the town. Both can be arranged through the hotel.

From the hotel, I suggest you make your way to the Molototsi River where our tour group generally wild camps in the dry riverbed. On the way there, we often stop at an impressive Baobab tree. Rumoured to be more than a thousand years old, the local guide will indulge you with the most fascinating stories about this ancient character.

Molototsi River Camping

The Molototsi River is one of South Africa’s non-perennial rivers. It receives its water from the Drakensberg and then flows down to meet up with the Great Letaba River near Kruger National Park.

It is one of the sandy rivers in Limpopo but due to illegal sand mining its character has been massively altered and today offers great opportunities for rock crawling; from moderate to severe, the choices are endless. The big attraction on the drive is the challenging river sand, which will test your sand-driving skills to the limit! You wild camp in the riverbed and the whole experience is memorable!

Little Letaba River

After exiting the Molototsi through the Great Letaba River, head north and drive a tweespoor that tracks the old Kruger National Park fence. The park’s current boundary is the Little Letaba River – which we enter once the fence cuts across the river itself. It’s also at this point that the fence takes the form of a massive nylon net suspended by a giant cable. It makes a perfect backdrop for a group photo.

The drive in the Little Letaba is exhilarating as the sand offers plenty of spots to play around and sharpen one’s sand-driving skills.

Final Night near Giyani

Typically, we spend our last night wild camping near the town of Giyani. I’m keeping my favourite camp spot a secret, but you shouldn’t have trouble finding a suitable place. Although we’ve never had any issues with crime or safety, it’s still South Africa, so be vigilant and lock away valuables as well as your canopy and vehicle.

Conclusion

The Mountain and Two Rivers trip is one of my favourites because it offers so much in such a relatively short space of time.

Like most off-road tours, you can certainly drive and plan the trip yourself. However, if you’d like to spend less time worrying about logistics (where to go, what to do and who to speak to) and more time enjoying the sites of this spectacular region, join us on our next tour and we’ll take care of the details.