One of Africa’s top malaria-free safari destinations, the 290-square-mile Madikwe Game Reserve lies in Northwest Province some 4-5 hours’ drive north of Johannesburg. An encouraging modern conservation success story, the reserve was salvaged from unproductive farmland in 1991, and restocked with 8,000 head of game in an ambitious relocation program called Operation Phoenix. 

Discover Madikwe Game Reserve

Although Madikwe is provincially managed, it functions much like a private game reserve. It is scattered with some of South Africa’s finest private lodges, most of which offer all-inclusive packages with meals and guided activities. Madikwe is closed to self-drivers and to day visitors, so guided game drives retain a genuine aura of exclusivity.  

Wildlife viewing is superb. Madikwe is home to all the Big Five; visitors are almost certain to see elephant, buffalo, lion and white rhino, and there’s also a decent chance of leopard and black rhino. Other wildlife includes zebra, giraffe, warthog and large antelope such as eland, greater kudu, springbok, wildebeest, red hartebeest, tsessebe and klipspringer.  

Large carnivores are very well represented. In addition to lion and leopard, Madikwe supports significant numbers of cheetah, brown hyena and spotted hyena, and it is one of the best places to see the African wild dog, an endangered but fascinating pack carnivore noted for its complex social structure.  

Hippos, crocodiles and various aquatic birds are resident in the Marico River, which flows along the reserve’s eastern border, and associated waterholes.  

Birdwatching is excellent, with at least 350 species recorded. Of particular interest is a long list of regional endemics associated with the western Kalahari biome, such as pied babbler (also known as the ‘flying snowball’), crimson-breasted shrike, barred wren-warbler and violet-eared waxbill. 

The complete absence of malaria makes Madikwe particularly well-suited to families with young children and other visitors who don’t want to or cannot take malaria prophylaxis.