Madikwe Game Reserve
The malaria-free Madikwe Game Reserve belongs to the latest park developments in South Africa. It was opened in 1991 and is still in the initial stages. The reserve comprises 75.000 hectares of bushland 90 km north of Zeerust, just three hours' drive from both Johannesburg and Pretoria where 18 beautiful safari lodges are situated. The terrain is mainly open grasslands and bushveld plains, interspersed with rocky outcrops and single mountains. Except for the Marico river in the east of the park, water resources are scarce therefore several dams have been built. Today some the staggering number of 12,000 animals live in the Madikwe Game Reserve. Madikwe is home to the ‘big five’ and all predators are represented as also giraffe, zebra and a great number of antelopes are situated in the park. More than 350 bird species have been registered. It is one of South Africa's largest game reserves. 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. Madikwe functions through a system designed to benefit the three main stakeholders involved in the reserve. These are the North West Parks Board, the private sector and the local communities. All three work together in a mutually beneficial "partnership in conservation." The Parks Board is responsible for setting up the necessary infrastructure and the management to run Madikwe as a major protected conservation area in the North West Province.
Kruger National Park
This enormous and magnificent park is one of the most popular public-entry game parks in the world. Its density of permanent game is unrivalled with hundreds of different species; 507 birds, 336 trees, 147 mammals, 114 reptiles, 49 fish and 34 amphibians!
With the "Operation Phoenix",which began in 1993, more than 8,000 heads of game were brought into the park. In 1996, predators were introduced in Madikwe, first cheetahs, wild dogs and hyenas, later also lions from the Etosha National Park (Namibia) and the neighbouring Pilanesberg National Park. 180 elephants came from the Gonarezhou Game Reserve in Zimbabwe. The resettlement of the elephants was a great success and their population in Madikwe has grown to 250 animals.
Few visitors leave South Africa without visiting the Kruger National Park or one of the private reserves along its borders but it is also frequented by locals in their own vehicles, as you can drive yourself around and stay overnight in one of the many public restcamps. There are also a few exclusive private lodges that have been granted concessions within the Kruger National Park. The far north of the park is the wildest and most difficult area to access and because of this, it has alluring qualities for the real adventurer.