PostNet Suite 035, Private Bag X7005, Hillcrest, 3650, South Africa
Telephone:
+ 27 31 761 3440
Facsimile: + 27 31 765 2880
Reservations: reservations@mashatu.com
Accounts: accounts@mashatu.com
Marketing: marketing@mashatu.com
PostNet Suite 035, Private Bag X7005, Hillcrest, 3650, South Africa
Telephone:
+ 27 31 761 3440
Facsimile: + 27 31 765 2880
Reservations: reservations@mashatu.com
Accounts: accounts@mashatu.com
Marketing: marketing@mashatu.com
Mashatu is home to over 1000 elephants and these creatures have created a myriad trails across the reserve which forms the trails for much of our adventure tourism. The elephant use these trails to access water, food and shade and they are naturally well worn, smooth and perfectly maintained. Because the herds of elephant on Mashatu are breeding herds and therefore young calves are invariably present in the herds, these elephant trails tend to meander around obstacles making it much easier for the elephant youngsters and the adventurers amongst the Mashatu guests.
Click on the tab’s below to read more of Mashatu’s adventure safaris.
“Take a ride on the wild side.” A horse safari in the Land of Giants will arouse the explorer in you. Allow the spirit of your horse to carry you in rhythm with the African beat, to return you to an age-old Africa. Join Horizon Horseback Mashatu for a morning or afternoon ride. Horizon Horseback Mashatu operates as a concessionaire on Mashatu Game Reserve. The area is perfect for riding; good going with natural ditches and logs to jump gives an exhilarating ride. Regular game sightings not only of the elephants and cats but also of antelopes, wild dogs, jackals, bat eared foxes, giraffe and the occasional canter with zebras and wildebeest across the plains leaves you with unforgettable holiday memories.
The option to ride on a ‘camp wild’ experience is possible where these horse safaris comprise a 7-day journey on Mashatu. Alternatively, guests accommodated at Mashatu Euphorbia Villas, Mashatu Lodge or Tuli Safari Lodge Mashatu can participate in a morning or afternoon horse safari. This is a fast, advanced ride for experienced riders only. A riding ‘test’ will be conducted prior to the horse safari, and anyone not deemed to be experienced enough will not be allowed to continue on the horse ride. There is no charge for guests who do not pass the riding test. They will be taken on a game drive. It is advisable to pre-book this activity prior to arrival at Mashatu to ensure it is available.
Adhoc Rides from Camp:
2023: $ 80.00 per person per morning / afternoon ride (max 4 pax)
Tent Camp: Not offered
Ad-hoc afternoon horse rides are not available on Tuesdays and Saturdays.
Multiday Adventure Horse Safaris
Kindly contact laura@ridinginafrica.com for a quotation.
No children younger than 12 are permitted. Children under the age of 18 have to be accompanied by an adult / parent who is also an experienced rider
IMPORTANT NOTICE RE NON-RIDERS ON MASHATU
Should you have an enquiry for riders with a non-riding partner wanting a Botswana option, we suggest you book them into either Mashatu Euphorbia Villas, Mashatu Lodge, Tuli Safari Lodge Mashatu or Mashatu Tent Camp. This will ensure that the non-riding partners will experience Mashatu game drives in open 4-wheel drive safari vehicles conducted by experienced rangers and trackers, as well as the option of the following adventure activities: photographic hides, walking safaris and cycling safaris. The riders will be able to take privately tailored rides from the stables.
For guests staying at Mashatu Euphorbia Villas, Mashatu Lodge, Tuli Safari Lodge Mashatu or Mashatu Tent Camp, there is an opportunity, for the more adventurous, to join a mountain bike safari and see the bush from a completely different perspective. Experienced rangers accompany the cyclists as they pedal their way along ancient elephant paths. Cycling amid the “Giants of Mashatu” is an awesome, once-in-a-lifetime experience, and the mountain bike safaris are tailored to suit the fitness and strength of the riders. Rides are conducted in the early morning and late afternoon.
(Mountain bikes, cycling helmets and water bottles are available at Mashatu.)
Valid from 1 January 2023 to 31 December 2023:
US$65.00 per person per morning / afternoon cycle (Min 02 pax & Max 8 Pax)
Tent Camp: Guests will depart from and return to Mashatu Lodge.
Please note no children under the age of 12 years are permitted on mountain bike excursions. Children under the age of 18 have to be accompanied by an adult / parent who is also an experienced rider.
