Important Note: Sanctuary Makanyane Safari Lodge is closed for a full refurbishment and is expected to reopen as Last Word Makanyane in July 2026.

Luxurious accommodation, exceptional cuisine, welcoming service and thrilling game viewing combine to create an unforgettable luxury safari experience at the malaria-free Sanctuary Makanyane Safari Lodge in the Madikwe Game Reserve, South Africa.

Situated on private ground within the malaria-free, “Big 5” Madikwe Game Reserve in South Africa’s North West Province, the lodge caters for just sixteen guests, ensuring personal attention and exclusivity.

Designed to have a minimal environmental impact, constructed from local stone, wood and thatch and blending effortlessly with the bush, the lodge allows guests to continuously experience the natural beauty of their surroundings. Hidden in riverside forest, the eight luxurious suites, each with glass-walled bedrooms, overlook the Marico River, offering uninterrupted views of the surrounding bush. The suites have open-fronted lounges, private sundecks and bathrooms that are spacious and opulent with roll-top baths, inside and outside showers and sliding doors that open the bathroom to the bush.

Other facilities that make Makanyane a 5-star experience are a well-stocked safari shop, a spa and gym, library, bar, wine cellar and heated infinity swimming pool. Upstairs, an air-conditioned den has a viewing deck that provides panoramic views while not far from the main lodge there is a secluded, tree-shaded viewing deck where you can enjoy a quiet drink.

Hidden deep in the bush on the lodge's private ground is secure, raised hide with a second storey sleeping deck. Here guests are given the unique opportunity to spend a romantic night under the African sky, surrounded only by lanterns and the African bush, an unforgettable experience!

Makanyane is renowned for our excellent cuisine. Brunch, buffet lunches, afternoon teas and a la carte three-course dinners where you have a choice of the main course are all served in camp. Given prior notice, they cater to most dietary needs and requirements. Fine wines from the award-winning wine list complement the exceptional cuisine, an exciting fusion of local and international dishes prepared using the finest and freshest local and imported ingredients.

An ideal way to soothe away the stress and strain of everyday life is to let the highly trained health and beauty therapist pamper you. The lodge has a comprehensive list of Health and Beauty treatments, from massage, aromatherapy and hot stone treatments right through to facials and manicures. Guests can enjoy treatments on the deck of their suite, or in a variety of locations, such as our look-out point, where the views can be enjoyed during the treatment.

There are two daily game drives at Makanyane, timed to make the most of the periods when the game is the most active, one in the early morning and another in the late afternoon. The afternoon drive, after a brief stop to enjoy sundowners, continues into the night, a shielded spotlight revealing the nocturnal wildlife of the bush.

For an even more in-depth exploration of the bush, a game walk is essential. A highly educational and uniquely enlightening experience, your armed and experienced guide will lead you along game paths in the footsteps of the animals, allowing you to feel the thrill of walking through this wild environment.

Designed by award-winning architects, Sanctuary Makanyane Safari Lodge offers genuine 5-star luxury in South Africa's Madikwe Private Game Reserve.

About Madikwe Game Reserve

 Madikwe, a South African private game reserve created in 1991 from 75,000 hectares 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.

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.