Madikwe Game Reserve

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James Bainbridge –

Visited: December

James is a travel writer and author of many Lonely Planet guides, including senior author of the guide to South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland.

4 people found this review helpful.

Luxury in the Bush

Overall rating

5/5

Wildlife:

Bush Vibe:

Scenery:

Birding:

To meet the Big Five and experience the wilderness in luxury, there's nowhere quite like Madikwe. Conveniently located between Sun City and the Botswana border, exclusive lodges scatter the reserve's 750 sq km of bushveld. Safaris here are conducted by rangers with radios; if one spots a predator at the waterhole, they notify the other groups. A commendable queuing system, in which a few vehicles view an animal while the rest wait their turn, avoids the logjams seen at popular parks.
The five-star lodges are expensive, but well worth it if this is your only opportunity to experience an African safari. Most operate on an all-inclusive basis, offering a day or two of dawn and dusk wildlife drives and dinner under the stars. I spent a wonderful night at the eco-lodge Mosetlha Bush Camp, which is more basic and earthy than the other lodges, but highly atmospheric. Paraffin lamps light the unfenced camp's open-fronted cabins, and the bush is so enthralling that you barely notice the lack of electricity and running water.

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Expert

Philip Briggs –

Visited: December

Philip is an acclaimed travel writer and author of many guidebooks, including the Bradt guides to Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya and South Africa.

13 people found this review helpful.

Superb malaria-free Big Five viewing

Overall rating

5/5

Wildlife:

Bush Vibe:

Scenery:

Birding:

The 750-sq-km Madikwe Game Reserve is quite simply one South Africa’s most alluring destinations for those who want to see a good range of iconic wildlife in a short space of time. It is one of the closest reserves to Johannesburg and O.R. Tambo International Airport, making it a convenient add-on to any South African itinerary, whether you fly to the reserve or travel by road. Other big assets of Madikwe are that it is free of malaria, and – for those seeking an exclusive safari experience – game drives can only be conducted by guides working at one of its 20-odd lodges, which minimizes crowding.

A remarkable attribute of Madikwe is that it was forged entirely from formerly degraded farmland in the 1990s. Despite this, the wildlife viewing is absolutely superb. On our most recent visit, we saw countless elephant, white rhino, zebra and giraffe, along with half a dozen antelope species. Over the course of four days, we also enjoyed around half a dozen lion sightings, saw cheetah and African wild dog on three occasions each, and were lucky enough to catch a mother and young leopard sunning on the rocks. Other carnivores we stumbled upon included spotted hyena, brown hyena, black-backed jackal, serval and African wild cat. I also noted around 120 bird species; highlights included blue-cheeked bee-eater, southern carmine bee-eater, white-throated robin-chat, southern pied babbler, shaft-tailed whydah, violet-eared waxbill and crimson-breasted shrike.

Madikwe very much caters to an exclusive market. Most lodges are very luxurious and priced accordingly, though generally better value than equivalent accommodation in Sabi Sand and other private reserves bordering Kruger National Park. I have stayed at several top-end lodges here over the years, including Madikwe Safari Lodge and Madikwe River Lodge, and they were all wonderful. For those on a tighter budget, however, the one notable standout is no-frills Mosetlha Bush Camp. This low-key family-run eco-lodge started life as a wilderness school in 1995 and it retains a real old-school bush feel that allows it to be the most affordable option in Madikwe – but wildlife viewing is just as good as it is from other lodges.

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