The town of Tuli (meaning quiet or silent) in southwestern modern-day Zimbabwe, lies south of the confluence of the Tuli and Shashe Rivers. Fort Tuli was established in 1890 and the village grew around it when it became the entry point for the Pioneer Column. This endeavour was formed by Cecil John Rhodes and the British South African Company (BSAC) to annex the region of Southern Rhodesia (known as Mashonaland) to the north of Tuli.

During a severe Rinderpest outbreak in the region, the pioneers established a circle around the town of Tuli which was a no-go area for the local tribes. This was to prevent the spread of Rinderpest from local cattle to the oxen used in the trek north to Mashonaland. The circle had a 10 mile radius (16 km) and stretched westwards across the Shashe River; it soon became known as the Tuli Circle.

When settlers from the Transvaal Republic moved north over the Limpopo River in the late 1800s, Britain established a British Protectorate over the region, effectively preventing the Transvaal from taking control of Bechuanaland. Under this arrangement, the Motswana Chiefs continued to rule but the British Crown had ultimate power and jurisdiction over the area. In 1895 King Khama III ceded a block of land on the southeastern border of Bechuanaland, at the confluence of the Limpopo and Shasha Rivers, to the BSAC, hoping to form a buffer against the influx of white settlers. Sharing a boundary with the Tuli Circle, it was soon known as the Tuli Enclave and was later commonly referred to as the Tuli Block.

Rhodes planned to build his Cape to Cairo railroad through the region but found the ground too hard and rocky. The BSAC sold large pieces of land to the white farmers but the soil proved infertile for crops (the region also suffered repeated droughts) and provided very little grazing for cattle. So the farmers turned to game ranching, attracting tourists and hunters alike.

The Tuli Block is often called the 'Hardeveld' (hard field) because of the rocky outcrops, stones and pebbles. It stretches 350 km from Olifantsdrift (110km east of Gaborone) to the confluence of the Limpopo and Shashe Rivers in the east. It's within easy reach of the cities of Johannesburg and Pretoria, allowing the Gautengers to easily escape there for a weekend. It also serves as a convenient overnight stop for travellers heading for Botswana's interior.
The country west of the B140 highway heading into Botswana consists mostly of desolate cattle farms. The region east of Martin's Drift is interspersed with three small private game reserves: Stevensford, Limpopo Limpadi, and the Limpopo River Lodge. Further east is the largest privately-owned game reserve in Botswana, the Northern Tuli Game Reserve (NOTUGRE) which forms part of the Greater Mapungubwe Transfrontier Conservation Area.

Both Stevensford and Limpopo River Lodge offer beautiful shaded campsites on the banks of the Limpopo as well as lodge accommodation. All three reserves offer game drives and guided walks.

These reserves are easily accessed via Platjan Border Post, open daily from 08:00 to 16:00. This crossing is a low concrete bridge over the Limpopo Riverbed that's prone to flooding in the rainy season. After very heavy rainfall the only access into the area is via Martin’s Drift Border Post.

Useful numbers:
• Platjan Border Post (Botswana): +267 264 6333
• Platjan Border Post (South Africa): +27 (0)15 575 1040

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