Mashatu Game Reserve

the ultimate Africa experience

Mashatu was recommended by friends who visited the reserve. They saw lot's of game but I was very interested in the leopards as I never had a good sighting of this shy animal. So we booked 2 nights in the tented camp. We had to drive 5 hours to reach the border on the Limopo river. We were 1 hour early (meeting point at Pont Drift was 1 pm) but a Mashatu-representative was already there to help us thru customs. The car stayed in South Africa. We crossed the Limpopo river in a cableway. The drive to the camp was already a gamedrive. Big herd of impala on the road and a cori bustard walking around. On arrival it seemed we were the only guests at this moment. The tent was perfect : a good bed and furniture. Toilet and shower were outside. There was no lunch on the day of arrival but no problem. We ate a light lunch in Alldays. At 4 pm we were ready for our first gamedrive. It was very hot and the car was open. So a hat was not a luxury. We drove quitte a while to see the first wildlife. The leopard I wanted to see was laying along a small river. Our guide drove towards it and I was afraid he'd scare it away. But it was very relaxed and we spend about 30 minutes there watching this beautiful animal. It walked even passed our car about 2 meter from us. We had 3 more leopard encounters later on. We also saw the wild dogs. They were very curious and came to our car to investigate us. About 8 pm we arrived back at the camp where dinner was served in the boma. The next morning we were woken very early for our morning gamedrive. Coffee, tea & biscuits were served before we hit the (dirt)road. Very special was the herd of elephants - all mothers with there babies. Our guide put the car on a strategic position and the whole herd walked passed us. Very impressive. Every gamedrive had something special. Like the cheetah with 5 cubs. On the last one we saw spotted hyena eating wildebeest. Lot's of vultures were waiting for the leftovers. The only animal we did not see was lion. They crossed the border of Mashatu. All gamedrives have a ranger/driver and a tracker in the back. In between the gamedrives you can relax, take a swim or sit in the hide to see more game. I must say it was a bit noisy there as you could hear the staff talking to eachother. But I saw a lot of kudu, impala and warthog there. Birds too.
Mashatu is a beautifull reserve but not cheap. One even has to pay for the drinks during the gamedrives. But if you want to see game ? Go there. It was a great experience.

A fantastic, once in a life time experience in a beautiful location packed with Wildlife

The reserve was accessed by a river crossing at the botswana/south africa border, which also marked the end of any tarmac roads. The 4x4 trip into the reserve was barely underway when the ubandant wildlife started to make an appearance, even without the animals and birds there the stunning scenory, of large expansive scrub and plains encompassed by large ridges. Over the two week stay my group spotted 100+ species of birds and over 30 mammal species and a variety of reptiles. Some of the most memorable sighting included close encouters with lions, giraffe and elephants and a slighlty more distant view of leopards. As I was located in a small camp outside of the main part of the reserve I cannot comment on the main accommodation and can only say that if the cooks were any near as good and as accommodating as ours then you will be pleasantly surprised whatever your dietary requirement

Life-changing, life-affirming and one of the most beautiful places I have been to on Earth.

We had a true outback experience. Staying in the tent camp, the facilities were good but basic and the food was excellent. The afternoon tea was a welcome addition to each day! It was easy to fall into the natural rhythm of the place - we got up with the sun and tracked elephants, leopards, lions and many other animals while taking in the beautiful scenery. Days filled with 4x4 drives and walking tours with experienced, witty and knowledgeable guides - perfect! Weather was just right; a few cloudy days but always warm and enjoyable. The highlight of my visit was climbing up the ridge known as the ampitheatre and sipping a beer while watching the sun set on elephants playing in the river below. The game reserve was a lot greener than expected, due to visiting near rainy season time. Many interesting locations to visit that offer amazing views and a superb range of animals: Eagle Rock, Baobab Rock and the Ampitheatre were just some of the places I enjoyed visiting. Spotted some Marshall Eagles and European Rollers, which were amongst my favourite sightings (apart from the elephants of course!). I highly recommend a visit here, it's somewhere to be truly at peace with yourself and with nature.

A Must Visit

I spent 3 days at Mashatu and it was wonderful. Luxurious, Wild and relaxing, The rangers were very knowledgeable, the scenery stunning and the food delicious. One of y favorite ever bush experiences. Saw 4 leopards in 3 days, 2 of which had just killed and were eating while we watched them.

Amazing experience, wonderful hospitality and truly committed staff. Can't explain how welcomed guests are. While some may pass at the idea of waking up at 5:00 AM to do a game drive, I implore you, you will never experience the wonder of something like that again, especially at Mashatu Game Reserve. All of the guides are experts in their craft and incredibly friendly people. Their combination of love for the wildlife and knowledge of the land is truly genuine.

Excellent wildlife spotting, incredible guides and very few camps meaning few vehicles. Great variety of scenery.

Mashatu is a sure place to see leopards. No where did I see so many leopards in a short period of time.

Mashatu blew me away with its massive herds of elephants, its incredible Matebole hide and big cats

Loved everything about our stay at Mashatu. I took my Dad for his 70th birthday and there was no better way to celebrate our shared love of wildlife than a few hours in the Matebole Elephant Hide. Was just amazing - even though I only had a small camera and trusty iphone in the award winning photo hide! I managed to get a great time lapse of the ellies drinking under the guidance of C4's expert photographer (Kirsten Frost) despite my shoddy excuse for photographic equipment.

The herds of elephant against the dramatic landscape were just amazing. We saw so many big cats it felt like the leopards were "growing on trees" there. It was truly epic and we loved exploring the dusty dry riverbeds and endless plains. One of my favourite reserves of all time.

Mashatu Lodge was incredible. The suites were probably the most comfortable and well thought out of all the luxury lodges I have stayed in. My only complaint was that there was no outside deck but these have since been added which is brilliant. The staff, especially Peter Bale and our guide Eric and tracker kaizer absolutely made it for us though! A truly memorable stay in one of Africa's true gems!