Tuli Safari

Your adventure begins with a flight from O.R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg to Limpopo Valley Airfield, located within the Mashatu Game Reserve. From the airfield, you’ll make your way to the Horizon Horseback Mashatu stables, where a light lunch is served beside the Limpopo River.

After a safety briefing, you’ll meet your horse and prepare for your first ride. Horizon carefully matches each rider with a suitable horse based on their experience and ability. You’ll also complete a short riding assessment before setting off, checking that you are balanced in the saddle and able to control your horse independently. Confident riding skills are important throughout the Tuli Safari, as the days involve several hours in the saddle and you may encounter elephants and big cats at relatively close range.

Your first afternoon in the reserve takes you from the stables to Two Mashatus Camp, covering around 11 kilometres along the Limpopo River floodplains. This first ride offers an exciting introduction to the wildlife of Mashatu, with opportunities to see elephants, giraffe, zebra, ostrich and wildebeest.

The route also passes a large wetland that attracts a variety of game and you may spot smaller species such as bat-eared foxes, black-backed jackals and spotted hyenas. After crossing the Majali River near its confluence with the Limpopo, the trail continues across open plains towards Two Mashatus Camp, where you’ll spend your first night in the Tuli wilderness.

An early breakfast marks the start of your first full day in the saddle. Following the Majali and Mataboli Rivers, you’ll ride north-west through the central areas of the reserve towards Tree Camp.

The riverine landscape is rich in wildlife, with regular opportunities to encounter elephants, waterbuck, giraffe, impala, wildebeest and zebra. Your guides will also be alert to signs of predators, which inhabit these waterways and the surrounding bushveld.

After around four to five hours of riding, you’ll arrive at Tree Camp, where lunch and a refreshing shower await. Set beneath the shade of the magnificent Mashatu trees, the camp offers a welcome opportunity to slow down and enjoy your surroundings.

In the afternoon, you’ll leave the horses to rest and join a guided bush walk along the Majali River. Keep an eye out for crocodiles and other wildlife, while kudu, warthog, klipspringer and eland can often be found around the camp. With elephants, lion and hyena also roaming the area, even a quiet walk through the bush can bring unexpected encounters.

As evening approaches, you can simply relax at camp and take in the sounds of the wilderness around you.

After an early breakfast at Tree Camp, you’ll set out on one of the longest rides of the safari. The route climbs towards a small escarpment before descending into the Valley of the Elephants, where ancient elephant paths wind through the bush beneath giant baobabs.

The pace is deliberately slower through this first section, giving your guides time to watch for elephants around the watering pans and along the river. As the landscape opens up, the horses can pick up the pace across softer ground before the trail continues towards the Motloutse River.

From here, you’ll cross open mopane plains towards the Sacred Rock massif, where large herds of zebra, wildebeest and impala are often seen. The route eventually leads to The Kgotla, an old leadwood enclosure that once served as a traditional meeting and law court for a nearby Botswana community.

Set close to the Motloutse River, Kgotla is surrounded by fertile floodplains and abundant wildlife. Lion and hyena are particularly common in the area, and their calls can often be heard around camp after dark.

In the afternoon, you’ll head out on a game drive in search of the resident lions before stopping for sundowners among the ancient Amphitheatre rocks. While big cats can occasionally be encountered from horseback, Horizon Horseback follows a ride-away policy, making game drives the best way to observe lion, leopard, cheetah and spotted hyena more closely.

Back at Kgotla, dinner is served around the campfire. With a sky full of stars overhead and the sounds of the bush all around you, you’ll spend your first night completely immersed in the wilderness.

With no need to reach another camp today, the riding is more relaxed and can be adapted to the group. You’ll follow the Motloutse River, stopping at well-known elephant drinking spots where you can watch the herds gather around the water.

The trail then winds past Solomon’s Wall and continues beneath giant Mashatu and leadwood trees towards the Limpopo. Along the way, the landscape becomes increasingly dramatic, with colourful sandstone formations rising from the valley. Eland, klipspringer and kudu can often be found among the rocks and surrounding bush.

