Limpopo

Stunningly stark, arid, rocky landscapes reverberate with cultural intrigue and wandering wildlife at Mapungubwe National Park. A Unesco World Heritage Site, Mapungubwe contains South Africa’s most significant Iron Age site. The birdwatching here is excellent, as is the wildlife, which includes lions, leopards and elephants. But the park is as much about history as wildlife – archaeological finds from the 1930s are on display at the excellent Interpretative Centre and the site itself can be visited on a tour.

With perhaps the most enigmatic ambience of the Soutpansberg region, this is the traditional homeland of the Venda people, who moved to the area in the early 18th century. Even a short diversion from the freeway takes you through an Africa of mist-clad hilltops, dusty streets and mud huts. A land where myth and legend continue to play a major role in everyday life, Venda is peppered with lakes and forests that are of great spiritual significance, and its distinctive artwork is famous nationwide. It's a somewhat forgotten corner of the country and utterly unlike anywhere else in the region. More than that, if your South African journey is lacking a slice of traditional Africa with an emphasis on culture rather than wildlife, this could be your place.

We're yet to hear a bad word about this place in the Welgevonden Game Reserve, northeast of Marakele National Park but part of the same prolific ecosystem when it comes to wildlife. The five suites in earth tones and with plenty of thatch and glass are elegant and spacious and come with private plunge pools. Excellent guides round out a fabulous package.

This mountainous national park is at the southwest end of the Waterberg biosphere. The animals grazing beneath the red cliffs include the Big Five, as well as giraffes, zebras and cheetahs, but the landscape itself demands attention. A great place to eyeball it is the vulture-viewing point (be warned: the road up is precipitous), where you can also see one of the world’s largest colonies of the endangered Cape vulture (800-plus breeding pairs).

A small mountain hideaway with a great pub and a couple of upmarket restaurants, Haenertsburg is well worth a stop to breathe in the fresh, crisp mountain air. When the mist rolls in over the surrounding pine plantations, it’s easy to imagine yourself far away from Africa – in the Pacific Northwest or the Scottish Highlands, perhaps. It makes an excellent alternative base to Tzaneen. In short, it's one of the loveliest small towns in Limpopo.

The sizeable rooms here are as dreamy as the gardens and mountains they overlook, with fireplaces, antiquated prints everywhere, and bathrooms you could get lost in. Picnic hampers can be provided; four-course dinners are R350 per person.

Limpopo's largest city and provincial capital, Polokwane (formerly Pietersburg) has long been a center of Afrikaans culture. Spend any time in the north and you're likely to pass through here.

Magoebaskloof is the escarpment on the edge of the highveld, and the road from here careers down to Tzaneen and the lowveld, winding through plantations and tracts of thick indigenous forest.

There are a number of waterfalls in the area, including the glorious Debengeni Falls.

Of the 10 walking trails in the area, lasting between two and five days, a recommended option is the three-night, 60km Dokolewa Waterfall Trail. There are six huts, including some above Debengeni Falls – to book them, contact Safcol in Nelspruit.

Lake Fundudzi is a sacred site that emerges spectacularly from forested hills, a turquoise gem on a bed of green velvet. The python god, who holds an important place in the rites of the Venda’s matriarchal culture, is believed to live in the lake and stop it from evaporating in the heat. The water is thought to have healing qualities and ancestor worship takes place on its shores. On the drive to the lake there are panoramic viewpoints and the Thathe-Vondo Forest. A sacred section of the forest is home to primeval tangles of creepers and strangler fig trees. You should approach the lake with proper respect; the traditional salute is to turn your back to it, bend over, and view it from between your legs.