Madikwe Game Reserve - South Africa Safaris

Madikwe Game Reserve Introduction

The Madikwe Game Reserve, situated against the Botswana border, 90 km north of Zeerust, just 4-5 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. Madikwe is testimony to a truly enlightened conservation plan which has created this exceptional wildlife reservation for the preservation of a unique wilderness area of Kalahari thornveld in one of the more remote regions of South Africa. Madikwe is host to almost every game species including lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo. About 250 species of birds have been recorded at Madikwe, which is a transition zone between the Kalahari thornveld and bushveld ecological regions of Southern Africa.

To enter Madikwe is to stand at the very threshold of wilderness Africa. This is a near-perfect ecological environment where every plant, animal and insect forms an essential part of an intricate web of survival. Here, life and death are complementary for the continued existence of the natural system where man is reminded that his very existence through the ages has been rooted in such an intricate design. Madikwe has been developed to provide a highly personal experience for the visitor. The park is open to guests who have a wide choice of accommodation options at the many safari camps located throughout the park. Day and night drives in open safari vehicles form an essential part of any visit to the park, and these are guided by experienced rangers whose knowledge will greatly enhance the overall wildlife experience.

Madikwe Game 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.

Madikwe Game Reserve Wildlife & Ecology

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.

The varied vegetation in the Madikwe area reflects the interplay of the low rainfall (~540mm per annum), complex geology (such as dolomites, Bushveld Igneous Complex, etc), broken topography (inselbergs, Dwarsberg Mountains, plains, and the perennial Marico River) and diverse soil formations. This, in addition to its location in the transition zone between the arid Kalahari and the moister eastern savannas of southern Africa, ensures a wide range of habitats which result in turn in a wide diversity of fauna.