World Cup Host City: Nelspruit

Nelspruit will be one of the host cities during the World Cup.

Stadium: Mataffin Stadium

Introduction

Nelspruit, the capital city of the Mpumalanga province, is nestled on the Crocodile River, about 60 km west of Mozambique.

The city falls under the Mbombela Local Municipality which is home to about 560 000 people. The municipality was formed in 2000 by the merger of the Hazyview, Nelspruit and White River local councils.

Mpumalanga, which means the place of the rising sun, is the primary gateway to the Greater Limpopo Transfrontier Park, which stretches over three countries and encompasses the Kruger National Park (South Africa), Limpopo National Park (Mozambique) and Gonarezhou National Park (Zimbabwe). With its subtropical climate, abundant sunshine and lush covered hills and valleys, Nelspruit forms the ideal base from which to explore Mpumalanga.

The city has two airports, Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport and the Nelspruit Airport and is also major stopover point for tourists travelling to the Kruger National Park and to Mozambique.

Major industries in the area include the canning of citrus fruit, paper production, furniture manufacture and timber. Fertile soils and subtropical climate provide perfect conditions for the growing of citrus and tropical fruits, mainly mango, banana, avocado and also many varieties of nuts.

Mataffin Stadium

Mataffin Stadium will have a capacity of 46 000 and will host four first round matches.

Safaris from Nelspruit

Being on the doorstep of the Greater Kruger Area, Nelspruit is the ideal host city location for a safari. If you are following your team to various locations, then we recommend that you schedule a safari immediately before or after your Nelspruit stop.

The city of Nelspruit, itself, has little to offer travellers, but you will have plenty of fantastic short break options between the World Cup games.

Other than the mandatory safari while you are here, you could also consider:

• The Blyde River Canyon

• Bourke's Luck Potholes

• Pilgrim's Rest

Nelspruit Self-drive

There are numerous self-drive options from Nelspruit.

Firstly, the Kruger National Park is within easy reach of the city. The Kruger has a very good road infrastructure with most of the main routes being tarred. The park is easily accessible to the standard hire car. Remember the downside of doing a self-drive safari though: You are limited to the main park roads (which will probably be fairly busy during the World Cup) and you may not have insight into the animals you are seeing. If self-drive is your preferred option, we recommend that you stay at a private lodge for at least 2 nights prior to your self-drive safari. This will give you a better appreciation for the park before you venture out by yourself.

Secondly, Nelspruit is situated near a number of scenic and historic locations. A short break self-drive can include The Blyde River Canyon, Bourke's Luck Potholes, Pilgrim's Rest and the escarpment between the "highveld" and "lowveld".

Thirdly, further afield, you could consider travelling into Swaziland or visiting Johannesburg or Pretoria for a night. Both Jo'burg and Pretoria are only a few hours drive from Nelspruit. We suggest at least a 4 day round trip for a Swaziland adventure.

Recommended Safari Destinations: Nelspruit

Greater Kruger National Park:

Timbavati Private Game Reserve

Sabi Sands Private Game Reserve

Thornybush Private Game Reserve

Kruger Park Concessions

All of these reserves can be reached within a couple of hours of Nelspruit.

Although you do not need to go any further to get your safari fix, if you are interested in getting some variety, you could consider:

Zimbabwe:

Read more about safaris to Zimbabwe

Getting to Zimbabwe from Nelspruit can be achieved by air or self-drive. At the moment, air travel requires you to transfer via Johannesburg. More options may be introduced in the run up to the World Cup. Contact us for the most up to date information.

The other option is to drive into Zimbabwe. The main border crossing is at Beitbridge. Expect long queues during the World Cup!

Mozambique:

Read more about Mozambique

Nelspruit Weather during the World Cup months - June/July

Rainfall: Dry

Nelspruit is situated in the lowveld and has a sub-tropical climate with summer rainfall (September to May). This dry weather is also superb for game viewing as the animals congregate around watering holes.

Temperatures: Daytime 20C (68 F); night 10C (46 F)

Quick links

World Cup 2010 links

World Cup 2010 News | Official FIFA Website

Safari Links

South Africa safaris | South Africa Lodges | Kruger Park safaris | Kruger safaris | Botswana safaris | Botswana lodges | Namibia safaris | Namibia lodges | Zimbabwe safaris | Zimbabwe lodges

Planning a safari | Fly-in safari | Camping safari | Walking safari