Mabudashango Hiking Trail

About Mabudashango Hiking Trail

Without doubt one of the most beautiful hikes in Limpopo, this hiking trail is four days worth of walking, and is 53 kilometres long. It crosses the eastern half of the Soutpansberg through the sacred forest of the Magoebaskloof, rich in indigenous forest that also contains the burial ground of the Venda chiefs, and is but one of a series of sacred sites that the hike includes. Lake Fundudzi, found in the Mabudashango National Park, is another. It is not visitable by the average tourist to these parts of the Limpopo province.

In fact, Lake Fundudzi is so well protected that the VhaVenda people need to grant permission via the tourism office for people to visit it, and even then it includes a couple of traditional rituals that involve turning your back to the lake and bending down to look at it between your legs. This rather infra dig position is then followed by tearing a couple of hairs from your head and throwing these into the water.

But the Mabudashango hike is another way your can see the lake, without any of the accompanying rituals, and the view across it from the trail is said to be one of the best. The atmosphere of the walk is mystical without visits to sacred sites simply because of the lush forests and accompanying waterfalls, and sightings of marina trogons and Knysna loeries, but the lake and the sacred forest add an authenticity that makes the hike really worthwhile.

If you are interested in doing the hike you will need to contact the tourist information office in Louis Trichardt. The bulk of the hike is through thick vegetation and is sometimes difficult to navigate. Overnight camps are basic but have running water and toilets.