Cycle Mashatu – an independent company – offers a unique 4-day mountain biking getaway in the Mashatu Game Reserve, a big game area within the Northern Tuli Game Reserve of Botswana. The Cycle Mashatu Wilderness Trail provides an extraordinary opportunity to ride at leisure along ancient elephant migration paths, cycle through vast herds of wildlife and to sleep under starlit African skies. Join them for this unforgettable wildlife biking experience in Mashatu, the “Land of the Giants”! The distance, pace and routes are tailored to each group. The aim is to ride 4-5 hours per day, covering 30-40kms (20-30 miles). The pace is generally easy going with regular game sightings, and scenic picnic stops.
Duration:
3 nights and 4 days
Start/end:
Pont Drift Border Post, South Africa
Departures:
Tuesdays and Fridays, throughout the year. (This activity closes from November to March each year.)
Rates:
Cycle Mashatu tailors the tours to suit the group’s fitness and strength and provides vehicle support, meals, and camp amenities.
Kindly contact laura@cyclemashatu.com for a quotation.
Please note no children under the age of 12 years are permitted. Children under the age of 18 have to be accompanied by an adult / parent who is also an experienced rider.
Cycle Mashatu staff will be awaiting your arrival at the Pont Drift border, Botswana. Change into your cycle gear (facilities available) and then saddle up and ride for about 2 hours to your first nights’ accommodation, a rustic wilderness camp in the heart of the Mashatu Game Reserve. Our guides will take care of transporting your luggage. Cycle Mashatu’s wilderness camps are set up prior to your arrival and offer comfort without distracting from the wilderness experience. The meals are prepared on an open fire, and the hot water bucket showers and ice cold drinks all add up to make for a memorable night in the African bush.
Awake at dawn to freshly brewed coffee and a light breakfast, then saddle up to explore unchartered landscapes. Today we discover why Mashatu is called the “Land of the Giants”. The ± 30km route (20 miles) is a mixture of rocky outcrops, sandy river beds and smooth flowing single track which have been carved through centuries of migrating elephants. We’ll break for coffee and muffins en route and arrive at camp in time for lunch.
After a lazy afternoon at camp, we finish off this day with a game drive through the bushveld and a delectable meal around the camp fire.
Today’s ride is in a northerly direction on well-worn elephant trails with a gentle ascent out of the Limpopo Valley. We turn west and ride through the “Valley of the Elephants”, then continue towards the Motloutse River where sandstone ridges provide a beautiful backdrop. Distance approximately 35km (22 miles).
Tonight’s accommodation is the Kgotla camp, an open-aired “boma” and traditional meeting place under majestic Mashatu trees. Enjoy an afternoon of relaxation followed by a short bush walk and a final epic sundowner.
Today we wake up at leisure to a hearty breakfast and then we depart by vehicle to the Pont Drift border. We’ll arrive around 11h00, bringing this epic African adventure to an end. Then it’s time to say farewell and prepare for the nostalgia to settle in…
We highly recommend that you book an extra night at Mashatu Main or Tent Camp, and take the opportunity for a chance to view the reserve’s wildlife at close quarters from a game-viewing vehicle.
Visit Cycle Mashatu’s website
Email : laura@cyclemashatu.com
Mobile: +27(0) 83 419 1929
Click here to view images of Cycle Mashatu and Mountain Bike Safaris
Camp Wild Experience: Click here to view the Cycle Mashatu BikeLife video.
Click here to view video footage posted by the Adiridas team.
The Adiridas team takes a mountain bike safari through the Mashatu Game Reserve in Botswana. (Featured are: Andrew Taylor, Hans Rey, Mads Andre Haugen, Joscha Forstreuter, and Phil Sundbaum.)
Click here to download the CycleMashatu “Khumo-Trail” Presentation (4.1MB)
The Mashatu Game Reserve or “Land of the Giants” offers a multi-dimensional walking safari experience. Choose between a dedicated 2 or 3 night walking safari staying in wilderness camps or a ½ day walking trail whilst staying at Mashatu Euphorbia Villas, Mashatu Lodge, Tuli Safari Lodge Mashatu or Mashatu Tent Camp.
On a walking trail the focus is more holistic than purely big game. Although many opportunities arise to view big game, the focus is on the little, often overlooked aspects of the bush – tracks, plants, insects, etc. A walking safari is an awakening of all the senses. You are a part of the environment – not merely a spectator on a safari vehicle. There is no better place to enjoy a walking safari than in this diverse and mammoth piece of Africa – The Land of the Giants..
Mashatu Euphorbia Villas: complimentary. Subject to availability. Pre-booking recommended.
