As a kid I regularly travelled through the Kruger National Park with my folks and late grandparents. And it was there – in what is today one of South Africa’s biggest tourist attractions – that my love for the outdoors and wildlife was ingrained in my DNA. One of the most beautiful areas we ever visited was the region just north of the Luvuvhu River and for many years I tried to remember the exact location of some of the most amazing landscapes and scenery, paired with rare game sightings that I have ever experienced. Not to mention the absolute birders’ paradise this is, with visitors often spotting the elusive Pel’s Fishing Owl.
So, when an opportunity to visit the Pafuri region (the Makuleke Contractual Park), just north of the Luvuvhu River, came our way, we grabbed it with both hands. This area was forcibly taken from the Makuleke people in 1969 and the community of about 1 500 were relocated to an area further west so that their original tribal areas could be
