Enjoy wild game-viewing, adventurous safaris and a sense of authentic Africa in this beautiful region of open plains and jagged escarpments.
Enjoy wild game-viewing, adventurous safaris and a sense of authentic Africa in this beautiful region of open plains and jagged escarpments.
The far northern parts of Limpopo is certainly unspoilt Africa at its best with sleepy country towns, ancient civilizations and the proud culture of the Venda people. You can enjoy adventurous safaris, the ruins at Mapungubwe (home to an ancient civilization which rivalled Great Zimbabwe in its time), hiking in the Soutpansberg or cultural visits to the Venda people.
Situated north of Johannesburg is a beautiful upland region of fruit orchards and tea plantations. You can meander along the Magoebaskloof Pass and visit the lovely Debegeni Falls or alternatively brave the Magoebaskloof treetop canopy tour. Head to the curious Cycad forest, home of ‘Modjadji’ the legendary rain queen or visit the indigenous cloud forests which offers a variety of hiking and walking trails.
From Tzaneen you can head east to the northern Kruger or south to the Drakensberg Escarpment or you can use it as a springboard into the Venda region.
The Soutpansberg & Venda region is often an area reserved for second or third time visitors, being more remote. But if you have an adventurous and inquisitive spirit and would like to learn more about African cultures, we recommend it to anyone. Activities include hiking in the Soutpansberg mountains or browsing among the many arts & crafts markets. Take one of the artists’ routes and see local potters, wood carvers, textile weavers and bead makers all in their own villages.
We arrange trips to more than 100+ destinations throughout the African continent.
Kings Walden is still our favourite place to stay in this relatively remote part of South Africa. Tzaneen is one of the most scenic places to stay as a stop-over between the Waterberg, Mashatu or the northern Limpopo area and the game lodges of the Greater Kruger Park.
However with Kings Walden, it may not suit everyone. The gardens reek of romance. And yet there is no denying that they have some maintenance issues to deal with. The new owner/manager Bridget as taken back ownership of her beloved family home, which has been operating as a boutique guest lodge under overseas ownership for some years. And she is keen to upgrade the rooms. (For example some areas need a fresh coat of paint. So for now, you get comfortable accommodation in an unarguably romantic setting.
The garden, which they are most famous for, does need some attention. But as it is in the style of a romantic English terrace garden,it is still a magical feature nonetheless.
At the moment they only offer 5 of their 6 rooms. As one of the rooms is being used by Bridget. Room 3 can take a triple and Rooms 5 & 6 are inter-leading. These two rooms overlook the garden and pool, whereas other rooms overlook the lawn and gardena.
They are known for their food. Dinner is a 4 course meal, with options changing on a nightly basis. (So pre-booking for dinner is essential). The dinner was good and very well presented and we especially thought their breakfast was very good as well.
Bridget is a lovely hostess and usually shares a bit of the property/family history with guests. Dining areas are swopped around, so depending on the weather, outside dining now offers a much better view, overlooking the iconic lightning tree. The table setting at dinner added a great ambience to our meal.
The rooms dont have air-conditioning, but this hilly area above Tzaneen is remarkably cooler, because of the elevation, than the heat that we felt in town. The ceiling fan was sufficient even in December (summer).
Conclusion - If you only want ultra-modern and all mod-cons then Kings Walden may not be for you. However if you like a little bit of romance and history and can trade this for a fresh paint of coat, then we recommend Kings Walden!
Africa Travel Specialist
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