Phalaborwa safaris, lodges and wildlife tours

The town of Phalaborwa is situated less than 2 km from the most central gate in the park. This gives equal access to the more developed south and the unspoilt northern sections of this famous wildlife sanctuary. There is evidence in clay smelting ovens and ornamental treasures that, centuries ago, Sotho tribes first settled in the area bounded by the Oliphants and Letaba rivers and mined copper and iron from 400 AD. Having moved to the southern, less favourable areas these ancestors returned to this fertile bushveld valley and promptly named it Phalaborwa meaning 'better than the South''. Today's modern town is a principal area for South Africa's mining economy and the tradition of the ancient tribes lives on in the large-scale mining of phosphates, copper and other minerals.

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