Limpopo Car Hire
Car Rental Services offers you low cost car hire in Limpopo with car rental branches conveniently located all over Limpopo. Our car hirerates are inclusive of all insurances and taxes and may also include unlimited mileage and a zero excess. We rent cars from Limpopo top car rental companies, offering you a wide choice of vehicles ranging from economy to luxury rent a cars. Car Rental Services will find you the best deal for car rental in Limpopo!
Contact us to start the easy reservation process to book car hire in Johannesburg. Low cost and best value car hire in Limpopo is what we would like to offer you. We can arrange car hire with Europcar car hire, National rent-a-car, Avis, Alamo car hire, Hertz car rental, Budget car hire and other well known car rental companies.
We have South Africa covered for you. With hundreds of city and airport car hire locations we can offer you access to one of the largest branch network, including car rental in Johannesburg, car hire in Cape Town and Durban car hire.
Click below to start the easy reservation process to book your car rental in Limpopo
Satellite Navigation and Smart Tour Guide
Satellite navigation includes our unique Smart Guide, a must for all Limpopo self drive travelers. Enjoy a guided tour including useful information about South African history, fauna and flora, food, local entertainment, what’s hip, hot and happening in the vicinity as you drive past. A daily service fee applies.
Limpopo Car Rental - Location Information
CAR HIRE POLOKWANE PIETERSBURG AIRPORT
Polokwane International Airport, N1 North Makhado Highway, Polokwane
Station Code: PITA
Tel: 015 288 0097/0308
Fax: 015 288 0064
Mon - Fri: 07:00 - 18:00
Sat - Sun: Closed
Public Holidays: Meet Reservations
PHALABORWA AIRPORT CAR RENTAL
Kruger Park Gateway Airport, President Steyn Street, Phalaborwa
Sation Code: PHAA
Tel: 015 781 0376
Fax: 015) 781-3457
Mon - Fri:08:00 - 17:30
Sat - Sun: Closed
Public Holidays: Meet Reservations
Polokwane / Pietersburg
The Voortrekkers under the leadership of Andries Potgieter founded the town (Pietersburg) on the farm Sterkloop in 1884 providing 150 erven covering 2 200 morgen. Pietersburg has enjoyed a long history of prosperity and has grown rapidly given its proximity to Gauteng and the rich agricultural district surrounding it.
The town of Pietersburg / Polokwane earned city status on 23 April 1992 and is now the major centre and capital city of the province, indeed for the country's entire area north of Gauteng.
The city of Pietersburg / Polowane holds an enviable position. Its proximity as a major centre near the neighbouring countries of Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Swaziland make it a strategically located, fully equipped destination, and it is within convenient distance from the Kruger National Park and Magoesbaskloof.
Pietersburg / Polokwane boasts excellent accommodation, fine weather and a busy, friendly population, making it the ideal business or getaway destination in the geographic and economic heart of the Limpopo Province.
Musina / Messina
The History of Musina / Messina
In pre-historic times, in the search for iron, miners discovered generous copper reserves in the area. The combination of iron and copper resulted in a softer metal, and considering this an inferior mineral, they named it Musina / Messina, or the ‘the spoiler’. The tribe then became known as the “Musina” tribe. Centuries later the town has retained its original name, and has gone on to become not only an important part of the mineral and diamond mining industry in South Africa but also forms part of the Golden Horseshoe of tourism in the Northern Province; being the heart of truly exciting Bushveld, hunting, excellent game farming, eco-tourism and outdoor adventure.
Musina / Messina is the most Northern town in South Africa, situated 15 kilometers from Beit Bridge, on the Boundary of South Africa and Zimbabwe. This bushveld region offers endless opportunities to any traveller seeking adventure. A community of many diverse cultures, Musina / Messina has an illustrious history, the area is steeped in a legacy of tradition and shrouded in mystery, offering endless opportunities to gain insight into a lost era.
Musina / Messina was founded in 1904 as a copper mining town. By 1915, because of the threat of Malaria, it was felt that some form of local government should be instituted with the result that a Health Committee was established. During this mining period, the mine compounds at Harper, Campbell and Skoonplaas were developed to provide housing for the mine labourers.
Nancefield was established in about 1950, state owned houses were built, services such as water were supplied and the sport stadium was built. Nancefield became a Local Authority Committee, administered by the former Transvaal Provincial Administration in 1978.
Since 1905 water was obtained from the Sand River by way of a 6“ pipeline and wells in the town. By 1926 these supplies became inadequate. A pipeline to the Limpopo River was constructed and from 1926 the Limpopo provided the town’s water supply. Traces of the original pipeline from the Sandriver, as well as the gorge, and the pipeline from the Limpopo River are still visible as well as the Pump Station which were established in 1926.
The border post Beit Bridge was opened in 1929 and it was no longer necessary to cross the river at Main-, Pont- or Rhodes Drift. Musina / Messina is now the main port of entry into the Republic through the international border at Beit Bridge.
Up to 1963 the Magistrate of Louis Trichardt held periodical court at Musina / Messina each Friday. An independent magistracy was established 1 October 1963.
