A safari far off the beaten track
Visit one of Botswana's least visited regions and explore a wildlife-rich rugged landscape on a tailor made Tuli Block safari holiday
A tailor made Tuli Block safari holiday in Botswana's least visited region is great for those who want to get far off the beaten track. Hidden snugly away in the south east of the country, between Zimbabwe and South Africa, a trip here combines very well with Kruger National Park. Historically known as the ‘Tuli Enclave’ and named after the river just over the border in Zimbabwe, the ‘Tuli Block’ offers easy access to a genuine wilderness experience, with guaranteed sightings of abundant wildlife, a profusion of birds and fascinating topography. This is a largely rugged and dry landscape, famous for its rocky outcrops, kopjes and baobab-strewn plains. Small pockets of marshland and the flow of water from the Limpopo River ensure good game throughout the year.
Tuli also boasts numerous archaeological and historical sites, with visible evidence of early communities including pottery shards, beads, smelting relics and granaries. Its modern history dates to the time of Cecil John Rhodes and due to its strategic position along the South African border, Tuli was a focal point of the Boer War in the late 19th Century.
Apart from a portion of land in Ghanzi, around Gaborone and Lobatse, Tuli Block remains one of the few areas where freehold land in Botswana is available. It’s a series of game farms and private reserves where visitors can enjoy game drives, horseback safaris, bush walks and mountain biking amongst vast herds of elephant, kudu, impala, wildebeest, giraffe, zebra, waterbuck, eland, cheetah, lion - some black maned - and leopard. In addition, caracal, aardwolf, hyena and jackal can be seen at night. 350 recorded bird species include shrikes, the boulder chat, the short-toed rock thrush, raptors, woodpeckers, kori bustard and even ostriches. The aquatic species are especially interesting and include cormorants and the beautiful pygmy kingfisher.
Whilst you can fly in just one hour by light aircraft for your Tuli Block safari holiday, it's quite easy to arrive by vehicle from Johannesburg. The 500km trip will take about 5 hours and the border-post hours are 8am to 4pm daily.
Best places to stay in Tuli Block
Botswana Trip Inspiration
When to go to Botswana
Find out the best time to visit Botswana with our month by month guide.
- Best
- Good
- Mixed
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
January
January is the heart of the wet season, with heavy downpours usually in the late afternoons, which is a great excuse to watch the storm from the luxury of your camp or lodge. Much of the wildlife is still there it may just take a little longer to find as its more dispersed due to the surrounding surface water. The lightning can put on quite a show making it an excellent time of year for photography! This time of year is hot, and aside from the rainshowers it's sunny. Migratory birds are breeding, and the young offspring of the plains game will be skipping about the savannahs. This is the best time to see the Zebra and Wildebeest migration as well as large flocks of flamingos down in the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans. Rates are lower during the wet season.
February
February is also one of the warmer months, and is defined by both sunshine and heavy storms, which making it another great time for photography. It's now that the Central Kalahari begins waking up, with herds of game coming to graze the lush grassland. Again the peak migration should be in the Makgadikgadi now with large herds of wildebeest and zebra in the area. Game viewing is still great in many areas of the Okavango Delta with many of the dried camps on the western side top choice.
March
The wet season slowly comes to an end, leaving hot, drier days. There is still some rain, but only for short periods during the afternoon. Enjoy the green scenery and the lower accommodation rates. Towards the end of March the wildlife in the Central Kalahari really begins to pick up as large numbers of plains game head in the pans and Valleys. This is a great time of year to combine the Central Kalahari and Okavango Delta.
April
April is a fine month to visit Botswana, as the nights become cooler and sleeping is easier. Breeding season is underway for plains game, so keep an eye out for the clashing males attempting to woo the females out on the savannahs. Along with the breeding season comes more predator activity as the young animals are easy pickings. This is peak game viewing time in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve making it an integral part of any itinerary.
May
With the rainy season at an end, the temperature falls, making bush excursions more pleasant. Nights can be a little chilly, so you'll probably need an extra layer if you're heading out on an evening game drive. Skies become clearer and there are fewer mosquitoes. This is one of our favourite months to travel and also marks the final month before the peak season rates kick in in most camps.
June
June is the middle of winter in Botswana, and is one of the best times to visit the country. Days are pleasantly warm, and nights are spent tucked up cosily in your camp or lodge. Wildlife becomes concentrated around waterholes making it easier to spot. This is a great time to visit the Okavango Delta, Moremi and Chobe.
July
With warm sunny days, and cool nights, July is the perfect time to be in Botswana. Although this is the dry season, it's a great time to enjoy a traditional mokoro canoe trip as floodwaters begin to rise in the Okavango Delta, flowing down from the highlands of Angola.
August
The temperature begins to rise again in August, but it's still a superb time for game viewing, and the Makgadikgadi Pans are now accessible through until October. Water is now scarce in many of the parks, making game viewing easy. It's a good time to visit Savute and Linyanti.
September
Days in September are hot with sunny blue skies, and the nights are no longer cold. It does get quite dusty out in the bush thanks to many months without rain, and game viewing is excellent as predators and prey alike hunt to find water.
October
October is warmer, and safari activities take place during early mornings and late afternoons to avoid the worst of the heat. This is one of the final month before the rains come and the ground is at its driest making for exceptional game viewing. If you don’t mind hot days this is one of the peak game viewing months
November
November remains hot, but the rains return mid-month, bringing the plains and forests back to life. If you want to see young animals being born, and lots of predator action, this is the month to come. With rates dropping in November and the rains often falling later on in the month the first 2 weeks of November are a very popular time to travel. It also ties in nicely with great weather in Cape Town and the garden route.
December
The rainy season is now in full swing with often short heavy down pours int he evening, days are still mostly sunny. landscapes are lush and there is plenty of wildlife activity as the newborns flourish.
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