Madikwe Game Reserve

Madikwe Game Reserve is currently the fifth largest game reserve and is also one of the lesser- known parks in South Africa. This makes it a hidden- gem as it is regarded as one of the best conservation areas in Africa and offers the Big 5 in a 680 km2 park (750 km2 including newly incorporated privately owned land).

About 90 kilometres north of the town of Zeerust is Madikwe Game Reserve. It is situated against the Botswana border close to the Kalahari Desert. It is roughly 4.5 hours in a car from Johannesburg/ Pretoria. Safari Lodges are mostly located around the eastern and western gate.

The land where Madikwe now stands was previously used as farming land. The poor soil meant that farming was mostly unsuccessful and the South African government then decided that it would best be used as a national park to help economically uplift the disadvantaged area..

Madikwe Game Reserve consists of vast open plains of woodlands and grasslands. The reserve is dissected by the rugged Rant van Tweedepoort and is bordered in the south by the Dwarsberg Mountains.  In 1991 the area was declared a reserve and 10 000 mammals were relocated from other National Parks. The park is home to approximately 66 large mammals and roughly 300 bird species.