Pontdrift - the last border post to Botswana

Pontdrift is the most northern border post to Botswana and also the last of 17 border posts to Botswana that we have visited. It is just about exclusively used for tourists to the Tuli block in Botswana. Guests leave their cars on the South African side of the border. The Botswana lodge operators then collect them in open safari vehicles.

The name Pontdrift refers to the fact that the Limpopo is crossed here on a pontoon. That is when there is water in the river. When we visited the border post (28 Oct) the river was completely dry and vehicles drove through as on a normal gravel road. During the  floods of January earlier this year, the pontoon cable was washed away. Should the river fill up now, the river will be crossed by boat.

Pontddrift is 60 km from Alldays, all tarred road, but once again, full of dangerous potholes. It is on the western border of the Mapungubwe National Park.

The road from Ratho to Pontdrift

Entrance to Pontdrift border post 

Vehicles cross the dry Limpopo on this 'road'

Signs of the many lodges in the Tuli block on the Botswana side