Combining Northern Kruger in South Africa and the Mashatu Game Reserve in Botswana offers an easy, rewarding way to experience two distinct countries in a single trip. The contrast between the baobab-filled landscapes of Pafuri and the drier, open terrain of Mashatu creates an extraordinary safari combination.
Our Carmen, Kerstin, Kimberley, and Mirjam recently completed this journey first-hand to assess the logistics, accommodations, and safari experiences across both reserves.
South Africa: The Pafuri Concession, Northern Kruger
To reach the Return Africa concession in Northern Kruger – known as the Makuleke Concession – our team flew to Polokwane and took a three-hour scenic road transfer to Pafuri Gate, followed by a 30-minute drive to camp. The landscape hits you immediately: giant baobab trees, fever tree forests, and sweeping river views. Pafuri is not about chasing a quick Big Five checklist; it is perfect for repeat safari guests, birders, and travellers who appreciate vast landscapes and wilderness history.
We based ourselves at Pafuri Camp, set along the banks of the Luvuvhu River with 12 tented suites and 7 family tented suites. During our stay, the main lodge area was being updated with a new elevated bar looking down onto the pool, a fresh welcome space, and an office area.
Our team enjoying a morning coffee overlooking the Limpopo River
Pafuri Camp main lodge area
Meals were generous and relaxed – from afternoon spreads of quiches, salads, and fresh cakes before the afternoon drive, to boma dinners under the stars.
During a bush braai around the fire, the staff shared the 200-year history of the land. The Makuleke people were forcibly removed from this fertile area in 1969, won back ownership of their ancestral land in 1998, and now sustainably co-manage the territory in partnership with SANParks and Return Africa. It was an incredible evening that gave us a much deeper understanding of the people and history behind the area.
Sunset baobab silhouette picture taken in Pafuri
Wilderness on Foot: Hutwini and Nkula Walking Camps
For active travellers wanting to experience the bush beyond a safari vehicle, Return Africa operates two solar-powered walking camps, Hutwini and Nkula, between 1 April and 31 October. Stepping out on foot alongside expert guides and armed rangers gives guests an intimate look at the environment that game drives cannot.
Both camps cater to active travellers between 16 and 65 years old (guests 65 and older require a medical fitness certificate), with all guests on a booking participating in the same guided walks accompanied by an armed ranger. The camps can open for smaller groups or individual travellers without requiring all eight beds to be filled.
Hutwini is the more elevated of the two, featuring four double tents with attached bucket showers, a larger communal lounge, and a lovely cleared space looking onto the river for morning coffees and campfires. Nkula offers four smaller, cosy double tents under shade and an outdoor patio seating area, with work currently underway to relocate the kitchen and dining areas for direct river views.
Hutwini double tent
Nkula main outdoor area
For private families and groups, Baobab Hill House provides an exclusive-use four-bedroom homestead complete with its own pool, private vehicle, and dedicated guide.
Baobab Hill House exclusive homestead
Game drives in Pafuri delivered impressive elephant herds, general game, hyenas, and a great variety of bird species. A real highlight was visiting Crook’s Corner, where recent floodwaters have reshaped the riverbanks at the historic meeting point of South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Botswana.
Elephant seen on game drive through Pafuri
African fish eagle spotted in Pafuri
Suspended Over the Limpopo: Crossing into Botswana
Leaving Pafuri, the drive to the Pont Drift border post took three hours on paved roads, with one 500 metre section containing potholes.
Crossing into Botswana here is an unexpected highlight of the trip. Depending on the water levels of the Limpopo River, guests either drive directly across or, when the river rises too high, load their luggage into a motorised suspended cable car to glide across. Experiencing the crossing via cable car was an exhilarating, unforgettable moment for our team.
Our team crossing into Botswana at the Pont Drift border post
Botswana: Mashatu Game Reserve
On the other side, our Mashatu guides met us directly at Botswana immigration, and within minutes of stamping our passports, we were driving into the reserve.
Mashatu presents a dramatic visual contrast to Pafuri – drier, wilder, and open. The base for our team was Mashatu Tented Camp, set beneath large shade trees alongside a dry riverbed. It delivers an authentic, intimate tented safari (for guests aged 12 and older) centred around great hospitality and hearty bush meals.
Mashatu Tented Camp pool area
Transfer vehicles are covered for comfort, while game drives use open vehicles with trackers positioned in the back row and guides using radio headsets for quiet communication.
The wildlife encounters in Mashatu were superb: two small prides of lions, a female leopard on two occasions, bat-eared foxes, jackals, and remarkably relaxed elephant herds that strolled calmly right past our safari vehicle.
Jackals spotted on a game drive through Mashatu Game Reserve
Small lion pride sighting in Mashatu
Beyond classic game drives, Mashatu excels at specialized active safaris – including horseback safaris, cycling tours, walking safaris, and star-bed sleepouts.
For photography enthusiasts, all Mashatu properties can book sessions at world-class ground-level sunken hides, while the Lala Limpopo Sleepout Hide offers an overnight waterhole experience equipped with motion-triggered camera alerts.
Our Kerstin and Mirjam in a world-class photography hide
Lala Limpopo Sleepout Hide view
Our team inspected several other properties within Mashatu Game Reserve.
Mashatu Lodge (4-Star): Enclosed by a stone perimeter wall, making it exceptionally secure for families with children of all ages. Features air-conditioned stone rooms with metal roofs, a central dining area, and a pool.
Mashatu Lodge serene pool area
Euphorbia Lodge (5-Star): A cliffside property set among tall euphorbias for guests aged 16 and older, featuring private villas with outdoor bathtubs, plunge pools, and golf-cart transport.
Euphorbia Lodge private villa outdoor area and stunning view
Tuli Safari Lodge (4-Star): A tented property set in sprawling gardens with a boma, swimming pool and an elevated star deck accessed via rock steps, accepting children of all ages.
Tuli Safari Lodge luxury tented suite
KoloKolo House (5-Star): An exclusive-use private house requiring a minimum two-night stay, complete with a private chef, vehicle, guide, and no age restrictions.
KoloKolo exclusive-use private house
Departing was as smooth as arriving: we boarded a Mashatu Connect flight directly from the reserve’s internal airstrip to Lanseria Airport in Johannesburg – a comfortable two-hour-and-40-minute connection complete with a packed lunch box.