Weather in Mpumalanga
Summer (November to March) Hot and humid especially in the Low Veld (Kruger) Temperatures reach a high of 36C and you will experience rain usually with a sharp thunderstorm late afternoon. The High Veld around Pilgrim’s Rest, Dullstroom and Ermelo tends to be a little cooler and less humidity
Autumn (April/ May) Low Veld is similar to summer but less humidity and rain. The High Veld is getting cooler with high temperatures closer to 25C
Spring (September / October) For the Low Veld the temperature highs are around 35C but the overnight lows are closer to 14C. For the High Veld, high temperatures are close to 24C but overnight lows can be close to 6C. This is a dry time of year.
Winter (June – August) For the Low Veld high temperatures are around 30C and overnight lows reach down to 6C. For the High Veld, high temperatures are around 18C but overnight temperatures can go as low as 0C. This is the dry season.
Mpumalanga Area
This Swazi name translates to ‘ The place where the sun rises’. The region stretches almost to Johannesburg and Pretoria in the west and borders Mozambique and Swaziland in the east. The southern part of the Kruger Park is incorporated in this area together with the Blyde River Canyon and the early gold rush towns of Pilgrim’s Rest and Barberton. In parts, platinum and chromium mining remain important especially around the town of Lydenburg (Mashishing) and coal mining remains important close to the towns of Witbank and Carolina. While the roads are generally very good, close to the mining areas, heavy trucks have caused some deterioration in road conditions. There are great areas for hiking, white water rafting and the rivers near Dullstroom and known for excellent fishing.
Places to go in Mpumalanga
- Safari This is one of the top spots in South Africa for Safaris as it includes the souther part of the Kruger Park which has a very high concentration of animals. Bear in mind that you do need to take anti malaria precautions
- Scenery The Panorama Route from close to Pilgrim’s Rest to the Blyde River Canyon has some of the most breathtaking scenery in South Africa
- History Early gold rushes around Pigrim’s Rest and Barberton and late Boer War history around Long Tom Pass near Sabie
- Towns The area is not really noted for its towns but the most important is Nelspruit and other of note include Graskop, Sabie, White River and Hazyview
- Waterfalls & Caves The area to the south pof Pigrim’s Rest is know for its waterfalls and cave formations
Accommodation in Mpumalanga
There are some excellent places to stay including some of the finest safari lodges in South Africa and wonderful boutique hotels particularly in the White River / Sabie areas.
