I travelled to South Africa and the incredible Madikwe Game Reserve in the North West Province of the country last year. It's a very old cliche and one I'm reluctant to use, but when people say that once you've 'touched the soil of Africa' you'll want to return (blah blah!), it's absolutely true.
Madikwe is very much lesser known than the world-famous Kruger - which means fewer tourists, and therefore far easier sightings of the game! You won't find twenty jeeps all clustered round a watering hole in Madikwe and you may well find that you don't even pass another game drive on your route.
Plus, not only does the park house all of the Big Five, it also is a breeding centre for the Wild Dog. We spotted rhino, zebra, buffalo, giraffe, baboons, impala, wildebeest, elephants (including a particularly spectacular experience of watching several families of elephants playing and bathing at a watering hole), and many more, including a puff adder in our path! (We were safely in the game vehicle!).
I stayed at the incredibly luxurious Buffalo Ridge community-owned lodge - only a maximum of 16 people can stay so it is perfect for honeymooners, very secluded, and has absolutely outstanding staff and service. My favourite experience was seeing a baboon on my patio one morning, just getting on with his life with me watching from my room!
To get to the reserve, you can either drive, which takes about 3-4 hours from Johannesburg, or you can fly in a teeny tiny 4-8 seater plane! My journey was in the latter, and it took only one hour but admittedly, the return was rather hairy and I felt sick as a dog (motion sickness).
As I was visiting the Madikwe Game Reserve and Buffalo Ridge Lodge as a press-trip, I wrote about my experience for the Daily Mirror. If you want to read about it, you can find the feature here:
If you are interested in visiting Madikwe Game Reserve yourself, or thinking of going on any safari, we can assist with finding you a fabulous holiday (if you have never been on safari, it is one of those things you must do in a lifetime!). Call 0845 475 0342 to enquire!
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