Mopani is a very nice, new rest camp in the north of the Kruger National Park between Shingwedzi and Letaba rest camps.
The camp is named after the dense mopani vegetation that surrounds the camp, there also are a few baobab trees in the area.
There are a variety of 4-bed and 6-bed cottages available which are ideal for self-catering families, as well as a guest house for larger groups.
The site for Mopani was chosen by a former section ranger of the Kruger Park and is ideally located overlooking Pioneer Dam. The restaurant is very nice and overlooks the dam and you can see elephants coming down to the water to drink as you enjoy your meal. There is a small grocery and curio shop, but I would recommend doing the bulk of your shopping before you enter the park as the rest camp is quite isolated.
It is possible to drive up north on the H-6 to Shingwedzi for breakfast or lunch and this is a very scenic drive, but it can be quite quiet. We saw rare sable antelope, tsessebe, elephant, and giraffe. You can even squeeze in a quick drive along the Shingwedzi River.
Spotting game close to Mopani is quite difficult in the mopani veld. We did see some buffalo chasing two unfortunate lions here though and even spotted a honey badger.
Mooiplaas picnic spot is a nice place to bring a picnic lunch and look out over a small waterhole and see waterbuck and birds. The camp is close to the Tropic of Capricorn and has its own Baobab tree!!
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Photos by Tanja Nayak. Vintage Photos courtesy of Peter Klews.
Video and Narration by Tanja Nayak.
Music by Storyblocks.