Botswana Parks
By Anthony Ham
Anthony is a renowned Africa expert and author of many Lonely Planet guidebooks, including the guide to Botswana.
Northern Tuli Game Reserve spans over 720km² privately owned land in the Tuli Block area. It incorporates three private concessions: Mashatu GR, Tuli Safari Lodge and Nitani Private GR. This area is arguably one of the most underrated wildlife destinations in southern Africa. Northern Tuli only has three of the Big Five with rhino and buffalo absent, but elephants are abundant, and leopard are habituated. Activities such as game drives in open vehicles, night drives and walking safaris are standard. On top of that, horse riding, mountain biking and ballooning are also available.
Pros & Cons
- Excellent wildlife viewing (especially leopard and elephant)
- Off-road driving is permitted, which facilitates quality sightings
- Game drives, walking safaris and predator drives with a scientist are offered
- Adventure activities, such as horse riding and mountain biking, are available
- Several accommodation options available in three private reserves
- Excellent guiding and tracking
- Beautiful arid scenery
- Limited variety of animals with buffalo and rhino absent
- Self-drive is not permitted in the reserve
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 relatively easy to track them. Lion, cheetah and wild dog are regularly spotted as well. Some antelope to look out for include klipspringer, waterbuck, impala and the 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.
