Madikwe Game Reserve
Madikwe is a "Big Five" game reserve situated 90 km north of Zeerust. The Madikwe reserve is family friendly safari destination with excellent game viewing, it is malaria free and easily accessible on good tarred roads and only three hours from Johannesburg.
Easy access makes Madikwe perfect for a short safari from Johannesburg or as an extension to a longer safari trip to Kruger or Botswana for the self driver and for those who prefer their transfers by air.
Madikwe has some of the most attractive and reasonably priced safari camps and lodges in the country and offers a full range of game activities.
The reserve was proclaimed in 1991 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.
The reserve is one of the largest in South Africa and comprises vast plains of open woodlands and grasslands bordered in the south by the Dwarsberg Mountains. The area is dotted with huge rocky hills or inselbergs. The rich diversity of vegetation and topography offers perfect conditions for game viewing. 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.
The reintroduction of game to Madikwe began in early in 1991 and “Operation Phoenix”, as the reintroduction programme was called, was the largest game translocation exercise in the world. More than 8000 animals of 28 species were released into the reserve, including elephant, rhino, buffalo, lion, cheetah, Cape hunting dog, spotted hyena, giraffe, zebra and many species of antelope and herbivores. Leopard already occurred in the reserve.
The Madikwe Reserve is now one of the best places in Africa to observe Wild dogs and if you are lucky follow their hunts.
Madikwe 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.