Mpumalanga The Region
The province of Mpumalanga (if you pronounce it ‘Um-pum-a-langa’ you’ll be close!) is one of South Africa’s most popular destinations and is one of the most scenically rich provinces in the country. Located in the northeastern part of South Africa, it is bordered by Mozambique to the east and the Kingdom of Swaziland to the South and East.

 

Mpumalanga is blessed with waterfalls, gorges, grasslands and lush evergreen forests. There are scenic drives to enjoy stretching across the valleys and peaks of the vast Drakensberg escarpment.The picturesque village of Pilgrim’s Rest is a living museum, the buildings evoking its gold-mining heyday in the 19^th century. The many other attractive towns of the region, such as Sabie, Graskop, Barberton, and Nelspruit, are delightful places to visit, and of course the Kruger National Park is the pride of South Africa’s game parks.

 

 

 

Shangana Cultural Village

A visually spectacular, moving and unforgettable African experience. A must with the camera.

The beautiful village of Shangana is just a 10 minute drive from our villa. Daytime tours take the visitor on a winding path through fields and bush, to a village where a Shangaan family lives. The guide explains their fascinating way of life, and midday tours enable the visitors to share a meal with the family in the village. In the 'Evening Festival' in the flame-lit Chief’s Kraal, the history of the Shangaans is presented by a huge cast of singers and dancers, Dinner is served inside the huts.

 

 

 

 

Pilgrims Rest

A must see is the small town of Pilgrim’s Rest, a perfectly restored town telling the story of colonial settlers and their chase in the Gold Rush.

In a quiet fold of green hills, and a valley with its splashing stream, a prospector lugging his tattered belongings in an old wheelbarrow decided to pan for gold.It was 1873...and soon after panning in the stream he found a 'yellow tail' - a few specks of precious gold in the bottom of his pan. His success was followed by the finding of more gold. Soon the quiet valley was a mass of tents and the sounds of many strange accents and languages were heard.

Pubs were built and the dance-hall girls arrived. The gold rush claimed the rowdy township they called 'Pilgrim's Rest'. 'Wheelbarrow' Patterson would have joined his chums in the bar of the Royal Hotel at the end of a long day's digging. This hotel still stands today and evokes the atmosphere of a bygone era.