Much like South Africa as a whole, Mpumalanga is a melting pot of cultures. From the sea faring Hindus that arrived over 40,000 years ago and built temples, and astronomic observatories on the mountaintops. To the San and Koi- San who’s rock art is found in the caves all over the Mpumalanga, and the colourful geometric arts of the Ndebele cultural villages.
Modern day Mpumalanga has artists routes, township tours, labyrinths, shopping centres, casinos and the magnificent Mbombela Stadium. The provinces rich culture continues to thrive.
The Botshabelo Mission Station and Historical Village
Visit the Botshabelo Mission Station and Historical Village and learn all about Middleburg’s History and Ndebele culture. See Fort Merensky and the Ndebele Village where Ndebele made products such as souvenirs are sold. Look out for the rare Lantus Cycad’s, which bloom beautifully during the summer.
Tel: +27 (0)74 272 1977
Matsamo Cultural Park
The Matsamo Cultural Park is the perfect blend of modern comforts and traditional style and hospitality. Visiting groups are all hosted by a tour guides who entertain guests, and inform them about Swazi culture and the significance of their traditions and customs. The fusion of food, warm, welcoming people, music, and dance makes visiting Matsamo a unique and heart-warming experience.
Tel: + 27 (0) 13 781 0578
Email: info@matsamo.co.za
Kaapsehoop Ghost Tours
Take a step into the realm of the paranormal. The small, misty mountaintop town of Kaapsehoop is renowned for its ghosts, including a child who cries out with a bloodcurdling scream and the ghost of a widow who occupies the veranda of the local pub. It is said that this ghost murdered her husband with an axe.
Tel: +27 (0)82 333-2073
Wild about Whiskey
Dullstroom has the largest collection of whiskey in the Southern Hemisphere. Go on a Whiskey Tasting Tour and learn about “the water of life” from three self-confessed whiskey fanatics. Each tour consists of four tots of whiskey and ranges from R140 upwards.
Tel: +27 82 600 5388
Address: 506 Naledi Drive | Auldstone House, Dullstroom 1110, South Africa
Rock Art
Visit the Nkomazi Game Reserve and see the rock art sites that date back more than 300 years. These ancient pieces of rock art depict the spiritual beliefs and lifestyle of the nomadic San People.
Tel: 041 509 3000
Address: R541, Tjakastad, 1190
Shangaan Village
Visit the Xintu Village and learn about Shangaan culture, food and way of life. The centre of the village is a market at which you can buy arts and crafts and sample traditional meals. The village’s most popular event is the Evening Festival in the Chief’s Kraal.
Tel: + 27 (0) 13 737 5804/5
Cell: + 27 (0) 82 269 2383 (Sharon)
Email:
reservations@shangana.co.za
chief@shangana.co.za
Physical Address: Graskop Road, Hazyview, Mpumalanga (± 4 km from Graskop turn off on right hand side clearly signposted)
Ndebele Village
Groblersdal is a part of the Cultural Heartland and is well known for the multicoloured art of Ndebele culture. You can recognise the Ndebele Tribe by the vibrant symmetrical patterns painted on their homes and their intricate jewellery. The Ndebele Tribe is known for their warm spirit, beautiful beadwork and crafts.
Tel: +27 (0)13 930 7046
Kghodwana Cultural Village
Email: khobongo@mtg.gov.za
Esther Mahlangu
Esther Mahlangu was born in 1935 on a farm outside Middleburg, in what is now the Mpumalanga province. She was the first of nine children: six boys and three girls.
Following traditions passed down from her mother and grandmother, she learned traditional Ndebele wall painting and beadwork as a child. She became an expert in executing murals as a teenager, using a widening range of paint colours that emerged in the 1940s. She married and had three sons, but lost her husband and two of her children. Between 1980 and 1991 she lived and worked at the Botshabelo Historical Village, an open-air museum of Ndebele culture.
To read her full profile, click here.
The Jane Goodall Institute
Visit the Jane Goodall Institute, for a Guided Tour that teaches you all about the chimpanzees that they have rescued. This tour is an hour long and afterwards you can enjoy refreshments at the restaurant. A tantalising fact about chimpanzees: Chimpanzees are mankind’s closest relatives, and it is said that about 98% of human and chimpanzee DNA sequences are the same.
Chimpanzee Eden
Tel: +27 (0) 79 777 1514
Cell: +27 (0) 82 561 3681
Email: margi@janegoodall.co.za
