Mashatu is the epitome of all that defines wilderness areas in Africa. A hidden gem situated in Botswana, Mashatu Game Reserve consists of 42,000 hectares of privately owned land in the conserved wilderness area known as the Northern Tuli Game Reserve.

The reserve lies in the remote eastern corner of Botswana where the great Limpopo and Shashe Rivers converge, where Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe come together. This exceptionally diverse landscape includes wide open plains, grassland, riverine forests, rocky hills, marshland and majestic sandstone ridges.

A canvas painted with moments of connection. The gaze of a lion, the playful dance of elephants, the lyrical melody of birds – each encounter leaves an indelible mark. The guides are your master storytellers, revealing the hidden narratives of the wild, nurturing a bond that lasts a lifetime.

Mashatu doesn’t just change you; it becomes a part of you. This is where you unearth your own story, a chapter written in the language of the wild.

Discover it once, and you’ll forever yearn for its embrace. Mashatu, where serenity meets wilderness, and where a story with nature begins – one that becomes a cherished part of who you are.

The gateway to Chobe National Park, Kasane is an essential point of debarkation for the nearby Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe and Livingstone in Zambia and Namibia's Caprivi Strip.

Spread along the Chobe River banks, Kasane presents an array of hotels, guest houses and campsites that accommodate visitors to the national park. Some are splendidly situated, with beautiful views of the river and its wildlife.

Kasane now boasts small shopping malls where all essential provisions can be purchased, along with arts and crafts. While its main attraction is the park that lies a mere 10 km away, there are also attractions in and around the town. Visitors can plan flexible land and water-based activity itineraries, including morning and afternoon game drives and boat cruises. An essential addition to any itinerary during a visit to Kasane is a day trip to the majestic Victoria Falls, just 80 km away.

Botswana's tourism capital lies on the southern fringes of the Okavango Delta. Despite recent modernisations, Maun carries the feeling of a dusty, frontier town. Maun is the gateway into the Delta for many tourists and often into Botswana. The busy airport receives direct flights from Johannesburg and Gaborone.

Maun is the administrative centre of Ngamiland District and the seat of power of the Batawana people. The Batawana are an offshoot of the Bangwato of Serowe. Following a chieftainship dispute in the late 18th century, Kgosi (chief) Tawana and his people left Serowe and settled in Ngamiland. First establishing their capital at Lake Ngami, then Toteng, Tsao and finally, in 1915, in Maun. Ngamiland District comprises a fascinating variety of ethnic groups: the Hambukushu, Basubiya and Bayei – all with central African origins. These groups know the Okavango intimately, having expertly exploited and utilised its abundant resources for centuries. Cultural groups also include the Banoka – the River Bushmen, the Okavango's original inhabitants - the Bakgalagadi, and the Baherero. The Herero people originate from Namibia.

Meanwhile, the timeless Thamalakane River meanders lazily through the town, setting the scene and mood for what lies ahead.

Imagine a landscape the size of Portugal, with few humans and stark, flat terrain stretching to eternity, fusing with a distant horizon. This is the Makgadikgadi, an area of 12 000 sq. km; part of the Kalahari Basin, yet unique being home to one of the world's largest salt pans.

 

Most of the year, this desolate area remains waterless and extremely arid, with large mammals all but absent. However, in years of good rain and the years that follow, the two largest pans – Sowa to the east and Ntwetwe to the west – flood, attracting wildlife – zebra and wildebeest on the grassy plains – and most spectacularly flamingos at Sowa and Nata Sanctuary. Flamingo numbers can run into the tens – and sometimes – hundreds of thousands, and the spectacle can be completely overwhelming.

 

The rainwater arrives in massive downpours in summer months and longer spells in February and March, swelling the Nata, Tutume, Semowane and Mosetse Rivers in the east, and in years of exceptional rains, the Okavango via the Boteti River in the west. During these periods, the pans are transformed into vast powder blue lakes - a reminder of the gigantic, prehistoric lake the Makgadikgadi once was.

The Makgadikgadi is actually a series of pans, the largest - Sowa and Ntwetwe – are surrounded by a myriad of smaller pans. North of these two pans is Kudiakam Pan, Nxai Pan and Kaucaca Pan. Interspersed between the pans are sand dunes, rocky islands and peninsulas, and desert terrain.

No vegetation can grow on the pans' salty surface, but the fringes are covered with grasslands. Massive baobab trees populate some fringe areas – and their silhouettes create dramatic landscapes against a setting sun. Africa's most famous explorer, Dr David Livingstone, crossed these pans in the 19th century, guided by a massive baobab, Chapman's Tree, the only landmark for hundreds of miles around. This ancient specimen is believed to be 3,000 to 4,000 years old.