The Limpopo River.

Limpopo River, river in southern Africa that rises as the Krokodil (Crocodile) River in the Witwatersrand, South Africa, near Johannesburg, and flows on a semicircular course first northeast and then east for about 1,100 miles (1,800 km) to the Indian Ocean. From its source the river flows northward to the Magaliesberg, cutting the Hartbeespoort Gap, which is the site of an irrigation dam. It then flows across the fertile Bushveld basin to open granite country, where it is joined on the left bank by the Marico River. From there it is known as the Limpopo River. (The name may be Sotho for “river of the waterfall.”) Turning northeastward, the river forms the border for about 250 miles (400 km) between Limpopo province, South Africa, and Botswana, receiving seasonal tributaries. After swinging eastward between Limpopo province and Zimbabwe, the Limpopo River receives the Shashi River and flows about 150 miles (240 km) to Mozambique, where it reaches the fall line. In this zone the river drops about 800 feet (250 metres), with most of the drop concentrated in 27 miles (43 km) of rapids, especially those at Malala, Molukwe, and Quiqueque. The Limpopo River is unnavigable until its confluence with the Olifants River, 130 miles (209 km) from the coast. Though partially blocked by a sandbar at its outlet, the river can be entered by coastal steamers at high tide. The Limpopo River is dammed about 62 miles (100 km) from its mouth—near Guijá, where an agricultural settlement has been developed.

The Krokodil headwaters at Hartbeespoort Dam have a mean annual discharge of 124,000 acre-feet (152,954,000 cubic metres), with maximum flow in February and minimum in August. The Limpopo River’s lower and middle courses reflect climatic changes, drying to a series of pools in the winter months and reaching flood proportions in the summer.

The first European to sight the river was Vasco da Gama, who anchored off its mouth in 1498 and named it Espiritu Santo River. Its lower course was explored by St. Vincent Whitshed Erskine in 1868–69, and Captain J.F. Elton traveled down its middle course in 1870.

The talented Rudyard Kipling penned this massive river’s name in one of his Just So Stories, The Elephant’s Child, where a young elephant sets off on a journey and comes “to the banks of the great grey-green greasy Limpopo River, all set about with fever trees”. Much like the writer’s Limpopo, the actual river is full of crocodiles and hippos (and the occasional Zambezi shark) and is abundant with birdlife. However, it’s not actually greasy at all!

Surrounding the Limpopo River are magnificent, untouched wilderness areas, making it an excellent destination for nature and wildlife enthusiasts. The sight of its winding passage through an unspoiled landscape, and its calm waters dotted with plentiful wildlife, is one that will stay with you forever.

The Limpopo River, along with the Nile, the Zambezi, the Congo and the Orange, is one of the great rivers of Africa.

Aside from its economic and ecological importance, the Limpopo River also has a rich cultural and historical significance. The river has been the site of several ancient civilizations, including the Mapungubwe Kingdom, which flourished around the 13th century. The Mapungubwe ruins, which sit on the river’s banks, have been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage.

My connection to the Limpopo River is the border crossing at Beit Bridge, between Zimbabwe and South Africa. I lived in both Rhodesia, which became Zimbabwe in 1980 after a 15 year civil war, and South Africa, and crossed the border at the BeitBeit Bridge border crossing many times.

Besides that, I have visited the river a few times to see the hippos and elephants and crocodiles that gather on the banks of the river. It is a raw, wild, wonderful African river.