In the afternoon, you’ll head out on a game drive towards the impressive Mamagwa massif. As the sun begins to set, you’ll stop at the western edge of the formation for sundowners overlooking the vast wilderness.

The drive back to Kgotla takes place after dark, offering another opportunity to spot nocturnal wildlife and predators such as lion, leopard and hyena before returning to camp for the evening.

Today’s ride begins with some of the fastest riding of the safari, taking advantage of the sandy terrain in the western part of the reserve. After a few long canters across the open ground, the route climbs over a dramatic rocky massif that cuts through this part of Mashatu.

The horses are led by hand for a short section through the rocks before descending towards the plains on the other side. From here, there is another opportunity for a canter before reaching the banks of the Limpopo River.

In the shade of the riverbank, a memorable bush breakfast awaits. After breakfast, there is time to water the horses before following the cooler riverside trails back towards Kgotla Camp.

You’ll arrive in time for a well-earned siesta before heading out again in the afternoon for a game drive towards the Amphitheatre. As the sun sets over the wilderness, you’ll stop for sundowners with spectacular views stretching across the landscape.

On this day the journey turns northeast and follows a series of river trails on the way back to the centre of the reserve.  Life in this arid environment is always concentrated near water, and the ride promises sightings of elephant, zebra, giraffe and wildebeest.  The route crosses the watershed  and then winds along ancient paths adjacent to a stream flowing north towards the Majali River.  At these elevated heights, the sweeping views to the north reveal the true wilderness character of Mashatu Game Reserve.  Baobab trees scatter the landscape as they have for centuries, and remarkably two of these giants are found growing directly in the stream itself.  This provides an excellent spot for both horses and riders to stop for a rest and a drink.

The remainder of the day’s riding is a mixture of elephant trail trekking and canters across relatively open mopane veld.  The final stretch is along the Majali River itself, past rocky pools, cliff faces and ribbons of green grass.  Encounters with baboon, kudu, klipspringers and crocodile are likely.  Tree Camp is finally reached after 4-5 hours of riding.

That afternoon guests leave their horses to a well earned rest and will go either on a guided bush walk or, subject to availability, a game drive with Mashatu Main Camp guides.  This opportunity, while provided at an extra cost, should not be missed as the near guaranteed sightings of lion and leopard, and sometimes of cheetah, are legendary.  The guides are very knowledgeable about the structure and whereabouts of the various prides and individuals and failure to find them is very rare indeed.

An early start from Tree Camp takes you along a ridge in the heart of the reserve, with beautiful morning views stretching across the wilderness to the east and south. The trail then descends towards the Majali River, where deep pools attract baboons, impala and, regularly, large herds of elephants coming down to drink and cool off.

From the river, the route opens out onto the plains, offering opportunities for some faster canters before entering the cooler riverine vegetation surrounding Two Mashatus Camp.

Set among giant Mashatu and apple-leaf trees close to the Limpopo River, Two Mashatus lies in one of the reserve’s most wildlife-rich areas. Elephants are particularly abundant here and may even wander through the camp, while lion, leopard, baboon, bushbuck and waterbuck can also be found nearby.

After four to five hours in the saddle, you’ll have the afternoon to relax at camp and cool off in the swimming pool, enjoying your final evening in the Tuli wilderness.

Your final morning in the Tuli wilderness begins with one last ride along the Limpopo River, following its course upstream towards the stables.

The route passes through wildlife-rich habitat, with the chance to spot a variety of species along the way. A large wetland attracts waterfowl, while the surrounding area is home to hyena, ostrich, bat-eared foxes and kori bustards; the largest flying birds in Africa.

On reaching the stables, you’ll have time for a shower and a final meal beside the Limpopo River before saying goodbye to your horse and the team.

From here, it’s a short transfer to Limpopo Valley Airfield for your flight back to Johannesburg, bringing your Tuli adventure to a close.