Madikwe Game Reserve
One of South Africa’s fastest-growing safari destinations is the Madikwe Game Reserve, in North West province, just five hours’ drive from Johannesburg, and close to the Botswana border.
And it’s easy to understand why: it’s malaria-free – a huge bonus; it’s enormous – stretching over 75 000ha; and not only is home to the sought-after Big 5, but also has resident “painted wolves” – the highly endangered wild dogs.
The story of Madikwe is a conservation triumph that is now an international role model.
Created in 1991, it’s a unique alliance between private enterprise, the North West Parks Board and local communities. If you’d come here two decades ago, you’d have found overgrazed cattle farms, broken-down fences, abandoned kraals, overgrown bush and not much else.
Enter the well-named Operation Phoenix, where over 8 000 animals of 27 species were successfully relocated to the new Madikwe Game Reserve.
Over 20 years later, Madikwe is pumping with game. Imagine a herd of breeding elephants keeping an eye on you as they take careful care of their tiny babies; rhinos drinking at a waterhole backlit by the flaming setting sun; playful vervet monkeys and busy baboons foraging for food; glossy plains game such as zebra and wildebeest chomping juicy grasses; a pride of lions feasting on a kill; or after dark, as the ranger’s spotlight sweeps back and forth over the surrounding bush as you drive, a solitary leopard stalking a kill.
The bush is also a riot of colour because of its abundant birdlife. Watch out for one of South Africa’s most dramatically coloured birds – the crimson-breasted shrike – as you spot lilac-breasted rollers, southern-masked weavers, yellow-billed and red-billed hornbills, blue waxbills and lots more.
At the big Madikwe dam – especially in summer – you’ll see loads of waterbirds: herons, egrets, ducks and geese, storks and little waders of all kinds.
Most lodges at the reserve offer a guided game walk after the morning game drive. This is a wonderful way to get up close and personal with the African bush. Your armed ranger will interpret the bush for you, pointing out plants and trees, insects and reptiles, explaining the interconnectedness of all natural life, and keeping a wary eye out for elephants, buffalo and any other of the Big 5.
Ask him about the Little 5: Ant lion, rhinoceros beetle, leopard tortoise, buffalo weaver and elephant shrew; or the Ugly 5, or the Bird Big 6.
There are over 30 lodges throughout the reserve. In the south, choose between the ultra-luxurious Tuningi Lodge, where a 300-year-old fig tree stands sentinel over a busy waterhole, or either of Jaci’s delightful lodges: Jaci’s Safari Lodge or Jaci’s Tree Lodge. The Safari Lodge is Madikwe’s most child-friendly lodge, so stay away if you’re allergic to kids.
Tau Lodge, in the north of the reserve, is more like a small resort than a private safari lodge, but the accommodation is excellent, the food good, and the game drives excellent. Always check for special offers at any of the Madikwe lodges – you can often get very affordable rates, especially off-season.
Madikwe doesn’t have the great rivers, ancient riverine trees and large variety of habitats and eco-zones that the Kruger National Park boasts. But if it’s game (66 species) and birds (over 400 species) you’re looking for – in a malaria-free zone – then head off to Madikwe.
Admission
No day visitors, only lodge guests.
Directions
Take the N4 from Johannesburg towards Swartruggens and Zeerust. At Zeerust take the R49 and follow the Madikwe signs. Ask your lodge for detailed instructions.
Contact
Madikwe park manager
Tel: +27 (0)18 350 9931/2
Fax: +27 (0)18 350 9933
Email: madikweadmin@telkomsa.net
www.parksnorthwest.co.za
Jaci’s safari lodges
www.madikwe.com
The Madikwe Collection owns a number of different lodges in the reserve.
www.madikwecollection.com
Tau Lodge
www.taugamelodge.co.za
Physical address
Madikwe Game Reserve, North West province, lies off the Zeerust road. It’s approximately five hours’ drive from Johannesburg, and 20 minutes from the Botswana border
In the neighbourhood
The glitzy, iconic Sun City is en route, as is the adjacent Pilanesburg National Park