--- title: "Mbombela – what is there, and how you get there | Mixroutes" description: "Mbombela, South Africa: Mbombela, formerly Nelspruit, is a city in northeastern South Africa. Nearby: Mbombela Stadium, University of Mpumalanga, Lowveld…" url: "https://www.mixroutes.com/notes/mbombela" markdown: "https://www.mixroutes.com/notes/mbombela.md" image: "https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/70/NelspruitPanorama.JPG/3840px-NelspruitPanorama.JPG" --- Capital of Mpumalanga province in South Africa # Mbombela Mbombela, formerly Nelspruit, is a city in northeastern South Africa. ![Mbombela](https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/70/NelspruitPanorama.JPG/3840px-NelspruitPanorama.JPG) Mbombela · Wikimedia Commons The place Mbombela, formerly Nelspruit, is a city in northeastern South Africa. It is the capital of the Mpumalanga province. Located on the Crocodile River, the city lies about 110 km (68 mi) by road west of the Mozambique border, 330 km (210 mi) east of Johannesburg and 82 km (51 mi) north of the Eswatini border. Mbombela was one of the host cities of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Adapted from [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mbombela), CC BY-SA 4.0. What is there ## Worth seeing in and around Mbombela 3 places within 25 km that the world writes about, in the order of how widely: the ones a visitor has heard of first, then the ones only a local would name. 1. Mbombela Stadium The Mbombela Stadium is a football and Rugby union all-seater stadium in Mbombela in the Mpumalanga province of South Africa. It was one of 10 venues for the 2010 FIFA World Cup and one of 5 newly constructed stadiums for the tournament. 5.6 km · stadium · [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mbombela_Stadium) 2. University of Mpumalanga University of Mpumalanga is based in Mbombela and in Siyabuswa, South Africa. It was established in 2014, initially accommodating a modest intake of one hundred and forty students. 3.3 km · public university in Mbombela, South Africa · [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Mpumalanga) 3. Lowveld National Botanical Garden The Lowveld National Botanical Garden, one of the nine National Botanical Gardens of South Africa is located just outside Mbombela, Mpumalanga at the confluence of the Crocodile River and Nels River, which are separated by an extensive promontory. A lookout point at the far end of the garden, reached through a rainforest trail allows views of the river in the deep gorge. 3.1 km · botanical garden near Mbombela in Mpumalanga, South Africa · [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lowveld_National_Botanical_Garden) Ranked by the number of language editions of Wikipedia with an article on each, from Wikidata; the sentences are the openings of those articles, CC BY-SA 4.0. See ## What Wikivoyage says to see There are few attractions in Mbombela itself, but the surrounding towns and area can make for an interesting drive. 1. Lowveld National Botanical Gardens It's on the road to White River before you get to the casino. From [Wikivoyage: Mbombela](https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Mbombela), CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us. Do ## Things to do 1. Mafunyane Waterpark 2. Emnotweni Casino Try your luck at gaming, or there are the Movies at Emnotweni, stores, and restaurants on the premises, too. From [Wikivoyage: Mbombela](https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Mbombela), CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us. Eat ## Where to eat 1. The Prego Lady This establishment is practically a historical fixture of Nelspruit. From [Wikivoyage: Mbombela](https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Mbombela), CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us. Go there ## Getting to Mbombela **Airports:** Kruger Mpumalanga (MQP), 15 km · King Mswati III (SHO), 123 km · Maputo (MPM), 167 km\ **Stations:** Nelspruit Airport, 3.6 km\ - Johannesburg → Mbombela 304 km · quickest by road, 4h 4m · R305–405 [Guide](https://www.mixroutes.com/routes/johannesburg-to-mbombela) [Today](https://www.mixroutes.com/results?from=Johannesburg&to=Mbombela) - Polokwane → Mbombela 231 km · quickest by road, 5h 13m · R275–365 [Guide](https://www.mixroutes.com/routes/polokwane-to-mbombela) [Today](https://www.mixroutes.com/results?from=Polokwane&to=Mbombela) - Durban → Mbombela 487 km · quickest by road, 8h 59m · R610–820 [Guide](https://www.mixroutes.com/routes/durban-to-mbombela) [Today](https://www.mixroutes.com/results?from=Durban&to=Mbombela) - From anywhere The planner compares every way there from wherever you are. [Plan a trip](https://www.mixroutes.com/?to=Mbombela) Road and air are today’s quick answer; timetabled trains, buses and ferries load on the results page from the operators’ feeds. Not yet researched ## No local-transport research exists yet for Mbombela Our researched notes are written from a sourced entry: every shared taxi, boat and village bus with its operator, its rule, its fare and the year we saw it, and what could not be confirmed. Nobody has done that work for Mbombela. What is above is what we hold from open sources; nothing here pretends to be more. What Wikivoyage says about moving around - Get in There are minibus taxis going to/from Eswatini (Swaziland). From [Wikivoyage: Mbombela](https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Mbombela), CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us; that article was last edited 2026-09. The nearest places where the work is done 1. [Cape Maclear (Chembe)](https://www.mixroutes.com/notes/cape-maclear) MW 8 ways of moving, 32 sources 1,336 km 2. [South Luangwa National Park and Mfuwe](https://www.mixroutes.com/notes/south-luangwa) ZM 12 ways of moving, 36 sources 1,378 km 3. [Ilha de Moçambique](https://www.mixroutes.com/notes/ilha-de-mocambique) MZ 11 ways of moving, 47 sources 1,541 km 4. [Sossusvlei](https://www.mixroutes.com/notes/sossusvlei) NA 8 ways of moving, 26 sources 1,574 km 5. [Zanzibar](https://www.mixroutes.com/notes/zanzibar) TZ 8 ways of moving, 30 sources 2,315 km If you know how people move in Mbombela – the stand, the rule, the fare – [tell us](https://www.mixroutes.com/report?key=blog%7Cmbombela&title=Mbombela&sub=Field+notes&back=%2Fnotes%2Fmbombela), and the note gets an entry. Around it ## Next door to Mbombela - [Ehlanzeni District Municipality](https://www.mixroutes.com/notes/ehlanzeni-district-municipality) district municipality in Mpumalanga, South Africa 1.8 km [The place page for Mbombela](https://www.mixroutes.com/places/mbombela) [All the notes](https://www.mixroutes.com/notes) [Every note on South Africa](https://www.mixroutes.com/notes#c-ZA) --- This is the markdown version of https://www.mixroutes.com/notes/mbombela, for search crawlers and AI assistants. The HTML page is the canonical copy. Mixroutes is made by Lascade LLC, Sharjah Media City, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. Index of every page: https://www.mixroutes.com/llms.txt