Having visited many game reserves across Southern Africa, I was delighted when I received the invitation to join an educational trip up to the Pafuri region in the Northern Kruger National Park.  Return Africa Pafuri camp has a private concession adjacent to the National Park, which is where we stayed, and what a joy to explore this region. A direct flight with air-charter company EchoSkies brought us directly to the Pafuri Airstrip, where we were met by our guide, and taken to the beautiful tented camp situated along the banks of the Luvuvhu River.

Besides the comfort of the lodge, I was absolutely blown away by the beauty of the region and how different it was to the other areas of Kruger. We were treated to an exquisite trek up to the top of Lanner Gorge to view the river below and the Kruger outstretched for miles. The views were spectacular, and worth the few challenging steps to reach the top, where our guide was ready with coffee and snacks to warm us on a chilly October morning.

Sundowners in the eerie Fever Tree Forest was something I had dreamed about for many years. It was as magical as I had imagined, and seeing elephants pass through the forest in the distance gave perspective on the incredible size of these yellow towers.

A last morning activity to visit Crook’s Corner, the meeting point of the Limpopo River separating Zimbabwe, Mozambique and South Africa, was very informative. It was awesome to learn about the history around this region and what that’s meant for our conservation of our wildlife and the surrounding community’s involvement.

Although the area isn’t renowned for the best game viewing, it offers excellent walking safari opportunities. The lodge is frequented by animals coming down to drink from the river in front of the tents, so without going out on drive we were able to see large herds of elephant and buffalo, it’s a birders paradise, and a great place to just relax at the end of a very busy itinerary.