Pafuri Camp

By a guy who sometimes forgets his own kids’ names – aka Craig Parvess Teenagers. No Wi-Fi. Deep bushveld. What could possibly go wrong? So picture this: my wife and two teenage daughters in tow, and me – one slightly overwhelmed dad – on a four-night family safari adventure deep in the northernmost corner of… Continue Reading “DAD, CAN WE LIVE HERE?” – A FAMILY ESCAPE TO PAFURI CAMP

Rain in Pafuri is more than just a change in weather; it’s the lifeblood of this northern paradise, breathing new life into the landscape and transforming it into a vibrant ecosystem. When the rains arrive, Pafuri awakens, bursting into colour, sound, and movement. “Rain is the beginning of the story,” shares Godfrey Baloyi, General Manager of… Continue Reading PAFURI: RAIN, RIVERS, FLOODS AND A RAMSAR WETLAND

Last month we covered THE GIRL GANGS OF PAFURI; if you’ve missed it you can read it here. The charismatic, energetic character of Pafuri is to become the muse of Dr Neil Parkin’s expedition to South Africa. So, what is Neil’s objective? Neil’s “primary mission” as he puts it, is to “rehabilitate the much-maligned reputation of the spotted hyena, Crocuta… Continue Reading THE GIRL GANGS OF PAFURI EXPOSED – DISCOVERING THE MYSTERIES OF PAFURI’S HYENAS

When visiting Pafuri take advantage of the opportunity to visit Thulamela, the ruins of an ancient stone citadel recently nominated for national heritage status. After a 20-minute game drive from Pafuri Camp we arrive at a turning circle below a rocky outcrop on the south bank of the Luvuvhu river. This is the starting point… Continue Reading MYSTICAL THULAMELA BY HARALD VAN LENNEP

Imagine saying ‘I Do’ in a remote forest, with birds chirping in approval. You may have a curious vervet or two who did not make the rsvp list but who watch from a respectable distance. The question to ask: what would make you choose the middle of the bush to have your destination wedding? The… Continue Reading AN UNFORGETTABLE BUSH WEDDING BY ENOS MNGOMEZULU

On 20th August a lioness and her three cubs were relocated from Balule Private Game Reserve near Hoedspruit to the Pafuri region of Kruger National Park. The lioness had twice broken out of Balule into neighbouring farmlands in her efforts to avoid competing lions which posed a threat to their lives. After the second recovery operation it was decided to relocate the mother… Continue Reading LIONS RELEASED IN PAFURI REGION OF KRUGER NATIONAL PARK

“IT’S THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PART OF THE PARK – YOU WON’T WANT TO LEAVE.” Limpopo locals kept uttering variations on this bold statement as we gradually made our way through the province en route to the Makuleke Contractual Park at the northernmost tip of the Kruger National Park.  Excitement was mounting as we wove our… Continue Reading PERFECT PAFURI IN KRUGER

The Makuleke Contractual Park area for the month of April & expectations for May and into the winter months. To start off with there has been a definite change in the fauna and flora behavior during the month of April as the summer months have gone and autumn is in full swing. There are fewer… Continue Reading BUSH NEWS FROM RETURN AFRICA’S PAFURI CAMP

Your first-ever safari is for the Big 5, the second is for the Small 5, and you come to Northern Kruger for the Makuleke 5. I recently had the chance to get close to some African wild dogs in the company of staff from the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) who are working to help ensure… Continue Reading FINDING THE MAKULEKE FIVE

AS SOON AS I HEARD THE MAGICAL WORDS “LEVEL 2”, I PLANNED MY RETURN TO THE KRUGER NATIONAL PARK After postponing a 30th birthday in March and being locked-down for nearly five months in Gauteng, the change to Level 2 meant we could hit the road to celebrate a belated birthday. After experiencing the Pafuri region back in… Continue Reading MY PAFURI ESCAPE