About Thabaphaswa

Tel: 082 301 3958
Cellphone/WhatsApp: 082 301 3958
(WhatsApp is preferred as our phones are down during load shedding)
Email

Sheltered by enclosing hills, in a natural basin, lies a wonderful bushveld retreat and overnight stop, Thabaphaswa Mountain Retreat.

“Thabaphaswa”, in the local dialect, means “the mountain of the black and white bull” – a well-known landmark to the inhabitants and tribes in the area. It describes the coloured patterns of the indigenous Nguni cattle. The Thabaphaswa mountain towers over the adjacent hills.

The network of hiking, mountain biking and 4 X 4 trails, offers the ideal opportunity for nature lovers to discover the variety of game, bird and plant life of the area. The beautiful scenery are complemented by the design of the overnight camps which are camouflaged between the big boulders on the farm which blend into the mountain landscape.

Thabaphaswa is a special destination for the true nature lover. Experience the most amazing sunrises when the sun grazes the mountain tops. Gaze at the stars on clear evenings from your bed in our uniquely designed shelters. Enjoy a fresh outdoor hot shower and prepare breakfast under a canopy of trees.

Thabaphaswa is a farm in the Limpopo bushveld that provides the complete adventure experience on a working Nguni cattle stud farm. Thabaphaswa offers hiking, mountain biking, 4×4, rock climbing, abseiling, birding, tree spotting, swimming and fishing as well as farm holidays within 3 hours drive from OR Tambo airport.

There are several special reasons to stay over at Thabaphaswa:

The specially designed Bush Camps are totally different from what you will experience elsewhere. They are so unique that even architects from overseas visit to observe and study them

We also have several campsites that provides for basic needs such as clean, flush toilets and hot water showers but maintains the “in the wild feeling” under shaded trees.

We are located in the fork of the two main national routes the N1 and the N11 – 18 km North of Mokopane in the Limpopo Province. Thabaphaswa is therefor the ideal stopover for tourists to or from the North such as the Kruger Park and Mapungubwe, as well as countries such as Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe. We are 2 hours drive from the Martinsdrift/Groblersbrug border gate with Botswane and 2h30 drive from Beitbridge.

Thabaphaswa means “the black and white mountain”. It got its name from the local people when they saw that the rock face of the mountain appeared black and white stained, or spotted, when the sun shone on it at a certain time of day. The Nguni is an indigenous African cattle breed with an unique spotted or stained hide. Our farm offers a true African bush experience with little of the amenities found in the city. You don’t have to suffer the brightness of electric lights – the farm has no electricity. Our overnight camps are camouflaged between the big boulders on the farm and blend into the mountain landscape.

You will not be bothered by ringing mobile phones – mobile reception is only available in non-defined spots, so you have to walk around to find a signal. But not to worry, walking is good for your heart as you will find from our hiking trails!

At Thabaphaswa we are proud of our:

• unique bush camps,
• 4×4 routes,
• shaded campsites in the wild,
• The Pumphouse, a self-contained cottage for honeymoon or romantic couples,
• hiking trails,
• mountain biking trails,
• 168 species of birds for keen birders,
• 105 tree species for amateur and professional dendrologists,
• swimming in a farm dam,
• kids fishing,
• foefiesliding (cable sliding into the farm dam),
• mountain hut with a loo with a view.
• some people visit our Bats!

We hope you enjoy your visit to our website and we thank Nico Prinsloo for the design, Markus Wörsdörfer for most of the photos and our niece, Adri Knoetze, for photos, and her leadership in making Thabaphaswa wheelchair-friendly.

If nature is important to you, you will truly enjoy our eco-tourism destination. Our design and building techniques were implemented in such a manner to have as little impact as possible on nature.

Please note that we do not have electricity in any of our accommodation. The farmhouse has solar power for emergency use such as charging mobile devices.