The Tuli Block: Botswana’s eastern corner, where the rock turns red.
A wedge of land on the Limpopo, facing South Africa and Zimbabwe. It looks nothing like the north, and it is the one part of Botswana you can reach by road from Johannesburg in a day.
Different rock, different rivers, a different way in.
The Tuli Block is a narrow strip along the Limpopo River in the far east of Botswana. At its northern tip, where the Shashe joins the Limpopo, a group of private properties have removed the fences between them to form the Northern Tuli Game Reserve. It is part of the Greater Mapungubwe Transfrontier Conservation Area, shared with South Africa and Zimbabwe.
The landscape is unlike anywhere else in the country: sandstone and basalt outcrops, mopane, big fig and nyala berry trees along the riverbeds, and Solomon’s Wall, a natural dolerite dyke that once dammed the Motloutse River. Breeding herds of elephant move through it, along with lion, leopard, cheetah and eland.
Because the reserve is private land, the activities are broader than in a national park: night drives, walking, mountain biking and horseback safaris, and ground-level hides at waterholes. It is close enough to Johannesburg to drive, so it suits travellers adding a few days of Botswana to a South African trip, as well as anyone who has seen the north and wants something different.
The Tuli Block: the essentials.
- WhereEastern Botswana, at the confluence of the Limpopo and Shashe rivers
- Best monthsMay to October for game; November to March for green landscapes and birds
- Getting thereAround six hours by road from Johannesburg via the Pont Drift border, or a short flight
- How you see itDay and night drives, walking, cycling, horseback and ground-level hides
- Part ofThe Greater Mapungubwe Transfrontier Conservation Area
- Who it suitsRepeat visitors, families, riders and cyclists, and South Africa add-ons
A side of Botswana most visitors never see.
Red rock country
Sandstone koppies, basalt ridges and Solomon’s Wall, with the light turning everything copper at the end of the day.
Elephant herds
Breeding herds move through the riverbeds and across the open ground, digging for water in the dry Shashe sand.
Ground-level hides
Sunken hides beside waterholes put you at eye level with elephant drinking a few metres away. Remarkable for photography.
Cycling and horseback
Guided mountain-bike and horseback safaris across private land, for confident riders. Rarely possible elsewhere in Botswana.
Night drives and walks
Private-reserve rules allow spotlit drives after dark and walking with an armed professional guide.
Three countries
From the Limpopo you look across to South Africa and Zimbabwe, and the Mapungubwe World Heritage Site lies just over the border.
What guests ask us about Tuli Block.
How do we get to the Tuli Block?
By road, it is around six hours from Johannesburg to the Pont Drift border post, where you are met on the Botswana side. By air, light aircraft fly in to the Limpopo Valley airfield. From Maun or Kasane it is a long way, and flying via Johannesburg is usually simplest.
Can we combine the Tuli Block with the Okavango Delta?
Yes, but it takes planning, because the Tuli is at the opposite end of the country. It works best as a start or finish via Johannesburg, or as the Botswana leg of a South African trip, rather than in the middle of a northern circuit.
What is a ground-level hide?
A sunken shelter, sometimes a converted shipping container, set into the ground beside a waterhole. You sit with your eyes at ground level while elephant and other animals drink in front of you. It is quiet, safe and very close.
Is the Tuli Block good for families?
Often, yes. Activities are flexible on private land, distances from Johannesburg are manageable, and there is a lot to do beyond game drives. Walking, cycling and riding carry minimum ages, which we confirm for each property.
Written around you, not taken off a shelf.
None of our seven signature journeys goes to Tuli Block, which suits it: we add it to a tailor-made route instead. Tell us how many days you have and we will show you where it fits.
Keep reading
- Where we go in Botswana — every destination, and how they combine
- Family and active safaris — cycling, riding and walking, and who they suit
- When to go to Botswana — the dry winter and the green summer compared
Thinking about Tuli Block?
Tell us when you can travel and what you most want to see, and we will tell you honestly how many nights it deserves and what to pair it with.