2 Day Madikwe Safaris

The Madikwe Game Reserve is a fantastic place to go on safari thanks to the variety of landscapes and the large number of animals that live there. The park is great for both first-timers to South Africa and seasoned travellers. The reserve’s size guarantees that visitors will always have a new setting against which to watch wildlife and take stunning photographs.

Madikwe Game Reserve is the fifth largest game reserve in South Africa, and it is located on the border with Botswana, not far from the Kalahari Desert. This lesser-known park is actually one of the best protected regions in all of Africa, and it boasts a Big Five safari experience across an expansive 750 square kilometres. 

The reserve is crossed by the well-known Mafikeng road. Prior to the establishment of the reserve, this path was already recognized as a significant historical link. Traders, hunters, missionaries, and explorers all traversed its course. Several years ago, Matabele King Mzilikazi travelled through the Madikwe region on his way to enlarging his kingdom.

The territory that is now the Madikwe Game Reserve was once used for agriculture, both for raising cattle and growing crops such as grains and vegetables. The local farming culture was mostly unsuccessful as a result of inefficient farming practices and poor management of the land. Once the vegetation had deteriorated to the point where it was no longer useable, there was discussion about transferring ownership of the land to less fortunate and younger cattle producers.

The reserve was made public in 1991, and on October 31 of that year, it was included in the Board’s estate. Prior to this, a feasibility study revealed that wildlife-based tourism was the best option for the remote and economically depressed area, which needed to be revitalized. It is one of the few game reserves in the world that was created on the grounds that it was the most environmentally friendly and appropriate use of the land.

The broad plains of Madikwe Game Reserve are dotted with trees and meadows. The Dwarsberg Mountains to the south form the reserve’s western boundary, and the rough Rant van Tweedepoort cuts it in half. In order to keep the larger animals inside the reserve, an electric fence that spans its whole 150 km circumference was built.

Despite the damage that hunting and farming have done to the Madikwe region, Operation Phoenix has led to the return of species that have been absent for more than a century. As a result, there is a great diversity of animals, from insects to mammals. There are about 340 distinct species of birds.

Madikwe Game Reserve is home to a diverse array of wildlife thanks to the variety of habitats it provides. Mountainous regions, a plateau, rocky hills, a perennial river, seasonal wetlands, bushveld, savannah, and a wide range of sand and clay environments are all included in the reserve.

Madikwe Game Reserve is home to 66 different types of mammals, including the “Big 5”, namely elephant, rhino, buffalo, lion, and leopard. Add to this the giraffe, hippos, cheetahs, wild dogs, and hyenas, and you can rest assured to have a memorable safari experience.

In regard to the fauna of the area, the intricate soils and rocks of Madikwe are the result of millions of years of erosion on the underlying geological formations. Another element in determining the type of vegetation present in the various places within Madikwe is the climate, which changes considerably from one part of the reserve to the other. Vegetation in Madikwe is a patchwork due to the many veld management techniques used by the farms that once occupied the area now known as the Madikwe Game Reserve.

The Madikwe Game Reserve is located at a convenient distance from both Johannesburg and Pretoria, which can be reached by car in approximately 4.5 hours. It is also in close proximity to Botswana’s capital city of Gaborone.

Individuals, couples, and families traveling with children can select from a diverse range of accommodations, some of which are luxurious or even ultra-luxurious. It is the perfect location for either the beginning or end of a holiday spent in South Africa or for a tour that combines South Africa with Botswana. The absence of malaria in Madikwe is yet another advantage of visiting this reserve. Visitors won’t need to bring any additional medication on their trip.

Madikwe Game Reserve is a relatively exclusive safari destination because day visitors are not permitted inside the park. As a result, the number of vehicles in the park during game drive hours is limited to the vehicles belonging to the park’s lodges.