Place to Visit: Tuli Block Conservancies

Experience Multi-activity in Botswana

Central Botswana, Botswana

Originally set aside as a transit route for Cecile Rhodes Cape-to-Cairo railway, the Tuli Block is now home to the world’s largest population of elephant on private land with some of the world’s biggest privately owned game farms.

Great Reasons To Visit

  • Activity based excursions – including biking, canoeing and horseback riding
  • Large population of elephants in every size
  • Night drives reveal rare nocturnal animals, look out for eagles and eagle owls by day, strange-looking ground hornbills and unique geology with unusual rocky outcrops

Background

The Tuli block became its awkward long narrow shape when it was given to Cecil John Rhodes in the late 1800's to build a railway line. There were far too many small rivers to cross, so the line was eventually constructed further west. Access to the area was historically bad due to poor quality dirt roads and by the 1960's it became obvious that game farming and tourism were the better options for Tuli Block land. Farms began to consolidate into conservation areas, which became privately owned reserves including the Tuli Game Reserve and Mashatu - which is the largest privately owned game reserve in Southern Africa.

Relaxing

Tuli has a choice of several comfortable lodges.

Tuli Block Conservancies

The wildlife areas are located between the Limpopo, Motloutse (Great Elephant) and Shashe Rivers and is a diverse wilderness of open grass plains, marshlands, massive trees hugging the riverbanks and a fascinating variety of rock types. Giant boulders and rocky outcrops are punctured by huge peculiar-looking Baobab trees and cacti-like Euphorbias.

There are few fences in the entire Tuli area which permits unrestricted travel for animals along a large section of the Limpopo River. As a result most game farms and private lodges see migrant populations of impala, wildebeest, kudu and zebra as well as resident bushbuck, waterbuck, warthog and hippo. Nearer the Motloutse River you can add hyena, elephant, lion, leopard and cheetah to the list.

Mashatu boasts the single largest population of elephants on privately owned land (in excess of 700), and you are almost guaranteed to see lion and leopard while staying there plus a zebra, giraffe, eland, impala, steenbok and cheetah.

There are a wonderful variety of birds here, some who soar and others who prefer to keep their feet on the ground. Circling in the thermals you will see lappetfaced vultures, majestic black eagles and martial eagles, while darting to catch insects are brilliantly coloured bee-eaters, kingfishers and rollers,. On the ground are ostriches, huge kori bustards, saddle-billed storks and the rather peculiar-looking ground hornbill. Other birds to watch out for are giant eagle owls and Meyer's parrots.

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