Soutpansberg

The Soutpansberg runs about 130 kilometres east to west across northern Limpopo, and its shape does something unusual: it stands across the path of moist air from the east, so the southern slopes are wet and forested while the northern side falls away into hot dry bushveld within a few kilometres. That gradient packs an extraordinary range of habitats into a narrow band, and the range is regularly cited as having the highest tree species diversity in South Africa, along with high numbers of reptiles and a leopard population studied here for years. The name comes from a salt pan at the western end. Rock art, both San and later Venda, survives in shelters through the range. Much of the mountain is private farm and lodge land, so access is either on the passes or through properties, and roads onto the slopes are steep gravel.

What you actually see

• The wet-dry gradient - forested southern slopes and hot bushveld a few kilometres north.
• The tree diversity - the highest species count per area in the country.
• The leopard research - a population studied on the mountain over many years.
• The rock art - San and Venda painted shelters through the range.

When to go

April to September. Two days. Summer is hot on the northern side and wet on the southern.

Honest expectations

Most of the range is private land - access is through lodges or on public passes, not free wandering. Gravel side roads are steep and rough. Mist sits on the southern slopes for days. Malaria risk exists in the low ground to the north.

Nearby

Lake Fundudzi and Thathe Vondo are east; Musina and the Limpopo are north.