The Makuleke Concession

The Makuleke Concession is the extreme northernmost sector of the Kruger National Park and is located between the Limpopo and Luvuvhu Rivers in what is also known as the Pafuri region. To the north and east lies Mozambique and Zimbabwe. This area is destined to become the core of the new Transfrontier or "Peace" park that will straddle South Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe.

The Makuleke / Pafuri is one of the few true wilderness areas left in South Africa and the vegetation is so different to anything else within Kruger, that one might be forgiven for thinking one was in Central Africa! The large trees in this area are usually nearly 50% taller than most baobabs, and scenically, the area is diverse, with stunning mountains, shady, deep gorges, forests of Yellow Fever trees and groves of Baobabs, Mopane woodland, and open savannah grassland. The area is a true contrast to the rest of the Kruger National Park and a visit here truly rounds off the Kruger experience of the southern lodges.

Although this 24 000ha area comprises only fractionally more than 1% of the total area of the 2.2 million-hectare Greater Kruger National Park, 75% of all species in this region occur at Pafuri: nearly 400 birds species and over 100 mammal species make up some of the more visible aspects of this incredible biodiversity.