The Tswapong Hills and Moremi Gorge are located in the Central District. The Tswapong Hills combine a vast mountain landscape with gorges and seasonal waterways; Moremi Gorge adds three permanent waterfalls and great religious and spiritual significance for the local community. Landscape and cultural context sit side by side here. When planning your trip, you can distinguish between focusing primarily on the broader natural landscape and including a specific place with its own distinctive features.

Landscape and Water in the Tswapong Hills

The Tswapong Hills Cultural Landscape lies in the eastern part of the Central District, near Palapye. It encompasses a mountain range about 70 kilometres long and about 15 kilometres wide, rising around 400 metres above its surroundings. The length and width indicate its extent, while the elevation refers to the distance above the surrounding terrain. This describes a broader landscape than individual gorges and waterfalls.

Deep gorges have formed in the Tswapong Hills. Natural freshwater springs feed streams and seasonal rivers; the streams form waterfalls with deep, moss-fringed pools. During heavier rain, waterfalls form, with water gathering in lagoons. The waterways therefore have two rhythms: springs feed rivers and streams, while waterfalls are also associated with heavier rainfall.

Moremi Gorge: Waterfalls, Trail, and Significance

Moremi Gorge, in the Tswapong Hills area of the Central District, can be reached on foot via a steep ascent and is the source of three permanent waterfalls. The first two waterfalls form large pools. The uppermost waterfall is 10 metres high and plunges over rock ledges into a densely vegetated lagoon. These details answer different planning questions: the steep ascent concerns the trail, while the number, height, and course of the falls describe the natural setting of the gorge in more detail.

At the northern end of the Tswapong Hills, Goo-Moremi Gorge lies next to Manonnye-Moremi Gorge. A 2017 report describes Goo-Moremi Gorge as a place for rock climbing. If you are considering this activity, check the visitor requirements in advance.

Moremi Gorge holds great religious and spiritual significance for the local community. The Department of National Museums and Monuments declared it a National Monument. This brings together its importance to the local community and its formal monument designation. As a courtesy, visitors are advised to ask the local headman for permission before entering the Tswapong Hills.

The similarly named gorges differ in the aspects that matter: Moremi Gorge combines a steep ascent, three waterfalls, and religious and spiritual significance for the local community. Goo-Moremi Gorge lies at the northern end of the Hills, next to Manonnye-Moremi Gorge, and is associated with rock climbing. This makes it possible to distinguish a waterfall and culture theme from a climbing theme.

Discover more destinations: Mathathane, Lentswelemoriti, Selibe-Phikwe, Mahalapye, Nata, Palapye

Return to the main travel overview: Central District.