Madi a Thavha, meaning "water from the mountains", is set in a beautiful and quiet valley of the Soutpansberg mountains, Limpopo, only 10 km drive from the centre of Louis Trichardt (Makhado).
Enjoying the stylish and bright accommodations, excellent food, the warm hospitality and supportive attitude of the Madi a Thavha staff will make your stay a remindable experience. At Madi a Thavha you will find all the area has to offer, a permanent exhibition of the art and craft work of the Venda and Tsonga artists, numerous bird species, walking routes, and the textile workshop of Madi a Thavha Design. The lodge is an excellent base to spend a few days to explore the Venda and Tsonga culture by visiting the artists and crafters in the villages around Elim and Mutale and to discover unspoiled nature and culture of the people of the Soutpansberg and Limpopo valley. Madi a Thavha is a nice stop over when travelling to the Northern part of the Kruger National Park, Mapungubwe World Heritage site, the bush camps at Tuli Block in Botswana or the Victoria falls in Zimbabwe. Madi a Thavha provides self catering, bed and breakfast and full boarding services for up to 18 people. The accommodation consists of guest rooms and guest houses, which are located in and around the original farm house, all with mountain view and terrace or veranda and own entrance. The following accommodations are available: * 2 guest rooms with bathrooms en suite in the farm house (1 with double bed, 1 with 2 twin-beds) * 2 self catering guest houses (2 and 3 beds) * 1 large self catering family guest house with 2 bedrooms and bathrooms en suite (5 beds) * 1 wooden cottage with 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom (4 beds) The farm house includes a lounge with a fire place and DSTV, dining room, open plan kitchen, reception with telephone and Internet facilities, craft shop and verandas. In the garden you will find a refreshing swimming pool and lapa. We serve breakfast and dinner on the veranda of the farm house or in the dining room. We offer a three course dinner as a set menu in the evenings. Breakfast is an exclusive and varied buffet of juices, yoghurts, fruits, muesli's, baked muesli or pancakes, bread, toast, muffins, cheese and various egg dishes. Social responsibility Madi a Thavha Mountain Lodge is a Fair Trade in Tourism South Africa (FTTSA) certified establishment where tourists are assured that their travel benefits local communities and economies, and that the business is operated ethically and in a socially and environmentally responsible manner. Madi a Thavha staff Our employees did not get opportunities for education in the past. Now they attend skills training to work towards NQF accredited certificates. Furthermore they gain job skills and social and management skills through ‘learning by doing’ and support on the job. Our handy man attended for 4 weeks woodcraft production training and our farm manager acquired his tour guide qualification. Four women of Madi a Thavha Design are doing a 2 year course in fashion design. The entire team was involved in a training needs assessment and HIV/Aids awareness. We developed with each of our employees a skills development plan, with these plans we are able to plan future training and support and raise the needed funds. Local procurement We try to support local economy by buying as much as possible from local suppliers e.g. to buy from the local women who run fruit stalls and other street vendors. Most of the art and craft products that we sell in our lodge shop are produced by local artists and crafters. Our guests who visit the rural villages also buy directly from the artists and local shops. For all the renovations at Madi a Thavha we made use of local contractures and labour from the local villages around Madi a Thavha. The builders gained a lot of skills during the building process e.g. planning skills, measuring and many building and technical skills. Community development The staff and owners of Madi a Thavha are committed to make an effort to improve the lives of their families and people in the local communities. There is a strong support structure between all members of staff and their extended families. We support each other as much as possible when somebody in the family is sick or with funerals. We involve the partners and children of our staff when we have something to celebrate or when we organise our annual outing. Furthermore we support the children who live on the farm to be able to attend a crèche and a school in town by donations of the Madi a Thavha school fund. Guests are invited to contribute to a toy box for crèches supported by the Farananani trust, an organisation who supports Early Childhood Development. All the Madi a Thavha staff are involved with the support to the artists and crafters by contributing to their training, supporting them while they visit Madi a Thavha for inspirational gatherings and contributing to the improvement of their products and workshops. Accreditations * SA Grading council - 4 star lodge * Fair Trade in Tourism South Africa (FTTSA) certified * member of the AA Quality Assured programme - highly recommended * Member of the Portfolio Collection Credit cards * Visa and Mastercard

During your stay at Madi a Thavha Mountain Lodge you can explore the area or enjoy the activities on the farm. Activities at the lodge There are walking routes on the farm and excellent birding opportunities. Guests can visit the craft shop in the farm house, displaying the products of 25 artists and craft groups and the sewing workshop of Madi a Thavha Design. In addition to the textile collections that are available at the craft shop, the Madi a Thavha Design team makes tailor made products such as tablecloths, cushions and bed spreads. Madi a Thavha Gallery The gallery is in the process to be developed, art and crafts from various artists and crafters are displayed in and around the lodge. The actual exhibition centre displays the cultural history of Venda’s, Tsongas’s and Northern Sotho’s in Northern Limpopo and the development of art and crafts in the traditional, transitional and contemporary periods. You will find information, and displays about medicinal plants and traditional healing, agriculture and food preparation, childhood and family life, traditional story telling, music and musical instruments. Activities in the surrounding You can join one of the organised tour programmes or explore the area on your own. We offer various self-drive or guided day trips by car or 4 x 4. There are tour programmes focusing on arts and culture, history and nature, such as the Elim art and culture tour, the Land of Legends tour and the Soutpansberg Skirmishes tour that lead you to historical places of the Anglo-Boer War. In the Soutpansberg area you will also find various birding hot spots. Some examples of tour programmes include: - Walking routes and hiking trails, varying from 2 hours to 2 day hikes - Village life and sun downer mountain bike tour - Birding tours - Baobab and Land of Legend tour to Northern Venda - Soutpansberg Skirmishes route - Elim Art, Crafts and Culture tour and Village walks - Blouberg and Makgabeng Cultural Heritage tour - Workshops with artists and crafters - Programme with dancing, singing traditional music and storytelling Activities with children Madi a Thavha offers opportunities for children and their parents to experience a special and exciting holiday. While playing and enjoying the activities, children learn about African culture and daily life of people living in the rural villages. * We have a large family guest house available where you can prepare the meals yourself and eat with the children, but you can also eat in the farm house. * We always make sure that there is food that is nice for children. You can eat around a fire and children can prepare their own bread and snacks. * We can arrange a babysitter when parents would like to enjoy dinner by themselves. The meal for the children can be served in the family house. * Toys and games are available. Children who like making crafts can join the Madi a Thavha Design team. Children can play traditional music instruments and there is a box with African fabrics and clothes for doing performances. * There is a swimming pool at Madi a Thavha and water games are available. * The Elim art and crafts tour would be a nice activity for young children. During the tour children can play traditional music and decorate a small clay pot. * For families with teenagers the 4 x 4 adventure tour to the north of Limpopo would be an exciting experience. During the tour they will prepare lunch on a fire and it is possible to swim in a small mountain lake.

From Polokwane (Pietersburg) take the N1 to Louis Trichardt (Makhado). At the first four way stop in Makhado, turn left onto the R 522 to Vivo, follow this road for about 8,5 kilometres. You will drive uphill and then down again, after which you will pass an airstrip sign. Just after the 100 km sign, you will see a brown tourism sign indicating Madi a Thavha on the left hand side of the road. Here you turn right onto an untarred road. Follow the untarred road for about 2,5 kilometres and keep following the signs to Madi a Thavha Mountain Lodge, plot 17. Madi a Thavha is located 390 km from Pretoria.