User Reviews of Mashatu Game Reserve (8 Reviews)

Mashatu was recommended by friends who visited the reserve. They saw lot's of game but I was very interested in the leopards as I never had a good sighting of this shy animal. So we booked 2 nights in the tented camp. We had to drive 5 hours to reach the border on the Limopo river. We were 1 hour early (meeting point at Pont Drift was 1 pm) but a Mashatu-representative was already there to help us thru customs. The car stayed in South Africa. We crossed the Limpopo river in a cableway. The drive to the camp was already a gamedrive. Big herd of impala on the road and a cori bustard walking around. On arrival it seemed we were the only guests at this moment. The tent was perfect : a good bed and furniture. Toilet and shower were outside. There was no lunch on the day of arrival but no problem. We ate a light lunch in Alldays. At 4 pm we were ready for our first gamedrive. It was very hot and the car was open. So a hat was not a luxury. We drove quitte a while to see the first wildlife.

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The leopard I wanted to see was laying along a small river. Our guide drove towards it and I was afraid he'd scare it away. But it was very relaxed and we spend about 30 minutes there watching this beautiful animal. It walked even passed our car about 2 meter from us. We had 3 more leopard encounters later on. We also saw the wild dogs. They were very curious and came to our car to investigate us. About 8 pm we arrived back at the camp where dinner was served in the boma. The next morning we were woken very early for our morning gamedrive. Coffee, tea & biscuits were served before we hit the (dirt)road. Very special was the herd of elephants - all mothers with there babies. Our guide put the car on a strategic position and the whole herd walked passed us. Very impressive. Every gamedrive had something special. Like the cheetah with 5 cubs. On the last one we saw spotted hyena eating wildebeest. Lot's of vultures were waiting for the leftovers. The only animal we did not see was lion. They crossed the border of Mashatu. All gamedrives have a ranger/driver and a tracker in the back. In between the gamedrives you can relax, take a swim or sit in the hide to see more game. I must say it was a bit noisy there as you could hear the staff talking to eachother. But I saw a lot of kudu, impala and warthog there. Birds too.
Mashatu is a beautifull reserve but not cheap. One even has to pay for the drinks during the gamedrives. But if you want to see game ? Go there. It was a great experience.

We had a true outback experience. Staying in the tent camp, the facilities were good but basic and the food was excellent. The afternoon tea was a welcome addition to each day! It was easy to fall into the natural rhythm of the place - we got up with the sun and tracked elephants, leopards, lions and many other animals while taking in the beautiful scenery. Days filled with 4x4 drives and walking tours with experienced, witty and knowledgeable guides - perfect! Weather was just right; a few cloudy days but always warm and enjoyable. The highlight of my visit was climbing up the ridge known as the ampitheatre and sipping a beer while watching the sun set on elephants playing in the river below. The game reserve was a lot greener than expected, due to visiting near rainy season time. Many interesting locations to visit that offer amazing views and a superb range of animals: Eagle Rock, Baobab Rock and the Ampitheatre were just some of the places I enjoyed visiting. Spotted some Marshall Eagles

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and European Rollers, which were amongst my favourite sightings (apart from the elephants of course!). I highly recommend a visit here, it's somewhere to be truly at peace with yourself and with nature.