Madikwe wild reservaat

Wildlife Theatre

The Madikwe Game Reserve, situated against the Botswana border, 90 km north of Zeerust, just three hours’ drive from both Johannesburg and Pretoria, is now one of South Africa’s prime safari destinations. Madikwe is a Big Five game reserve covering some 75,000 hectare. It is one of the largest game reserves in South Africa. The rich diversity of vegetation ensures a wide range of game and the topography offers ideal game viewing opportunities.

Home to the Big Five
Madikwe is home to 66 mammal species including the Big Five and approximately 300 resident and migrant bird species. It is one of South Africa’s largest game reserves.

Madikwe has the distinction of being one of the few game reserves in the world to be proclaimed purely on the grounds of being the most appropriate and sustainable land use for an area.

Madikwe represents an extension to this philosophy in that it is run as a joint venture between the State, the private sector and local communities. The success of this approach has made Madikwe the role model for similar ventures being started up elsewhere in South Africa.

Vast Plains
The reserve consists of vast plains of open woodlands and grasslands, dissected by the rugged Rant van Tweedepoort, and bordered in the south by the Dwarsberg Mountains. The area is dotted with huge rocky hills or inselbergs.

The entire reserve has been enclosed in a 150km perimeter fence which has been electrified to prevent the escape of elephants and the larger predators.

Conducted Game Drives
Guests are taken on conducted day and night game drives or bush walks. Excellent accommodation is available at various private lodges in the reserve. There are no day visitor facilities; only residents at a lodge may enter the reserve.

History
The reserve was announced to the public in August 1991 and officially became part of the Board’s estate on 31 October the same year. The reserve was proclaimed after a detailed feasibility study of the area was conducted by independent consultants. The study showed that wildlife-based tourism was the most beneficial option for this remote and economically depressed area.

One of South Africa’s largest game reserves, Madikwe has the distinction of being one of the few game reserves in the world to be proclaimed purely on the grounds of being the most appropriate and sustainable land use for an area.

The reserve consists of vast plains of open woodlands and grasslands, dissected by the rugged Rant van Tweedepoort, and bordered in the south by the Dwarsberg Mountains. The area is dotted with huge rocky hills, known as inselbergs. The entire reserve has been enclosed in a 150 km perimeter fence which has been electrified to prevent the escape of elephants and the larger predators.