Land Of Kings

In a giant melting pot, mix together incredible rock formations that go back to the earliest days of Earth's history, Big For wildlife (buffalo not included) and a place where South Africa, Zimbabwe a;nd Botswana meet. Lastly, add Mapungubwe, one of the most important cultural and archaeological sites in Southern Africa, and what do you get? An awe-inspiring hiking destination.

Walking through the once-great Mapungubwe kingdom elicits an entensely spiritual feeling. From its beginnings in about 900 AD until about 1300 AD, it flourished lide no other Southern African Kingdom before. It had the ability to smelt iron ore, copper and gold, which was traded with countries as far away as India and China.

It's estimated that at it peak, the kingdom contained more than 5000 subjects. They cultivated sorghum and cotton and raised cattle on the plains surrounding Mapungubwe Hill, on which the royal palace was situated.

To read the full story buy the Octobers issue of the Getaway Magazine!