Limpopo Province (Formally Northern Province)
Here is a region of vastness and variety, with a culturally rich and diverse people. The NI from Johannesburg literally splits the province in two, providing tourists with easy access to all areas.
The Southern Region is famous for its many hot spring resorts, the Nylsvlei wetland and the un-spoilt mountains and flowing streams of the Waterberg. Wildlife in the game reserves is abundant and the scenery ranges from rolling hills to mighty cliffs of stark red rock. To the east lies the immense wildlife heritage of the Kruger National Park. By contrast, visitors can breathe in the cool evening air amongst the mountains and rivers of the lowveld. This unhurried and timeless region is known as The Valley of the Olifants (Elephants).
In the centre is the vibrant capital city of Pietersburg - the industrial and commercial heart of the Great North. Here gold was first mined and smelted in the 19th century. The very earliest hominid fossils were discovered close by, in the historic caves of the Makapan Valley. Sweeping across from the Northwest - and flowing along the northern border - is the Limpopo River Valley, a vast, natural area with cultures that date back to the Iron Age. Here are hilltop fortifications, and San (Bushmen) paintings and cave dwellings unchanged from the ancient past.
To the west lies the real bushveld, almost endless except for the hazy blue of distant mountains. Amongst the tangle of vegetation grow old baobab trees, their branches looking like roots thus creating a striking silhouette against a fiery sunset. This is a land of legend, ruins and relies. The Venda people are intensely superstitious and place great store in rites and rituals. In the python dance, teenage girls perform a slow, rhythmic dance to the throb of drums. Part of the folklore of the North Sotho people is the legendary Rain Queen, Modjadji, while the Tsonga produce beautiful arts and crafts.
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