John Inglis and Nonhlanhla Vilakazi slog to the top of Mapungubwe to encounter a sophisticated kingdom that, 1000 years ago, was a bustling trader ahead of its time

Heading north through the mopane bush, we wonder what awaits us in the heat of Limpopo Province. We're headed for the "Place of the Jackal", our heads filled with images of the past glory of the Kingdom of Mapungubwe, once a wealthy trading state and the oldest known kingdom in Southern Africa.

Mapungubwe National Park, a World Heritage Site, lies in country marked by weather-sculpted ridges and majestic baobabs at the confluence of the Shashe and Limpopo rivers, where South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe meet.

Mapungubwe became known to the world in 1932, when reports emerged of golden treasures from an ancient African kingdom. Two explorers had made it to the top of the precipitous hill and were amazed to find a skeletal hand sticking out of the ground. A little digging revealed gold bracelets still in place around the arm, followed by gold bead necklaces. The site has been under excavation by archaeologists from the University of Pretoria ever since and its treasures can be seen in the excellent Mapungubwe Museum at the University of Pretoria.

We had booked a guide and were soon aboard a 4x4 with Paballo Mohafa, the cultural heritage officer. The vehicle wound and bumped its way down a rocky valley to the base of the hill, which stands up straight out of a grassy plain, 10 storeys high and surrounded by impregnable cliffs. An archaeological dig site at the base of the hill provided a fascinating glimpse of the painstaking scientific work that has been done all over the Mapungubwe site.

Then came the climb: 147 wooden steps have been built to ascend through a narrow cleft. From the top, spectacular views stretch towards the glistening Limpopo River. To get excited about the hilltop itself requires an active imagination and a good guide. We were lucky to have Paballo, who brought the hilltop to life. A shallow depression became the site of royal graves. Holes dug into rock surfaces became the anchoring points for the corner posts of the royal dwelling. We saw a grain store and water tank hewn in the rock, and neat rows of hollows in a flat stone, where the traditional game of mufuvha would have been played centuries ago.

The park houses the remains of a highly sophisticated African kingdom, which thrived almost 1000 years ago. These remains, spanning four centuries from about 900 to 1 300 AD, are evidence of a stratified society that had strong governance, was artistically creative and had a powerful economy. Its people were agriculturalists, worked iron, copper and gold, and traded in gold and ivory with Egypt, India and China.

It was in about 1220 that the King of Mapungubwe chose to settle atop this hill. For hundreds of years before that, the surrounding area had been occupied by farmers. In as early as 500 AD, the first communities who made iron tools and clay pots arrived in the central Limpopo Valley. Later the community moved to the shelter of a hill close to Mapungubwe, in an area now called K2, where a thriving economy developed between 1 000 and 1 200 AD. The king, from the top of the hill, looked out over some 5000 subjects. They grew sorghum, millet and cotton, as revealed by excavations of storage huts. They herded cattle, goats and sheep and kept dogs. They worked metals to make tools, weapons and ornaments and fired a great range of ceramic pots.

This was Mapungubwe's high point. A powerful state trading with distant lands, it marked a significant stage in the history of the African sub-continent. Arab, Chinese and Indian traders, travelling from Sofala in Mozambique, brought glass beads to exchange for ivory and gold.

But, quite suddenly in about 1290 AD, Mapungubwe was abandoned and its people dispersed. Theories abound as to why, but it is now believed that a change in the trade routes shifted economic power to Great Zimbabwe, which would remain the dominant centre until about 1450. What Mapungubwe and Great Zimbabwe both prove is that complex societies existed in Southern Africa long before Europeans arrived.

After our energetic tour, we were glad to make our way to the attractive rest camp - well-appointed chalets designed to blend into the rocky landscape below impressive cliffs.

We discovered that "self-catering" means just that: there is no restaurant and no supermarket nearby. Luckily, we were able to find some basic provisions at a tuck-shop not far from the rest camp.

With such a wealth of natural and cultural wonders, we wondered what future lies ahead for this beautiful area. Will it survive the ravages of coal mining, about to commence on its western boundary?

Will the establishment of a transfrontier park, linking South Africa, Zimbabwe and Botswana, preserve this natural heritage?

The park will link the Mapungubwe National Park with Botswana's Tuli Block and the Tuli Safari Area of Zimbabwe, and restore the rivers to their role as arteries in the natural environment, rather than political boundaries, which interfere with its ecology.

The cultural heritage of Mapungubwe is being celebrated by the establishment of a visitors' centre, nearing completion. Mapungubwe's valuable treasures will be returned to their place of origin and made accessible to visitors in world-class displays.

• Nonhlanhla Vilakazi is a PhD palaeo-herpetologist at Wits University. Robert Inglis is a director of Jive Media, independent science communication agency. The tour of palaeontological sites was sponsored by the Department of Science and Technology through SAASTA ( www.saasta.ac.za). Read Nonhlanhla's blog at www.africanorigins.co.za.

If you go: Getting there : From Johannesburg/Pretoria, take the N1 North to Polokwane. In the Polokwane CBD, take the R521 to Alldays, then drive another 23km to the Mapungubwe entrance and reception.

From Musina, join the R572 for about 68km to the Mapungubwe entrance and reception.

The closest airport is Polokwane, 200km from the park.

Contact:

Phone SA National Parks on 012 428 9111; e-mail reservations@sanparks.org or visit www.sanparks.org/parks/mapungubwe/

Mapungubwe Park: Phone 015 534 2014

GPS: S:22,244°; E:29,401°

Mapungubwe Museum (at Pretoria University): 012 420 3146