Safari in Style at Euphorbia Mashatu

Editor — Fri, 24 Oct 2025 04:47:44 +0000

Words – Tessa Buhrmann

Pics – Tessa Buhrmann / Mashatu Game Reserve

Located in Botswana’s Northern Tuli Game Reserve, Mashatu Game Reserve is often called the ‘Land of the Giants’ due to its significant elephant population and the distinctive Mashatu trees that flourish along the rivers. Spanning 42,000 hectares, the reserve offers a mix of open plains, rocky outcrops, and riverine forests—each habitat bringing new opportunities for wildlife sightings.

The vastness of Mashatu is evident from the window of the Cessna 208B Grand Caravan as we fly in. The Limpopo River is lined with a ribbon of riverine forest, and beyond, rocky outcrops and small trees dot the open plains. After clearing immigration, we meet our guides for the transfer game drive to the luxurious Euphorbia Mashatu, our home for the next few nights.

The afternoon light spills across the landscape, turning the mopane-covered hills amber. The Majale River is dry but holds the promise of coming rains. Several giraffes emerge from the bush, moving with slow, deliberate grace across the riverbed to reach the greenery of leadwood trees—some, we later learn, are centuries old.

Stepping onto my private deck, I take in the views across the ravine. The plunge pool is inviting—a perfect spot to sip a G&T while soaking in the wilderness. The villa’s design, inspired by the shape of mopane tree pods, blends seamlessly into the surroundings, its stone walls and curved lines mirroring the land. Spacious and filled with natural light, it’s a space designed for both comfort and privacy. It’s a pity my husband isn’t with me.

Euphorbia Mashatu embraces sustainable tourism, minimising its environmental footprint through eco-friendly design and operation and the use of solar power. The eight villas, inspired by the shape of the mopane tree pod, are built using natural materials that blend seamlessly into the landscape. I love the ruggedness of locally sourced stone exteriors, the outdoor shower with its viewing window and the second ‘loo with a view,’ which makes for an unforgettable bathroom break. Beyond luxury and exceptional cuisine, Euphorbia’s exclusivity stands out—only four guests per safari vehicle means uninterrupted sightings and a more personal experience.

Mornings and afternoons are spent on game drives with ranger Rodgers and tracker Pontsho, hose knowledge and enthusiasm bring the bush to life. We traverse sandy plains, rocky ridges, and dry riverbeds, spotting everything from white-throated bee-eaters flitting into nest holes to a Verreaux’s eagle-owl watching from an apple-leaf tree. A herd of eland scatters in a cloud of dust.

Rodgers introduces us to Mashatu’s ‘Big Seven Land-Based Giants’—elephant, giraffe, ostrich, kori bustard, lion, eland, and leopard. We’re lucky enough to see them all. But it’s not just the giants that fascinate us. After Rodgers’ familiar “hold on tight” as we exit a riverbed, we find ourselves in a fragrant field of wild sage. He hands us a sprig—its scent more intense than expected. He explains its traditional use in roofing and medicine, including its use in treating gonorrhoea. Pontsho points out a stink shepherd’s tree under which a pair of bat-eared foxes pause before scampering off. Nearby, zebra kick up dust. The ground appears barren, but Rodgers assures us that after the rains, it will transform into a sea of yellow devil thorn flowers—a fleeting photographer’s dream.

Mashatu is renowned for its leopard sightings, and the reserve doesn’t disappoint. On one drive, we have three unforgettable encounters—a young male strolls across the riverbed, another naps under a knobby combretum, and two more lounge in the branches of a Mashatu tree. A pride of lions lazes in the mopane scrub, cubs play-fighting while the adults rest. Later, in the soft light of dawn, we watch a trio of cheetahs scanning the horizon, waiting for the right moment to move.

As the afternoon fades, we gather for sundowners on a rocky outcrop, the sky turning shades of orange and pink. With a G&T in hand, I listen to the sounds of the bush—hoping to hear the distant roar of a lion or the call of a hyena. Instead, I feel the gentle breeze, hear the chirping of crickets, and let the stillness settle over me—a rhythm that feels timeless.

