Madikwe Game Reserve

Good, not great

We visited Madikwe in August 2023, with probably too high expectations given the length of our stay (5 nights) at Rhulani (very good lodge with great staff) and the reputation of the reserve.

We ended up quite disappointed on the predator side, since both leopard and cheetah eluded us and we did not even see spotted hyenas.
We were also expecting good wild dog sightings, but we just caught little more than a glimpse of a running pack after sunset.

However, we had various good lion sightings and we did manage to see a brown hyena.

Regarding other game, plenty of elephants, zebra, wildebeest, steenbok and impala. Very good white rhino sightings, briefly saw a black rhino in the dense bush. Some giraffes and a klipspringer.
No trace whatsoever of rarer antelopes like eland, gemsbok, tsessebe or red hartebeest.


Overall, a good reserve but we felt the variety of game was far from impressive compared to Kruger or Okavango.

Madikwe is a game reserve that really does have it all. I have now been there 3 times, have stayed in 3 different lodges and had a different experience each time. Highly recommend.

Nice destination if you are visiting Johannesburg on business and want a quick safari experience - somewhat limited in variety of game.

A life-changing experience that left a bit of my heart in Africa and that I will never forget!

The wildlife of the reserve was plentiful and we were always able to get quite close to most animals on every drive (morning, afternoon, night). The scenery was stunning -- I'll never forget sitting a top the hill as the sun rose and drinking coffee, listening to the sound of the bush coming alive. The weather was perfect in April - not too hot, not too cold. I really enjoyed the guide comments and character and how they shared so much knowledge about the animal's behavior, droppings, tracks, etc.

Fantastic moment

We spent 4 days in Madikwe, staying at Tau Game Lodge. The safaris were fantastic, with a lot of wild life (all the expected ones except the wild dogs). Tau Lodge is also very nice with its pond in front of the rooms where the animals were coming all day long to drink and play (elephants - a lot, lions, girafes, ....)

Amazing wildlife and beautiful stay

From the dawn to the dusk, it is always possible and easy to see wildlife. Everyday something happens, everyday is a new day in the bush. The great thing of madikwe is that rangers and land rover could go "off road" to approach wildlife ! So great for pictures and feel bush vibes !

One of South Africa's best Game Reserves.

A 5-Star bush experience. Everything was of the highest standards - the accommodation, the food, the game rangers, the service, the wildlife and the birding. An absolute dream come true. We were spoiled rotten.

Stunning Madikwe Game Reserve

I have spent a week in Madikwe region of South Africa in September 2016.
My stay was split between the lodge Royal Madikwe (3 nights) and Madikwe
Hills (3 nights).

The lodges were luxurious and the suite I had in Madikwe Hills was simply
fabulous!
Delicious breakfasts were served on the terrace with a spectacular view on the animals
gathering around the water spot: kind of paradise :-)
The lodges all have wifi, which was really super; nothing else to do in the evening
other than having drinks (all included in Madikwe Hills), surfing and reviewing photos.

It was very impressive to have the lion roaring loudly near my window in the evening.
Was also exciting to see them just about 60m away from my bungalow in Madikwe Hills.

The landscape in Madikwe was quite nice. It would recommend to stay at least
4 nights, so you can increase your chance to spot the leopard.
Also the dry season (winter) is to be preferred because the grass is low and we
can easier observe the animals, which are forced to converge somewhen to the
water ponds.
In Madikwe, the rangers had to track the lions/leopards/rhinos by following
their traces, which made the games more interesting.
In one or two game drives, we couldn't see many animals because they were hiding
themselves from the heat (that's why we need to plan enough game drives to see all
the big five).

You need to have your camera ready all the time as the animal viewing is unpredictable.
I could see the leopard only on the last day in Royal Madikwe and also on the morning
I left the lodge for the air strip, but unfortunately at that time i had my tele-zoom already
packed :-/

A big advantage of Madikwe is that we have much less tourists compared to Kruger Park,
according to different people i have met during the game drives.
Always choose a private safari reserve, as your ranger can drive you off the tracks into
the bushes to follow the animals.

In summary i love Madikwe safaris and will for sure return back.
And I loved flying (1 h) from Johannesburg to Madikwe with the small air plane, which
gave some touch of adventure to the safari trip.
My previous safaris were in 2014 in Shamwari near Port Elizabeth, but it was too
easy to spot the animals which looked somewhat too civilized :-)

My Madikwe album: https://www.flickr.com/photos/9-dragons/albums/72157678925869625
My Shamwari album: https://www.flickr.com/photos/9-dragons/albums/72157642871816915

Certainly one of the best and most comfortable game reserves in South Africa

Having been to most Game reserves in South Africa , my visit to Madikwe was certainly the best ever. Being able to watch game from our balcony at a small drinking hole less than 50 metres away with large herds of elephants coming to drink in addition to many other game species was one of the highlights. The area is malaria free and the scenery with unusual rock formations is beautiful. As an avid birder for many years I was thrilled with the abundant bird life. The guide we had was very knowledgeable and prepared to take us anywhere we wanted to go. We had excellent views of lion as well as black rhino.Some of my videos of this area can be seen on You Tube thespronks. (Young elephant showing who's boss and Lions Mating)