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Photo: Michael (Fihliwe) Denne, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The Thulamela archaeological site is a stone-walled site, built by the descendents of the Mapungubwe, who built the Great Zimbabwe. Thulamela was inhabited by the Makahane people from about 1250-1700 CE. Chinese porcelain and imported textiles and jewellery reveal extensive trade connections.
Thulamela is the most dramatic of around 300 archaeological sites identified in Kruger National Park. It is located on heights south of the Levubu River offering a panoramic view. Sidney Miller led excavations from December 1993 to July 1995, and the site has also been partially reconstructed.
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Named after a particularly hardy type of aloe, the Kanniedood hide overlooks a portion of the Shingwedzi river previously on the lake formed by the Kanniedood dam. The Kanniedood dam was breached in flooding in January 2013 and the residual part of the wall was removed in December of 2019. Because of this recent major activity, it's unknown how views at this hide will change over the next few years.
Almost 40 km south of Shingwedzi, the Nyawutsi hide is quite far away from anything, but often worth the drive. Yellow weavers and elephants are common, and leopard are a fairly frequent sighting.
On the south bank of the enormous pioneer dam, this hide is often rated one of the top hides in Kruger. Great egret, purple rollers, white-breasted comorant and several kinds of kingfishers are common sightings from this hide.
Just downstream of the Pioneer dam on the Tsendze river, Shipandani is a fairly large east-facing hide with excellent views of the river. Common sightings are saddle-billed stork, klipspringer, giraffe, hippo and lilac-breasted roller. This is one of two hides that also acts as a bookable primitive accommodation.
A compacted earth lookout point on top of a hill, with excellent viewing in all directions. Fearly close to the Matambeni hide and worth stopping by if you're in the area.
A short drive from Letaba rest camp, the Matambeni hide overlooks the Engelhard dam on the Letaba river. Herons, bee-eaters and storks are a common sight here, along with waterbuck, impala and buffalo.