worldcup2010

Nelspruit

The Mbombela Stadium

Where's the game on?

The Mbombela Stadium is a short six-kilometre drive from the Nelspruit city centre on the outbound route to Johannesburg.

Nelspruit is located just a half-hour drive from the world famous Kruger National park and the city's stadium takes its cue from the rich wildlife the region is so famous for.

The venue, nicknamed the 'giraffe stadium' due to the 18 roof supports that resemble that animal, will host four World Cup matches and has a seating capacity of 46,000.

Mbombela means 'many people together in a small space' in the local siSwati language but this is somewhat misleading as Nelspruit is one of the fastest growing cities in South Africa with a population approaching a quarter of a million people.

Nelspruit had no top-class stadium available before the construction of Mbombela and top-flight football club Mpumalanga Black Aces are to use the venue as their home ground following the World Cup.

And the rest of the city?

View to the city

Nelspruit lies in the sub-tropical belt in the far north-east corner of South Africa, which means the day-time temperatures in June and July hover around the 24C mark.

This warm climate coupled with the excellent terrain makes Nelspruit the hub of tropical fruit production in the country.

The Swati people originally called the area home while the city itself, which formed on the lowveld of the Crocodile River valley, was founded in 1905 by the Nel family and for a time acted as the capital of a Boer free state known as the South African Republic.

The region is renowned for its picturesque scenery but is most famous for being a gateway to various game reserves - God's Window, the Blyde River Canyon, the Crocodile River, the Sudwala caves and Mozambique, which lies a mere 100 kilometres to the east.

While you're there...

There isn't all that much to do in Nelspruit and the city is usually utilised as a base camp to the lush valleys and game parks sprinkled around the province.

From Nelspruit tourists can explore three major national parks in three different countries. Limpopo Trans-frontier Park, which incorporates the Kruger National Park (South Africa), Limpopo National Park (Mozambique) and Gonarezhou National Park (Zimbabwe) are all located just a stone's throw from the town.

Kruger is the most famous game reserve and covers an area of 20,000km. Some 147 different species of mammals call Kruger home and it has plenty of accommodation for visitors including 21 rest camps and 18 lodges.

A number of quaint towns, including Hazyview and Pilgrim's Rest, coupled with the stunning vistas on the escarpment provide plenty of scope for hiking, mountain biking and cultural tours.

In Nelspruit itself visitors can take a stroll through the Lowveld Botanical Gardens or take a quick trip to Emnotweni casino just to the north.

A cold one and some sustenance?

The Jock and Java Restaurant and Pub in the Outpost Centre is the perfect spot for football fans as it offers well-priced dining as well as pub grill fair and draft on tap.

The Old Joes Kaia in the Schoemanskloof Valley gives visitors a taste of the region as it specialises in salmon sourced from the rivers nearby, traditional South African staple venison as well as ostrich, although be warned, getting there will require a 30-minute drive.

If you prefer fine dining then the Bairro 1200 restaurant in the Riverside Mall offers gourmet Portuguese dishes at a reasonable price.

Oliver's Restaurant and Lodge has been rated as one of Wine Magazine's Top 100 Restaurants and boasts a massive wine selection and 'fun-dining' options which includes fondue and raclette.

Hall's farm stall right next to the Mbombela Stadium is an institution in the area and sells a variety of fresh produce and South African specialities.

You'd have to get there first, mind

Two airports serve Nelspruit and they are Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport to the east and the general aviation Nelspruit Airport. The former's moniker is somewhat misleading as the only international flights fly to and from Mozambique.

If arriving from abroad, visitors will have to jet into Johannesburg's OR Tambo International and then drive just over 300km to Nelspruit, but beware that toll fees will have to be paid on this route. Internally, South African Airways operates regular flights from Cape Town to Kruger Mpumalanga Airport but none of the low-cost airlines offer any service to this part of the country.

The primary road route to Nelspruit heads northwards on the N4 while Spoornet operates regular trains from Johannesburg via Middelburg, Witbank and Pretoria and to Komatipoort on the Mozambique border.