 Fruit put Nelspruit
on the map in the 1890s, and fruit has always played a vital role in the town's
development. The fertile Crocodile River Valley, in which the town lies, is also notable
for its tobacco and timber industries.
Nelspruit today is the capital of Mpumalanga, the commercial and administrative hub of the
Lowveld, and the centre of a vast citrus-growing region. The streets of this large, modern
town are lined with jacaranda and flamboyant trees and impeccably tended suburban gardens
abound, flaunting flowering subtropical plants and shrubs.
From Nelspruit, good roads radiate to many of the most beautiful and interesting parts of
the Lowveld, including game sanctuaries, mountains and historic towns. Curio shops and
wayside stalls offer excellent hand-woven rugs, carvings, leather goods and fresh farm
produce. Hotels and caravan parks in town and the vicinity are convenient for stopovers,
and several days can be profitably spent exploring the surrounding countryside. Hiking
trails criss-cross this scenic area in every direction.
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