ABOUT MADIKWE
The Madikwe Reserve is saturated in history and maintains the feeling of new discovery around every rock outcrop, grassy hill, and Acacia tree. The majestic Madikwe reserve is nestled between the southern border of Botswana and the Molatedi Dam in South Africa. It is named for the Marico River Basin that makes up the area. Local people had called this area home for thousands of years. Later, hunters, farmer, explorers, and adventure seekers traversed this region in the early 1800’s.
With other options available, it was decided by the government that the most practical use of the land that is now the Madikwe Reserve, be utilized for eco-tourism and conservation. Allowing the natural flora and fauna to take over again, the reserve became a positive upliftment of communities in the area. In 1991 it became an established reserve. Slowly, professional field researchers began reintroducing small herds of animals such as Cape Buffalo, Elephants, and Rhino. The reintroduction of predatorial animals was underway shortly after.
Once the perimeter fence had been completed in 1991, the reintroduction of game began. This relocation project was called Operation Phoenix. Coming together using a wealth of teamwork between private entities, the local communities, and the state roughly 8,200 animals were relocated here. This was the largest translocation project in history.
The Madikwe Reserve prides itself on the progress of the population of the near endangered Wild Dog. Due to human interference, rabies, and other diseases transmitted by its domestic canine cousin, these are one of South Africa’s most endangered creatures. Researchers are maintaining studies of the Wild Dogs’ positive progress so future generations are able to appreciate this amazing animal as well.
Now, the 75 000 hectares of land are considered home to the big five and other elusive species of animals. The Madikwe Reserve is a hidden gem, as it is not well known to the public. It is the fifth largest reserve in South Africa.
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WHAT WE HOPE TO SEE
The Big Five...
Lions, being the proverbial Kings of the Jungle, sit at the top of the food chain, and they really are a magnificent sight to see in the wild. The lions in Madikwe Game Reserve were originally introduced from Namibia’s Etosha National Park, with more recent additions introduced from the Kgalagadi Transfrontier National Park to expand the gene pool.
The African Elephant is the largest living terrestrial animal, and it’s one that you may not even need to leave your Madikwe Game Reserve safari lodge to see. There are over 900 elephants in the reserve (a very high density), and herds are known to visit lodge watering holes to bathe and drink.
The reserve is home to both black rhino and white rhino (although pedants will tell you that the latter aren’t technically part of the Big Five). You’ll have to look twice to spot the difference: the white rhino is larger and has a square lip that helps it to graze; while the black rhino is smaller and has a pointed lip for pulling leaves off plants. Black rhinos are also notoriously bad-tempered.
Buffalo are well represented in the reserve, with more than 800 of them roaming the plains. Two things to know about buffalos: they can be aggressive if they feel threatened; and they’re quite susceptible to disease… so don’t get too close.
Leopard, meanwhile, are the smallest of the big cats and are very hard to (forgive us!) spot. They tend to be elusive, solitary beasts, and a sighting is a very rare event.
The endangered African wild dog is also a delightful and exciting sighting to have - especially when hunting and on the move, simply trying to keep up with them is an adventure in itself1
Cheetahs are also quite popular in the Madikwe game reserve, preferring open grasslands for their high-speed hunting techniques and often found sat atop termite mounds to better scan the horizon.
Plus it's needless to say there's also an abundance of general game that are found at every turn in the reserve and include impala, wildebeest, zebra, warthog, giraffe, kudu, eland, springbok, gemsbok, klipspringer, steinbok, duike and many, many more.
Madikwe is also great for potential sightings of the elusive brown hyena, their more common relatie the spotted hyena, black backed jackels, honey badger, wildcats and potentially even caracal and serval too!
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