Mashatu Lodge: complimentary when booked at Mashatu Lodge, subject to a ranger being available. Please indicate to reservations should guests be interested, so that they are allocated a walking guide. Sole-use vehicles get complimentary walks, subject to the whole group agreeing to walk, as the vehicle is a back-up 2-3km away from the group. Groups of 6 guests per vehicle get complimentary walks, subject to the whole group agreeing to walk, as the vehicle is a back-up 2-3km away from the group. Should you wish to guarantee a walk, kindly pre-book at the below mentioned rates and requirements.
Mashatu Tent Camp: 2021: Pre-bookings only at the below mentioned rates and requirements.
The perfect opportunity to get some exercise, while focusing on the smaller, and often most fascinating, creatures of Mashatu. Although many opportunities arise to view big game, the focus is on the little, often overlooked aspects of the bush – tracks, plants, insects, etc. A person on foot is part of the environment and not merely a spectator.
There is no better place to enjoy a walking safari than at Mashatu, ‘Land of the Giants,’ exploring diverse landscapes and unique habitats. This diverse and mammoth piece of Africa is the perfect place to witness the intricacies of the wild animals of Africa, to learn about the hidden secrets of nature, to find the smaller creatures hidden in their bush homes and to see how the eco-system involves the inter-relatedness of species.
Included in the accommodation rate is a guided game walk (min 2 pax) and game drive, or two guided game drives per night’s stay.
Additional Walks: Valid from 1 January 2022 to 31 December 2023: US$65.00 per person per walk (Min 02 pax & Max 08 Pax) (At Mashatu Tent Camp – pre-bookings only.)
The western sector of Mashatu, which includes the Motloutse River and the Mmamagwa Ruins, offers incredible vistas characterised by the large sandstone outcrops in the area. The Mmamagwa Ruins are the sister ruins to the more famous Mapungubwe Ruins on the southern side of the Limpopo River in South Africa, and provide a fascinating insight into the early indigenous people of the Limpopo Valley. The Motloutse River is famous for being the river in which diamonds were first discovered in Botswana and which resulted in this country now enjoying the highest GDP per capita of any country on the African continent. This spectacular part of Mashatu can be experienced through walking safaris over 2-3 days in the company of Stuart Quinn, an extremely qualified, experienced and interesting guide.
Kgotla: Based on an old tribal court comprising leadwood logs constructed in a circular boma, guests sleep on comfortable camp beds around a central fire. Hot showers and flushing toilets are available.
Serolo Safari Camp: A comfortable safari tented camp on the floodplain of the Limpopo River.
Mohave Camp:A permanent trails camp available for walking trails only.
For further information, reservations and enquiries please contact Mashatu Reservations directly:
Telephone: +27 31 761 3440 Email: reservations@mashatu.com Website: www.mashatu.com
For further information, please contact reservations@mashatu.com
Click here to view images of Mashatu’s Walking Safaris
Experience a night under the stars at the Kgotla. Based on an old tribal court comprising leadwood logs constructed in a circular boma, guests sleep on comfortable camp beds around a central fire. Hot showers and flushing toilets are available. This leadwood enclosed ‘boma’ is culturally significant in that it was originally used as a tribal court in a community village not far from Mashatu. The kgotla was relocated to its present site in 2000 and it is now situated in close proximity to the Motloutse River and the Mmamagwa Ruins in the south west of Mashatu. The facility offers outdoor showers with hot water and two flushing WCs.
All guests sleep around a fire in a circular layout on stretchers set up under a large Mashatu tree under the stars. It is an incredible experience sleeping out in the open, but in the safety of an armed guide. Food is cooked on the fire and coffee made on a pot on the fire in the morning. Guests visit some exquisite sundowner spots for the evening and enjoy the landscapes of this western part of Mashatu.
This facility can be booked as a ‘camp wild’ experience for guests at Mashatu, but is subject to availability. The guests only pay this accommodation charge and do not pay for a room at the Mashatu camps on top of this.
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cycling | x | x(shared) | x | ||||
| Horse | x | x | |||||
| Walking | x | x(shared) | |||||
| Mashatu | x |
Kgotla rates & important information::
Rate per person per night – US$395.00 Valid from 1 January 2022 to 31 December 2023 (Including conservation levy of $10.00 pppn. Excluding $100 charge for the transfer between the pick up/drop off points and the Kgotla per vehicle (2-8pax) per way)
The above rate is inclusive of all meals, accommodation, drinks, activities and conservation levy of $10.00 per person per night (2022 to 2023). The conservation levy is non- commissionable and non-vatable.
For further information, reservations and enquiries please contact Mashatu Reservations directly:
Telephone: +27 31 7613440 Email: reservations@mashatu.com Website: www.mashatu.com
