Venetia Limpopo Nature Reserve

About Venetia Limpopo Nature Reserve

In what can only be described as the far northern reaches of South Africa lies the 36 000 hectare Venetia Limpopo Nature Reserve in the Limpopo Valley.

Did you know? The Venetia reserve, which is owned by De Beers, is where you can see lion, leopard and cheetah, elephant, giraffe, rhino and a range of antelope. It is also regarded as one of the best places to see African wild dog.

The reserve is called a 'piece of old Africa', not least because of the presence of Baobabs and rather impressive sandstone cliffs, but also because it lies adjacent to the Mapungubwe National Park, which includes Mapungubwe World Heritage Site and Cultural Landscape.

The Venetia Limpopo Wild Dog Project set up a small population of wild dogs in 2000 that after having a series of pups was released into the wild fitted with radio collars. Dog-based ecotourism, in the form of research trips and den site visits, are one of the major attractions of the park.

The wild dog excursions run either early morning or late afternoon, when the dogs are most active. Because temperatures, particularly in summer, can soar late afternoon in this part of the world, the best time is definitely in the mornings.

Bird watching in the Venetia Limpopo Nature Reserve is also a highlight. Accompanied by trained guides, there are potentially over 400 bird species to discover in the area, including Pel's fishing owl, Meyer's parrot, the tropical boubou and Meves starling.

In 2002 De Beers and SANParks signed an agreement to integrate parts of the Venetia Limpopo Nature Reserve into the Vhembe / Dongola National Park, now known as Mapungubwe National Park. Visit the Treetop Hide at Mapungubwe or ride the Tshugulu Eco Route in your 4X4.