Magoebaskloof was the first stop on the Blogitects’ Limpopo road trip. Read about our second and third stops.
As I mentioned in my previous post, Thorsten and I (a.k.a. the Blogitects) took a 10-day road trip through Limpopo in the second half of December. I’ve traveled extensively in Limpopo, South Africa’s northernmost province, and each time I’m amazed by how much there is to see and how fabulously beautiful and wild it is.
We drove about 2,000 kilometers on this trip stayed in four places — each one totally different from the others — including in two national parks. This post covers our first stay at a cottage on a farm in Magoebaskloof: a forested, semi-mountainous area about four hours north of Joburg.
I’ve spent a lot of time in Magoebaskloof, which surrounds the town of Haenertsburg, on past trips, and had many ideas for things I wanted to do during this less-than-48-hour visit. We didn’t do any of those things, as it turned out, because it rained the entire time we were there. But neither Thorsten nor I minded this. We were both exhausted after the frenzy of wrapping up the year and we couldn’t have found a better spot to relax and watch the rain.
Less Than 48 Hours in Magoebaskloof
We stayed in a self-catering cottage called “Frida’s View” on the Tupelo Honey Farm. I found the cottage on Airbnb, although you can also book it through the farm’s website.
Frida’s View is South African self-catering accommodation at its best: a comfortable, two-bedroom cottage, totally private, great wifi, with an amazing view and everything a nature-lover could want for R1500 (about $80) per night. We were in heaven. The only potential challenge to staying there is the rugged, dirt road up the mountain, which I wouldn’t attempt in a low-clearance sedan. (Thank you Greylene for getting us to Frida’s View with no problem.)
Tupelo Honey Farm is right in the middle of the Magoebaskloof Pass, off the steep, windy R71, which connects South Africa’s high-altitude highveld to its low-altitude lowveld. So the area has a unique climate, with surprisingly cool temperatures and a lush, afro-montane forest populated by towering indigenous trees and delicate mosses and ferns. The area is also known for its thick mist in the early mornings and when it rains.
I would have been happy to spend our whole stay inside Frida’s View, sipping coffee and moving between the bed, the couch, and the porch. But when the rain slowed down briefly on our second day, we took the opportunity to go for a hike around the farm.
It’s possible to hike for several kilometers on the trails around the farm, with some good hill climbing and tramping along the river. We navigated using a laminated map we found in the cottage, and we only got lost once. (The map isn’t super detailed.) But we loved it.
We had to leave Frida’s View far too soon, alas. I almost wouldn’t have minded spending our entire 10-day holiday there. But we had lots of exciting Limpopo travels ahead of us.
Stay tuned for the next installment in a few days.
Definitive bucket list!
Oh yes. You must get there post-haste!
The art works always add beauty to your journey. I like the sketches and its profound message. Keep on travelling and be safe.
Thanks!
The tree you asked about looks like a Banana tree. Looks like the perfect place to rewind.
We also thought they looked like banana trees, except they were sooooo huge and also didn’t have bananas 🤷🏻♂️
Thank you for visiting us here in South Africa! Please come again, there is a lot more to see and to experiece!
Haha, I’ve been living here for 13 years!
That does look lush and lovely. But no window screens–were there many bugs?
What an enchanting place! That’s a spectacular part of our country, so much natural beauty, history, fascinating cultural traditions, arts & crafts. I look forward to the next installment. It’s a good reminder of holidays in Limpopo.
Thanks Thea!
Whenever you want to know a plant, you can use Google Lens to take a photo and it will do a search for you. It looks like a type of palm or fern, so cool! I love all the green. Must have been heavenly.
Oh thanks, I didn’t know about that! Will definitely try.
It looks dreamy! I love that area and haven’t been back in way too long. Thank you for the inspo!
You’re very welcome. There aren’t many places that I enjoy traveling to again and again but this is definitely one of them.