Essentials:

Getting there – Mashatu Connect handles air and road transport, including flights from Johannesburg’s Lanseria Airport to Limpopo Valley Airfield (LVA) the easiest way of getting there, although it is a relatively easy five-to-six hour drive from Johannesburg. reservations@mashatu.com

For domestic flights within South Africa, contact South African Airways

www.flysaa.com

Where to Stay – Euphorbia Mashatu – https://mashatu.com/

Photographic Hides: https://www.photomashatu.com/

The post Safari in Style at Euphorbia Mashatu appeared first on Travel Southern Africa.

Rustic Luxury: Chobe National Park – Botswana

Editor — Tue, 30 Sep 2025 10:19:48 +0000

Words – Tessa Buhrmann

Pics – andBeyond & Tessa Buhrmann

A branch snaps. My husband stirs. In the moonlight, they move like grey ghosts — elephants, just ten metres from our tent. We sit up in bed, silent and spellbound, with only the flysheet between us and the wild. It lasted only moments, but it’s etched in memory forever.

This is our first time sleeping under canvas in the vast wilderness of Chobe National Park in northern Botswana. It’s something I’ve dreamed of for years, though as someone who prefers crisp linen to sleeping bags, I hadn’t imagined it would be possible, until I discover andBeyond’s luxurious mobile camping experience: Chobe Under Canvas.

Recent rains have coaxed new life from the parched bush. Kudus browse just metres from our vehicle, uncharacteristically relaxed. A yellow-billed kite drinks from a puddle in the road; a water monitor sniffs the air near a flock of alarmed lapwings. We watch buffalo raise dust as they cross the road in front of us, and lionesses lie stretched out in the heat. It’s midday, and we’re ready to head to camp.

The secluded, semi-permanent camp lies hidden among tall Zambezi teak and other indigenous trees. Rounding the bend, we’re greeted by the rich harmonies of the camp team, chilled lemon-scented cloths, and icy drinks. Any doubts I have about camping melt away the moment I step into our tent. Our tent is spacious, the crisp white linen on our queen-size bed is inviting, behind it is an ensuite bathroom, complete the beautiful amenities, a bucket shower – with hot water available on request, and a separate flush loo! There’s even a washbasin and mirror, luxury in the heart of the bush.

A well-worn game trail winds between the tents to the main guest area where a generous gazebo set beneath the trees. It’s where meals are served, and stories are shared. Later that afternoon, we gather our cameras, hats, and binoculars and head out on a game drive.

We follow the sandy track running parallel to the Chobe River, with riverine forest on one side and vast floodplains on the other. Birdlife is prolific; White-crowned Lapwings, Red-billed Teal, a Grey Heron and Little Egrets. We make our way through open grasslands where herds of impala graze, Red-billed Oxpeckers feast and a Kori Bustard, Botswana’s national bird, struts through the open veld.

What could be better than pre-dinner drinks around a crackling fire in the wilds of the African bush? I sigh contentedly… savouring the sounds of the bush and the gentle evening breeze.

I awake the next morning to a symphony of sounds… the high-pitched chorus of cicadas joined by the ‘work harder, work harder’ of the Cape Turtle Dove, the cackling chatter of Green Wood Hoopoes and the shrill whistle of a Pearl Spotted Owlet. I unzip the flysheet and emerge into the soft morning light; bees buzz in a Kalahari apple leaf tree and crinum lilies bloom nearby. A Red-billed Spurfowl calls, and an Africa Grey Hornbill squawks from a branch above.

With the sun peeking through the still bare branches of the mahogany trees we head to the gazebo for coffee and breakfast, before setting off on another game drive. We see lion tracks, then lion and buffalo tracks, both heading into the thicket. Was there was action during the night, we wonder?

We follow their tracks into the bush, scanning the undergrowth. No kill, but two lionesses are dozing beside the track. One slumbers; the other watches us closely. A Lilac-breasted Roller takes flight, a rainbow of colours against the African sky and a Coppery-tailed Coucal suns itself in the soft morning light.

Then, just as we think it’s time to head back, a herd of elephants emerges and strides purposefully to the river. We sit silently, hearts full, as they pass, unhurried, majestic, and utterly wild.

https://www.andbeyond.com/our-lodges/africa/botswana/chobe-national-park/andbeyond-chobe-under-canvas/

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Safari in Style at Euphorbia Mashatu

Rustic Luxury: Chobe National Park – Botswana