Watch: A Breeding Herd of Elephant in the Madikwe Game Reserve

Extending over 750 square kilometres of North West Province, Madikwe Game Reserve was created from former ranchland in the early 1990s and is now home to over 8,000 individual animals belonging to 28 different large mammal species (including all the Big Five).

Closed to daytime visitors, it now functions much like the private game reserves that about the Kruger National Park, but in a far larger area. Madikwe is home to more than a dozen small camps that offer an all-inclusive upmarket family-friendly safari experience, the focal point of which is guided game drives in open 4x4s. 

Madikwe is one of the best places in Africa for sightings of the endangered African wild dog, and night drives often yield encounters with the shy brown hyena.

Madikwe is one of the best places in Africa for sightings of the endangered African wild dog, and night drives often yield encounters with the shy brown hyena. We were so lucky to spot a breeding herd of elephant on a game drive through the reserve. 

Travel tips

-Three scheduled flights weekly connect Johannesburg to Pilanesberg Airport, which also serves Sun City. It is arguably easier (and quicker) to drive. This takes about two hours from O.R Tambo Airport, Johannesburg or Sandton, or 90 minutes from Pretoria, via the scenic Hartebeespoort Dam. It is also easy to arrange a road transfer to Sun City or Pilanesberg. .

-It’s more like four hours’ drive from Johannesburg to Madikwe, and since all lodges here offer all-inclusive packages and self-drive exploration is forbidden, the best option is to fly.

-Most travellers opt for car hire to accommodate their travel plans. 

If you’re interested in experiencing a family-friendly safari in South Africa, we’re happy to curate the best possible experience for you today!