Phalaborwa Tourism Information

Quick Facts: Phalaborwa

• The town of Phalaborwa has approximately 150 000 inhabitants
• Phalaborwa is located in the Mopani district near the Kruger National Park in the Limpopo Province of South Africa
• The Lowveld of South Africa is also known as the Valley of the Olifants
• This region of South Africa has the highest winter temperatures; the rainfall is low and the average
• Winter temperatures range from 11 to 25 °C; during the summer months, the average temperatures vary from 20 to 40 °C
• Phalaborwa is a mining town being home to the Palabora Mining Company
• Palabora Mining Company's open cast mine is Africa's widest man-made hole at almost 2,000 meters wide
• the Hans Merensky Golf Estate is situated on the edge of Phalaborwa featuring a magnificent golf course which is visited by African wildlife from the Kruger National Park and comfortable hotel and chalet accommodation

Distance to Airport: 18 km

Distance to City: 17 km

Introducing Phalaborwa

The town of Phalaborwa, with its approximately 150 000 inhabitants, is located in the Mopani district near the Kruger National Park in the Limpopo Province of South Africa.  This region of South Africa, which is referred to as the Lowveld also known as the Valley of the Olifants, has the highest winter temperatures in South Africa. The rainfall is low and the average winter temperatures range from 11 to 25 °C.  During the summer months, the average temperatures vary from 20 to 40 °C with occasional heavy rainfall.

Phalaborwa is a mining town being home to the Palabora Mining Company (PMC).   Palabora Mining Company's open cast mine is Africa's widest man-made hole at almost 2,000 meters wide.  Phalaborwa is the only town in South Africa which borders the Kruger National Park, the Mozambiquan border is only two hours away.  The Hans Merensky Golf Estate is situated on the edge of Phalaborwa featuring a magnificent golf course which is visited by African wildlife from the Kruger National Park and comfortable hotel and chalet accommodation. The Blyde River Canyon, the Three Rondavels, the spectacular God's Window and Bourke Luck’s Potholes, the Tzaneen and Hoedspruit attractions can be visited as a day trip from Phalaborwa.

The name "Ba-Phalaborwa" was given to this region by the Sotho tribes who moved to this area from the south. The Sotho mined and smelted copper and iron ore here as far back as 400 AD. Masorini, which is located near the Phalaborwa gate, is a reconstructed Ba-Phalaborwa hill village, with huts, grain storage areas, and an iron, smelting site.

Palabora Mining Company Limited, Limpopo Province (South Africa)

The Palabora Mining Company Limited was founded in August 1956.  The Palabora Mining Company Limited is a publicly-traded mining company situated in Phalaborwa.  This mining company operates a single cluster of open-pit and underground mines producing mainly copper as well as byproducts such as anode slimes, nickel sulphate, sulphuric acid, magnetite, and vermiculite.

The Palabora Mining Company also has processing facilities on site for the production of purified copper from mined copper ore, and a vermiculite recovery plant. Its final copper product has two forms namely, copper cathode and copper rod.  Palabora Mining Company's open cast mine is Africa's widest man-made hole as it measures almost 2,000 meters in width.  A majority of the company's stock is owned by the international mining conglomerates Rio Tinto Group (57%) and Anglo American PLC (17%), with the remaining 26% available to the public. The share's stock trades on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange under the symbol of PAM.