MADIKWE GAME RESERVE
The Madikwe Game Reserve
Is situated against the Botswana border, just three hours’ drive from both Johannesburg and Pretoria. It is one of South Africa’s prime safari destinations.
Location
The 60 000 ha reserve is situated in the far north of North West Province, adjacent to the Botswana border.
History
Madikwe was announced to the public in August 1991 and officially became part of the Board’s estate on 31 October the same year. A detailed feasibility study showed that wildlife-based tourism was the most beneficial option for this remote and economically depressed area. Madikwe Game Reserve is home to 66 large 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 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 150 km perimeter fence which has been electrified to prevent the escape of elephants and the larger predators. Lodge guests are taken on conducted day and night game drives or bush walks. There are no day visitor facilities; only residents at a lodge may enter the reserve. Excellent accommodation is available at various private luxury lodges in the reserve.
