Balule Nature Reserve is situated next door to the Kruger Park, in the Limpopo

Limpopo

Limpopo is the northernmost province of South Africa. The capital is Polokwane, formerly named Pietersburg. The province was formed from the northern region of Transvaal Province in 1994, and initially named Northern Transvaal...

 province of South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

. Southwest of Phalaborwa

Phalaborwa

Phalaborwa is a town situated in the Mopani district, halfway up along the length of the Kruger National Park in the Limpopo province in South Africa. The Lowveld, also known as Valley of the Olifants, has the highest winter temperatures in South Africa. The rainfall is low and the average winter...

, and north of Hoedspruit

Hoedspruit

Hoedspruit is a town situated at the foot of the Klein Drakensberg , in the Limpopo province of South Africa, on the railway line from Tzaneen to Kaapmuiden.-Economy:...

. It is without fences between the two parks, although it is privately owned, and is about 35.000 Ha in area (The area seems to extent every time, as more landowners join the initiative and become incorporated). The perennial Olifants River (English: Elephant's River) flowing for approximately 20 km through the centre of the reserve. The reserve is build up out of a number of other parks, these include:

• Greater Olifants River Conservancy
• Olifants West Game Reserve
• York Game Reserve
• Parsons Game Reserve
• Olifants North Game Reserve
• Grietjie Game Reserve.

Wildlife

Include: the Big Five Game

Big Five game

The phrase Big Five game was coined by white hunters and refers to the five most difficult animals in Africa to hunt on foot. The term is still used in most tourist and wildlife guides that discuss African wildlife safaris. The collection consists of the lion, African elephant, cape buffalo,...

: Lion

Lion

The lion is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger...

, Elephant

Elephant

Elephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...

, Leopard

Leopard

The leopard , Panthera pardus, is a member of the Felidae family and the smallest of the four "big cats" in the genus Panthera, the other three being the tiger, lion, and jaguar. The leopard was once distributed across eastern and southern Asia and Africa, from Siberia to South Africa, but its...

, Buffalo

Water buffalo

The water buffalo is a domesticated bovid widely kept in Asia, Europe and South America.Water buffalo can also refer to:*Wild water buffalo , the wild ancestor of the domestic water buffalo...

, and the Rhinoceros

Rhinoceros

Rhinoceros , also known as rhino, is a group of five extant species of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. Two of these species are native to Africa and three to southern Asia....

.

Accommodation

There are at least the following lodges in the park:

• Amukela Game Lodge.
• Drifters Game Lodge.
• Ezulwini Billy's Lodge.
• Ezulwini Game Lodge.
• Ezulwini Paradise Tented Camp.
• Ezulwini River Lodge.
• Mohlabetsi Safari Lodge.
• Pondoro Game Lodge.
• Toro Yaka Bush Lodge.
• Tulani Safari Lodge.
• Baluleni Riverview Game Lodge.