LAND OF GIANTS

Wedged into the easternmost corner of Botswana, where the mighty Limpopo and Shashe River form the borders of Zimbabwe, Botswana and South Africa, Tuli Game Reserve is the answer to every question: looking for thrilling wildlife? Wondering where the best place to see a leopard is? Want a game reserve practically to yourself but don’t want to compromise on luxury? You’ll fly into Johannesburg and then take a chartered plane to the park, where you’ll stay for three nights at the small and intimate Tuli Safari Lodge.

After your early morning wake up call, take in the sounds and smells of the African bush from your wraparound deck before embarking on guided safaris. You can embrace the traditional African safari with morning and evening game drives to spot elephants, aardvarks, cheetahs, lions, leopards, mongoose, wild dogs, wildebeest, zebras and honey badgers – just to name a few - or mix it up with a bush walk and a few hours in the comfort of the hide located by a busy waterhole.

In an area so renowned for its wildlife, you’d be surprised to find Tuli Game Reserve is also full of history. Take a break from your safaris to visit the ‘Rhodes Baobab’. In 1893, Cecil Rhodes famously negotiated with a local chief to use the Tuli Block as a section of the Cape-to-Cairo railway. The contract was signed by all parties by carving their initials into a baobab tree.

Having combined history with wildlife, return to the lodge in time for sunset, as you watch the night’s sky develop before you, revealing the Southern Cross and the magical Milk Way.

Transported to another land of greats, you’ll travel by road to Kruger National Park, which is quite rightly famous for its high density of Big Five animals. From lions battling crocodiles to hippos rescuing hunted antelopes, Kruger offers a front row seat to some of the best wildlife in the world.

Situated right in the northern corner of the park, Pafuri Camp will be your home for three nights. The camp is set on the banks of the Luvuhu River, which is often visited by elephants, buffaloes and fish eagles – meaning you won’t even have to leave the camp to spot great wildlife. Venture into the bush on a game drive or go on a guided birding walk - this is the best birding region in Kruger.

For a history lesson of the area, go on a historical and archaeological specialist safari. Important for its paleo-anthropological history, there is evidence of early human life stretching back some 2 million years (through the Stone Age and into the Iron Age) at the ruins of Thulamela, which is worth a visit during your stay.

Though there are no fences between Kruger and Sabi Sand Game Reserve, Sabi Sand is a world away. While Kruger is vast and widely visited, Sabi Sand is small and entirely intimate. Taking a short chartered plane from Pafuri Camp south, you’ll be taken to Leopard Hills, located on top of a rocky outcrop with spectacular views over a natural waterhole. You’ll stay in a stilted, glass-fronted suite with its own sundeck and rock plunge pool, where you can wallow like the hippos in front of you or watch the passing game from your sunbed.

During the heat of the day, cool down on the breezy, open-air veranda or take a good book and fold into the soothing hammocks. When it’s cooler, head out on an afternoon game drive to catch superb sightings of the lodge’s namesake, the sleek leopard, as well as the machine-like rhino, the dusty elephant, the grumpy bull buffalo and the king of the park - the lion.

As you will have certainly already seen all or most of the Big Five, we recommend a guided walk to get closer to the less-known but fascinating habitats and inhabitants of the reserve. For the ‘Little Five’, try to spot a leopard tortoise making its walk along the sandy road, watch a rhino beetle work hard to lift something up to 850 times its own weight, discover the intricate nests of the buffalo weaver and the deadly (to ants) pits dug by the predatory ant lion, or marvel at the jumping elephant shrew, named for their long, trunk-like noses.