Madikwe Hills Private Game Lodge

Madikwe Hills Private Game Lodge accommodates up to 24 guests in expansive, well-spaced and totally private glass-fronted suites scattered across the hillside, camouflaged by Tamboti trees and thatch roofs. Wooden walkways lit by hurricane lamps criss-cross the grounds and connect the secluded suites to the central open-plan lounge, bar, wine cellar, TV room and dining area up the slope, where cooling fans make slow rotations and the giant twisted trunks of leadwood trees hold up the vaulted ceiling.

Dining options at this outstanding Madikwe Hills lodge includes the main deck, which overlooks an active waterhole, the elegant dining room and the vastly popular open-air traditional boma. Private dinners on the deck of your suite are also offered to couples wanting to spend time together in privacy.

The total dedication and passion of the team at this luxury Madikwe lodge ensure that every guest departs with a memory of an African safari never to be forgotten. From outstanding wildlife holidays to unforgettable safari weddings and honeymoons – Madikwe Hills offers the complete adventure in South Africa. Please note, we do not accommodate children under the age of 10 in the main lodge, making Madikwe Hills the perfect romantic destination.

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.