To visit ancient Africa is to return to something primordial and profound.
RETURN Africa’s origins lie at Pafuri in the far north of the Kruger National Park. It is in this vast and varied land that we have built a unique social partnership and a collection of superb safari experiences. We hope you’ll visit and – like many before you – become a Pafurian, a member of our family who returns, again and again, to a place that stirs your soul.
Our safaris are unhurried. We believe Pafuri should not be rushed. Let’s leave it to others to chase from sighting to sighting. Instead, we invite you to immerse yourself in this wild and majestic land. You will experience magnificent places, great herds, big predators and abundant life. But we do not go bashing off the track with two or three other vehicles in pursuit of a startled leopard. We listen, we observe, we tell stories, and we wait for her to come to us. Our wildlife roams without hindrance across open frontiers, as it always should. We respect it and the ancestors who lived on this land since the dawn of time. Their traces are everywhere. We know we too are transients, with a duty to care for the land and the life – both people and wildlife – it sustains. We’d love to host you and share what Pafuri means to us.
Pafuri has a rich human history stretching back through the Makuleke era and an earlier precolonial trading past to hunter-gatherer and stone age settlements. There are several impressive archaeological sites, including the spectacular Thulamela ruins, where contemporary visitors can encounter the remnants of these early settlements. We will share stories about our stone age ancestors who roamed the game-rich lowlands between the great rivers for millennia, perhaps find some of their handcrafted tools, learn about the great trading civilization that thrived here for a thousand years, linking Pafuri with the interior and, via the East African coast, to the world. You will also encounter the Makuleke people who lived here until 1969 when they were forcibly resettled by the apartheid regime. The remains of their settlements are scattered across the land. Today, they have returned as owners of the land and managers of our operation.
© Simon Espley | Africa Geographic
RETURN Africa’s origins lie at Pafuri. It is here, on the ancestral land of the Makuleke people, that we have built a unique partnership. Our operation is rooted in almost three decades of friendship with the Makulekes, who lost their home under apartheid but who have now returned as our landlords, our business partners and our guides. Today, the Makuleke partnership is the heart of our brand. They own the land at Pafuri, staff the business and share in the returns we generate. Together, we’re taking responsible tourism to new heights - where conservation and community are the driving forces that deliver superb safari experiences. We are unlike any other in this regard. Our ethos is best experienced first-hand, so do visit us, meet our managers, our guides and our staff, and see for yourself the pride they take in what they’ve achieved.
© GideonMendel
Our concession lies between the Limpopo and Luvuvhu rivers along South Africa’s north-eastern frontier. The two great rivers embrace one of Africa’s most spectacular and diverse landscapes with mountains and gorges in the west giving way to plains, pans, baobabs and extensive fever tree forests in the east. The land, particularly the low-lying floodplains near the rivers’ confluence at Crooks’ Corner where our camps are located, harbours an everchanging abundance of life, including large seasonal concentrations of elephant, buffalo and other game. Predators and scavengers, ranging from hyenas, crocodiles and leopards to servals, genets, civets, caracals, amongst many others, also find shelter here. Our diversity brings a profusion of birds, with numerous specials in what fundis regard as South Africa’s most rewarding birding destination. Come and explore the area in open vehicles and on foot in the care of our expert and experienced guides.