Madikwe Game Reserve

Where is Madikwe?

The 75 000ha Madikwe Game Reserve lies in the extreme northwest corner of South Africa’s North West province, abutting the Botswana border close to the Kalahari Desert. A mere three-and-a-half-hour drive from Johannesburg or a quick charter flight from OR Tambo International Airport gets you there.

Why Madikwe was established?

The land on which Madikwe now stands was formerly dotted with cattle and maize farms that were showing poor returns due to the unsuitability of the soil. Following an independent feasibility study, the government of the time made a decision to proclaim the land for wildlife-based tourism purposes, a more sustainable of the remote region. Madikwe was the first reserve of its nature to be proclaimed based on a sound economical and environmental study to determin what the best form of land use would be. Today it is run as a three way partnership between the North West Parks and Tourism Board, the private sector, and local communities.

• The Parks Board is responsible for setting up infrastructure and operational management, as well as identifying suitable sites for lease to the private sector for tourism-based developments and activities.
• The private sector funds the construction of game lodges, which it then markets and manages, and lodge employees are drawn from surrounding villages.

The Wildlife.

The reintroduced wildlife has flourished and Madikwe now boasts not only the Big Five, but also a thriving population of African wild dog. Large numbers of elephant, giraffe and impala occur alongside oryx, springbok and red hartebeest. Both spotted and brown hyena are found in the reserve.

The Weather.

Classed as a semi-arid region, most of the rain at Madikwe occurs between November and March in the form of short, sharp thundershowers in the late afternoon. The average daytime temperature is 25°C/77°F, although extremes of up to 40°C/104°F can occur. Winters are cool and dry, with cold nights when the temperature can drop to below freezing.

Accommodation Options

Morukuru Farm House

Morukuru Lodge

Impodimo Game Lodge

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