By 1954 the old Grenfell Camp had grown into a thriving town with a population of 10 000 and it was decided that a portion of the farm Messina 815 should be transferred to the Musina / Messina Health Committee for the establishment of a township. Within three years three townships were proclaimed. A modern hotel, garages and trading store were erected in addition to many dwelling houses. The school hostel was opened in 1956 and the primary school in 1960.
The Health Committee of Musina / Messina became a Town Council on 1 December 1968 and amalgamated with Nancefield in 1995. After the elections in 2000 the municipality was officially proclaimed as the “Musina Municipality”.
PHALABORWA - UNSPOILED AFRICA
Called ‘the town of two summers’ because it never gets really cold in this subtropical town of mild winters and warm summers, Phalaborwa is the perfect year-round holiday destination. It is the home of the famous African marula tree and Amarula Cream Liqueur.
Tourism and wildlife play a dominant role in the life of this town. Surrounded by game farms and lodges, game sanctuaries and nature reserves, tourists are never more than half an hour’s drive away from unforgettable destinations and memories.
Phalaborwa and its surrounding area is a tourists paradise with unspoiled wide open spaces dotted with Mopani, Marula and Leadwood trees and a great variety of wildlife and birds.
Phalaborwa is situated in the picturesque north eastern lowveld. The name "Phalaborwa" is a Sotho word which means "better than the south" and according to tradition originated thus.
An ancient black tribe known as the baPhalaborwa was driven out of their traditional homeland in what is presently Zimbabwe and settled in what is now Bushbuckridge. They had few cattle and were mainly metal workers. With the iron and other metals the tribe excavated and smelted they made assegai heads, axes, hoes, spears, etc. which they traded with neighbouring tribes in order to obtain provisions.
Scouts of the baPhalaborwa trekked northwards and on Loolekop, just outside the present Phalaborwa, discovered enough iron ore to provide for all their need. Consequently the tribe settled in the place where Phalaborwa today stands and called it Phalaborwa because it was better than the south whence they had come.
Today two koppies in Phalaborwa namely Sealene and Kgpolwe have been declared National monuments and reveal the earliest visible traces of primitive settlements.
Phalaborwa was established in 1958 after the discovery of huge mineral depots and today supports a thriving mining industry supplying vital minerals to the country. The town boasts one of the world’s largest open-cast mines which has become a unique tourist attraction. What makes the mine particularly interesting is that what is now a big hole, was once a notable saddlebacked hill called Loolekop.
Through the preservearance and far-sightedness of men such as Dr. Hans Merensky, Foskor today excavates and produces the cheapest phosphate concentrate in the world, while Palabora Mining Company today supplies all the copper needs of South Africa from the second biggest open cast mine in the world.
Phalaborwa borders on the western boundary of the Kruger National Park and the Phalaborwa Gate is open for tourists the whole year round. Overseas tourists especially, make use of daily or weekly tours to the park in hired cars or buses.
Limpopo Province
Known as the ‘Great North’, Limpopo province is home to ancient lands and pre-historic secrets. This is home to Modjadji, the fabled Rain Queen; The Stone Age and Iron age relics of Makapansgat Valley and the treasures of Mapungubwe. Straddling the northern Kruger Park, Limpopo province boasts wildlife safaris, nature trails – untamed Africa at its finest. This is the land of wide-open bushveld, big-sky country, the ever-present thorn tree and the mystical baobab tree.
Overview
South Africa’s northernmost province, Limpopo borders onto Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Botswana thus making it the ideal gateway to Africa. The Limpopo province celebrates a rich cultural heritage and at many archaeological sites the mysteries of the past and ancient peoples are still being unearthed. Historians reveal that the first black Africans moved across the Limpopo (into what became known as South Africa) before 300 AD.
Climate
Limpopo is renowned for its hot, yet pleasant summers and dry winters. The weather is characterised by almost year-round sunshine. It can get very hot in summer (October – March), with temperatures rising to 27ºC (80,6 ºF) and, sometimes, even touching the mid-30s Celsius (mid-90s Fahrenheit).
Biodiversity
South of Limpopo are the Soutpansberg mountains, South Africa’s northernmost mountain range and one of the most diverse habitats in the country. There are 340 indigenous tree species in this region, an abundance of animal life and the world’s highest concentration of leopard. Ancient, gigantic baobabs (‘upside-down trees’) guard vast expanses of mountains, bushveld, indigenous forests and cycads.
Tourism Regions
The Limpopo Province is divided into four regions:
The Capricorn Region
The Capricorn region stretches from the Ysterberg, all along the foothills of the lush Wolkberg, to the tropic of Capricorn in the north.
The Bushveld Region: The Waterberg Mountains stretch along more than 5 000 km2 of spectacular vistas and scenic valleys – the ideal destination for off-the-beaten track tourism. The area is steeped in history and some artefacts found here date back to Stone Age times.
