Madikwe Game Reserve

Beautiful scenery and off the beaten track. Luxurious lodges options with great food, good game viewing and warm days guaranteed.

Great wildlife.

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

Great stay, great guides, tremendous wildlife.

Had a wonderful visit. Lodging in a cabin of my own, outdoor shower was very cool.
Good food. Saw 4 of the big five.

Madikwe was a life time expeience, beyound what we had hoped for or expected.

Our stay at Makanyane Safari Lodge was beyond our expectations. The wildlife and scenery of Madikwe left all of us with lifetime memories. The guides were very professional and yet were very real people. We liked the idea of no public driving to disturb the wildlife. Getting within 15 meters of three male lions and hearing their roars left us breathless. We can't wait to return!

Creature comforts and lots of creatures

We went to Madikwe Game Reserve in 2009, having been once before on a safari to its sister park Kwandwe some years earlier. I doubt any two game reserves are the same, and it Madikwe was very different from Kwandwe.

Highlights for me were tracking the pack of wild dogs (which are apparently very rare in Africa but were fairly plentiful in Madikwe), watching a pride of lions relax and play with each other next to the airstrip and having a lioness almost brush past my leg whilst I was sitting in the rear seats of the safari jeep.

Overall I'd thoroughly recommend Madikwe (and Kwandwe) to anyone wanting to get a safari experience whilst staying in relative luxury.

It was amazing.

I thought the experience was incredible all around. The experience in the camp, and our relationships with our guides, as well as the food and the accommodations were all very cool. I really enjoyed that we were staying in more of a cabin-like environment and not in a luxury hotel out there because I felt like we got more into the experience that way. If I had money to blow like that I would definitely do it again.

We managed to see the big 5 over a couple days, we had a wonderful time on safari.

Madikwe park

Madikwe is a very authentic nature reserve with lots of animals (big five at almost every game drive), beautiful landscapes and very comfortable accomodation (Madikwe river lodge), more excusiv than Kruger Park and enjoyable for everyone (kid's game drives too).

It was breathtaking and we created everlasting memories in just 3 days.

We loved this experience. The wildlife was plentiful and we saw 4 of the big 5 - only missing a Leopard. Nonetheless, the Tau Game Lodge was first rate. Their hospitality and level of service was unmatched. The food was delicious and the chef disussed each dish he created at dinner. And the rangers were experienced, friendly and patient.