Children in the Wilderness Limpopo Valley – Mashatu Tented Camp
April 2010

The Tour de Tuli is an annual, multi stage mountain bike event, whose main objective is to raise funds for Children in the Wilderness.

The event has been held every year since 2005, and for the past couple of years it has traversed the Greater Mapungubwe Transfrontier Conservation Area (GMTFCA). Our aim is two-fold: a) to give cyclists the opportunity to cycle through pristine wilderness areas; and b) to raise funds for Children in the Wilderness. As a direct result of the Tour de Tuli, we have created a new Children in the Wilderness programme (an extension of the programmes already held in Botswana, Malawi, Namibia, the Seychelles, Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa): Children in the Wilderness – Limpopo Valley.

Children in the Wilderness – Limpopo Valley:

On the 7th of April 2010, Mashatu, in Botswana’s Northern Tuli Game Reserve, hosted 16 children for the first Children in the Wilderness – Limpopo Valley programme.

These children came from Mothabaneng Village, only a few kilometres from the western boundary of the Northern Tuli Game Reserve. They spent five nights as guests at Mashatu Tented Camp, learning about the benefits of environmental and wildlife conservation, and understanding the links between conservation and tourism and job creation.

Children in the Wilderness – Limpopo Valley aims to reduce the conflict between the communities and the wildlife in this region, by instilling a better understanding of wildlife and the role it plays in creating sustainable community income. There is a structured programme, with learning activities, specifically designed to get this message across. One of the activities on this programme involved the children going out onto the reserve with the resident lion and elephant researcher to track lion. Not only did this cause great excitement, it also gave the researcher the opportunity to explain what role lion play in maintaining the health of an ecosystem, and to give the children some tips in dealing with wild animals. The children also went on an outing to the Limpopo Valley Airport, where they learnt about what it takes to run an airport, and the various job opportunities associated therewith. They also got to observe the air traffic controller co-ordinate the arrival of a charter flight and ride on a fire engine. Our hope is that these adventures will show them the extent of opportunities available to them, and inspire them to strive harder for a brighter future.

This programme was made possible by the Tour de Tuli cycle event.

We aim to expand this programme throughout the Greater Mapungubwe Transfrontier Conservation Area, so that we can host children from neighbouring communities in Botswana, Zimbabwe and South Africa. Children in the Wilderness aims to develop future environmental leaders who are inspired to care for their heritage and become true custodians of their wilderness areas.

For both the children and their mentors, this camp was a hugely rewarding and successful experience. The amount of support and assistance from Mashatu greatly enhanced the experience and alleviated many of the difficulties inherent in hosting a first camp.

Feedback from the Children:
“Wilderness areas are important because they bring tourists to our country” – Thato, 10
“When you are a poacher your work is not good” – Sylvia, 11
“Wilderness areas are important to us - we can know now to look for animal tracks and I will never forget about the protection of wild animals trees and birds” – Casly, 12
“Wilderness areas are important to us because we will get jobs and we want to increase the number of animals” – Oliver, 12

For further information, please contact Tanya McKenzie on This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it