The Soutpansberg Region: across the northwest, and framing the northern border of the province, lies the Soutpansberg area. One of the main geographical features of this region is the Limpopo River, which forms South Africa’s northern border. The western section of this region is framed by the rocky spine of the awe-inspiring Soutpansberg mountain range.
The Valley of the Olifants: Travelling east, visitors will discover the rich natural heritage of the Lowveld with its claim to fame – the world-famous Kruger National Park. The Olifants Valley is teeming with a variety of wildlife. It is known for its spectacular scenery, mountains, rivers, dams, history and cultural and ethnic attractions.
Major attractions in the area:
Makapansgat Valley: This valley is directly linked to the history of the Cradle of Humankind, this is where, in February 1925, Professor Raymond Dart announced the discovery of the first ‘ape-man’. The caves at Makapansgat Valley have rendered fossils dating back 3,3 million years. Stone Age and Iron Age relics have also been located here.
Mapungubwe: One of the most remarkable icons in Limpopo, Mapungubwe is situated at the confluence of the Sashi and Limpopo Rivers. The great ruins at Mapungubwe, in the Limpopo River Valley, show remains of the first and greatest ever South African kingdom to have flourished. Mapungubwe indicates remains of human occupation in and around 850 AD (two and a half centuries before Great Zimbabwe). The artefacts at Mapungubwe illustrate a flourishing trade and advanced social systems of African kingdoms in the 13th century. Mapungubwe was recently declared a Unesco World Heritage site.
Modjadji Cycad Nature Reserve:In the Lobedu Mountains near Duiwelskloof and situated next to the home of the fabled rain queen, lies the Modjadji Cycad Reserve – boasting some of the oldest and largest cycad specimens on earth.
Kruger National Park: Spot the ‘big five’ from your luxury safari vehicle, or go tracking on foot in the most famous game park in the world. The northern Kruger offers excellent game-viewing and world-class accommodation. A number of community lodges are also springing up, adding to the authentic African experience.
The Ivory Route: There are 54 provincial reserves in Limpopop, 10 of which are being developed into a series of camps that follow in the footsteps of historical characters. Dubbed the African Ivory Route, these reserves form an arc that follows the peripheral borders of the province along Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique, and includes the northern part of the Kruger National Park.
Bela-Bela:Known as ‘Warmbaths’ for a few decades, because of the hot mineral spring at its centre. This part of the world offers cheap accommodation and fun for the whole family. Bela-Bela is a gateway to the southern Waterberg and/or Thabazimbi.
Lake Fundudzi and the Vondo Forest: Lake Fundudzi and the nearby Vondo Forests are said to be the sacred burial ground of the royal Venda clan, (and place of birth and creation in Venda mythology). The area is also said to be protected by a python god.
Dzata Ruins:Built in around 1700, and once the flourishing capital of the Venda empire. Dzata was occupied for only about 60 years and was last ruled by the great Thohoyandou who forged the Venda nation from clans already living in the Soutpansberg.
Lapalala Wilderness:This 25 000 hectare wilderness in the Waterberg contains rare roan and sable antelope, white and black rhino and a plethora of animals and birds. Lapalala is a sanctuary for endangered animals.
Haernertsburg:Known as the ‘Land of the Silver Mist’, this gorgeous village in the misty Magoebaskloof mountains near the town of Tzaneen is famous for its cherries, azaleas and abundant flora and birdlife. The perfect spot for the ultimate weekend getaway.
Nylsvlei:Nylsvlei is a 160km nature reserve enclosing one of the most beautiful, wetlands in South Africa. Offering 150 species of bird (including some of the most rare species on the planet).
Hiking in Letaba:Due to its spectacular scenery and deep forests, hiking in the Letaba region is popular with visitors. The two-day Debegeni and three-day Dokolewa trails are a must. Day-walks are also on offer.
Horse-back Safaris:The Waterberg is recognised as one of the best places to take part in horse-back safaris. There are a number of well-established outfits that will cater to all your needs. A combination of a tented safari camp combined with a horse-trail safari is certainly an option for regular riders.
Smalltown Treasures:Limpopo Province offers sleepy small-town South Africa at its best. Why not journey from one town to the next – sampling the hospitality along the way. Traveller’s favourites are Haenertsberg, Elim, Vaalwater and the entire Magoebaskloof region.
Art and Crafts:The Gazankulu and Venda regions are known for their fantastic arts and crafts. Clay pots, basketwork, painting, tapestries and fabrics are all up for grabs at pretty reasonable prices. There are a number of famous artists (sculptors) that come from the Venda region namely.
Links:
Visit Limpopo Tourism and Parks at www.golimpopo.com
For more information on Nylsvlei visit:www.limpoposouth.co.za
For information on the Ivory Route, read an article at:www.ivoryroute.co.za
Waterberg Tourism can be found at:www.waterbergtourism.com
Visit Bela Bela Tourism atwww.belabelatourism.co.za
For information on the Soutpansberg region visit:www.soutpansberg.com.
For information on the Kruger National Park visit: www.kruger.co.za
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Tree top boardwalk (Mapungubwe National Park)
Photo copyright South African National Parks
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