Northern Tuli Game Reserve
Overview
Botswana Parks
By Anthony Ham
Anthony is a renowned Africa expert and author of many Lonely Planet guidebooks, including the 'Botswana & Namibia' guide.
Northern Tuli Game Reserve spans over 720km² privately owned land in the Tuli Block area. It incorporates several private concessions including Mashatu GR and Tuli Safari Lodge. Wildlife viewing is excellent; elephants are abundant, and leopard are habituated. On top of standard game drives and walking safaris, horse riding, mountain biking and ballooning are also available.
Pros & Cons
Wildlife
Northern Tuli offers high-quality wildlife viewing. Elephant lovers are in for a treat as herds are very relaxed. This is also a great place to see predator behavior. Leopards thrive in this habitat, and the scarce vegetation makes it possible to track them. Lion, cheetah and wild dog are regularly spotted as well. Some antelope to look out for include klipspringer, waterbuck, impala and eland, the largest antelope in Africa.
Scenery
Tuli lies in a semi-arid region with a variety of landscapes, including riverine forest along the riverbanks, sandstone outcrops, massive rock formations and mopane woodland. A well-known landmark is Solomon’s wall, a 30m high basalt dyke.
Weather & Climate
The Northern Tuli reserve has a semi-arid climate characterized by a mild, dry winter (May to September) and a hot, wet summer (October to April). Warm clothing is a must for early-morning game drives in the heart of winter, when it can get very chilly. By contrast, even though December through February is the hottest time of year, the early-morning climate is perfect for getting out and about.
Best Time to Visit
The rivers of the area draw plenty of thirsty animals in the drier months (May to September). These animals attract predators which, in turn, attract more visitors to the reserve, although it rarely feels crowded. If you prefer your sky to be bright rather than hazy, and your vegetation as lush as possible, you may want to visit in the wetter months. This is also when baby animals might be spotted taking their first steps.
