Lekgalameetse Provincial Park
Lekgalameetse Provincial Park | |
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Location of Lekgalameetse Provincial Park in Limpopo, South Africa | |
Location | Limpopo, South Africa |
Nearest city | Tzaneen |
Coordinates | 24°08′48″S 30°12′01″E / 24.14667°S 30.20028°E |
Area | 18,718 ha |
Governing body | Limpopo Tourism and Parks Board |
Lekgalameetse Provincial Park is a conserved mountain wilderness of 18,718 ha[1] in the northern Drakensberg of Limpopo Province, South Africa. The reserve entrance is 5 km by dirt road from Ofcolaco. Indigenous forest and mixed woodland occupy the valleys, while the mountain crests are covered in grassland. In the north the Park is contiguous with the Wolkberg Wilderness Area.
Amenities and access
During the 1980s it was envisaged by the Lebowa government as a 25,000 ha reserve called The Downs Nature Reserve, which would cater recreational activities, camping and hiking.[2] Since 2001 it is managed by the Limpopo Tourism and Parks Board. Current amenities include self-catering accommodation, a bush camp with log cabins beside a stream, farmhouses serving as guest houses, and a camp for school outings.[1] It is situated west of Ofcolaco and Trichardtsdal, which are accessed from the R36 route. Four-wheel drive vehicles can also reach it via Orrie Baragwanath Pass, which traverses the Park from west to east.
Climate and geography
Lekgalameetse means "the place of water" in the
Fauna and flora
Native mammals include bushbuck, common duiker, mountain reedbuck, klipspringer, samango monkey, chacma baboon, thick-tailed bushbaby and leopard.[3] The area has a varied butterfly fauna.[2] Since the mid 1980s the invasive and wind dispersed pompom weed has established itself here.[4]
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The shade-loving Barberton daisy in flower
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A soldier pansy resting on the woodland floor
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Male of the colourful rainbow skink
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The frugivorousCape beechtree
References
- ^ a b "Tzaneen: Lekgalameetse Nature Reserve". Limpopo Tourism Agency. 2013. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
- ^ ISBN 0620060778.
- ^ ISBN 0-86977-772-6.
- ^ Henderson, Lesley (2014). "Pompom weed". Plant Health and Protection. Agricultural Research Unit. Retrieved 8 April 2020.