Luxury Safari

A concept like "luxury safari" seems contradictory, since "safari" means going out in wild nature, exposed to what Nature has on offer, watching wild animals in their natural environment, whereas "luxury" implies the best of what modern man has become accustomed to. In Madikwe Game Reserve in the Northwest-Province of South Africa a combination of "luxury" and "safari" is what is on offer – as a matter of fact, this is exactly what you will get at Madikwe – a luxury safari.



As far as "luxury" is concerned Madikwe has at least 14 Five Star safari lodges scattered across the reserve. You can expect Five Star service and luxury from them. The camps vary in size and guests can choose whether they prefer the more private and intimate small camps or the bigger ones or even one of the few large camps, accommodating up to 200 guests. Generally speaking, every safari lodge consists of a central lodge with a number of private, totally separate thatched units in the camp.



Each of these chalets has luxury written all over it. They all have a typical African feel about them, embracing the guests in the comfort of modern luxury. Guests can do game viewing from their own private deck, which provides a stunning view of the Great Marico River or a water hole; each deck also has a plunge pool. The main lodge houses the administration, lounge, library and is also the place where the meals are served. A "boma" is as typical Africa as can come. This is a secluded space surrounded by poles or something similar with fireplaces and facilities for food as well as seats inside. Guests usually have their evening meals there, weather-permitting.



Most of the lodges also offer spa and wellness treatments; some even have wellness centers where guests can recover their strength and get relief from the stress associated with the modern way of living. Many different therapies are used and these are administered by therapists who know what they’re doing .



All the lodges cater for families as well; some even group certain chalets together to form a private unit for bigger groups. In some cases these clusters are apart from the main camp, like Little Thakadu, each one having the luxury of its own chef and game ranger.

Most lodges have conference venues with all facilities needed for this type of activities. Many also cater for weddings and some have actually become popular as wedding venues.

In general, children are welcome at all of the Madikwe camps and some even organize special activities for the kids.



As far as the "safari" component of "luxury safari" is concerned, what Madikwe has to offer is as good as it gets. Madikwe Game Reserve is the 5th biggest game reserve in South Africa and as many as 15,000 animals live there. Due to different habitats found in the reserve a wide variety of animals are at home here. Of the 60 mammals the "Big Five" (lion, leopard, African elephant, black and white rhino and African buffalo) top the viewing menu, and guests will most probably also have the privilege to see the super fast cheetah and a pack of African wild dogs, a highly endangered carnivore species. Many grazers (like blue wildebeest, blesbok and springbok) and browsers (like waterbuck and kudu) completes the picture. Fascinating nocturnal animals like the porcupine and aardvark (giant anteater) are also seen regularly.

Ever heard about how a porcupine can defend himself against predators? You have a good chance of witnessing this!



In addition to this Madikwe hosts as many as 340 different bird species – what more can a birder ask for! The big variety is made possible by the diversity of habitats mentioned above.



Included in the price are a game drive early in the morning and one late afternoon into the early night as well as safari walks. In all cases they are accompanied by game rangers who really know the bush and animals well. Game rangers are allowed to follow animals into the bush to make special sightings possible, like a lion kill – lions are actually much more active at night than during the day. Madikwe is exclusively reserved for guests staying in one of the safari camps – no day visitors are allowed. So your game drive vehicle may be the only one at a very special sighting! For more detail, please go to Madikwe Safari Lodge