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Welcome to the Mmabolela Conservancy
The Mmabolela Trans-frontier Reserve sits within a landscape shaped by extremes. Spread across more than 16,000 hectares of wild terrain, this vast wilderness is defined by its dramatic shifts in landscape from arid savannas and ancient baobabs to lush riverine forests and dense thickets. These diverse habitats create a sanctuary where life thrives in every form, adapted to the rhythms of nature. Here, ecosystems collide and harmonize, offering a rare ecological richness that makes Mmabolela one of Southern Africa’s hidden treasures.
A Treasure Trove
Fauna of the Bushveld
From iconic land mammals to river giants like the Nile crocodile and hippopotamus, the reserve is alive with movement and sound. Over 300 bird species have been recorded here, including rarities like the elusive Pel’s fishing owl. Plains game move through the bushveld alongside stealthy predators like the leopard, while countless other creatures, often unseen, stir in the undergrowth.
Whether it’s a fleeting pangolin or the howl of a wild dog, every track, call, and rustle speaks to a living system where each species has its place, its role, and its right to exist.
Flora of the Bushveld
Mmabolela’s flora is as resilient as it is diverse.
Ancient fig trees clutch the riverbanks, while leadwood, baobab, marula, and fever trees stand tall across the plains providing food, shade, and shelter for a wide range of species. Closer to the ground, aloes and flowering succulents signal the changing seasons, storing moisture through long, dry spells.
This is vegetation shaped by time and terrain. Each tree, shrub, and thornbush plays a role in anchoring the landscape, sustaining life, and carrying the memory of the land forward..
Rocks & Formations
Ancient granite and gneiss shape the reserve’s ridgelines, shelves, and scattered outcrops, with patches of quartzite and sandstone adding to the rugged texture of the land. These formations aren’t just features of the landscape, they create shelter and opportunity. Outcrops provide refuge for hyraxes, leopards, and birds of prey, while riverbank stone anchors roots, supports palms and mosses, and holds moisture for seasonal life to emerge.
Our Role in Conservation
Conservation has always been at the heart of the Mmabolela Transfrontier Reserve.
Guided by long-term private stewardship and a deep respect for the land, Mmabolela remains committed to protecting one of southern Africa’s most diverse ecosystems. Efforts focus on preserving habitat integrity, supporting natural wildlife populations, and allowing the bushveld to function as it should. Wild, free, and intact.
The Mmabolela Book. Recollections, Reflections and Reminisce
By Mark Berry
Mmabolela is the kind of place that stays with you. The dust, the silence, the long shadows settle into memory. This book is a collection of stories from those who’ve spent time on the reserve, who’ve walked its game trails, felt its stillness, and witnessed its harsh and beautiful rhythms. It’s not a history book. It’s a remembering. If you’d like to purchase a copy, please get in touch.