Etali Safari Lodge

Etali Safari Lodge offers guests a unique, family-friendly, personalised luxury African Safari Experience, wherein nature, relaxation and comfort combine to form an unforgettable memory. Etali is an owner-managed lodge with only 8 Luxury Suites and 1 Family Suite available allowing for a pro-active focus on the individual needs of each guest. Each Luxury Suite offers a refuge where a closer bond with the natural world can be built, with all of the conveniences you need and none of the distractions you don't.

The spacious and luxurious suites at Etali offer a refuge from the stresses of everyday life. Here everything is designed to facilitate a connection to the natural surroundings of the Madikwe Game Reserve. Each free-standing suite comes standard with private game viewing deck, splash pool and outdoor shower along with additional amenities such as air-conditioning, fireplace and wi-fi.

Etali is completely family-friendly. Over the years it has perfected the art of keeping children entertained during their stay in Madikwe. Whether casting animal tracks, or cooking up a treat, there is a range of kids activities available to keep the young ones entertained. For toddlers, child minding services are also available on request. Our side-by-side family suite is also available for guests who would like to stay close to their children while enjoying the privacy of their own suite.

About Madikwe Game Reserve

Madikwe, a South African private game reserve created in 1991 from 75,000 ha of farmland, which had been extensively degraded by overgrazing, was chosen as the site of Operation Phoenix. The government-sponsored, biggest-ever game- relocation programme in Africa involved re-stocking and conserving flora and wildlife, which had long since disappeared from the region.

Ten thousand animals of 27 major species, including wild dog, cheetah, lion, white and black rhino, buffalo and elephant, have been re-introduced to the Madikwe Game Reserve over a six year period with animals coming from various reserves and breeding centres and game viewing is now at its prime.

Northwest Parks Board (formerly Bop Parks) has adhered to a strict policy of introducing only those species, which once occurred in the area). Madikwe is run as a three-way partnership between the State, the local communities and the private sector.

Madikwe, therefore, should not be looked at as solely a protected area or tourism destination, the reserve acts as a major social and economic core and engine around which the development of the region can be based.

The name of Operation Phoenix is appropriate: like the mythical bird that burnt itself to a crisp on the pyre and then rose from the ashes to live again with new vigour, nature has regained a stronghold on the land and the programme has been hugely successful.

Madikwe Game Reserve is currently the country's fourth-largest game reserve. It is situated in the North West Province and is bordered by Botswana in the north, the spectacular Dwarsberg Mountains to the south, the Marico river to the east.

The diverse habitat in the reserve, from acacia, savannah to riverine, ensures a unique combination of species such as springbok, gemsbok, sable and impala. The birdlife is also spectacular, and this is one of the few South African private game reserves that are malaria-free.