Madikwe Game Reserve
& Lion Sands Game Reserve
This is where our love for Africa began. As newcomers, we were exploring and researching without a clear starting point. After a couple of months of looking into options, we decided on these two reserves and lodges for our first experience in the bush.
Madikwe Hills Private Game Lodge
The flight is on a small bush plane that ranges from Beechcraft to Cessna airplanes seating up to ~15 passengers.
All guests are received by the lodge guides. On the way to the lodge, we came across a few zebras. Signs of even greater sightings ahead!
This place is breathtaking. The suites are spacious and come with plunge pools (though they aren’t heated). The lodge is built around a rocky hill and blends beautifully with the surrounding landscape. The staff is incredibly helpful, and the food is delicious, accommodating all dietary preferences with advance notice. We loved relaxing by our plunge pool, taking in the vast views of the reserve, and enjoying the tranquility of the African bush, occasionally interrupted by birdsong or a zebra or antelope drinking at the watering hole. We also had a fantastic time on the bushwalk; exploring the reserve on foot was an exhilarating experience!
This is one of the more luxurious lodges in Madikwe but worth the cost we felt for the experience.
Madikwe Game Reserve is malaria free and is ~ 75000 hectares or ~ 750 sq km in size. The reserve is accessible to guests staying at one of the over 25 lodges. The reserve encompasses a diverse range of terrains which include mountains, rocky hills, seasonal wetlands, perennial rivers, mixed bushveld, savanna grasslands, Kalahari veld and thornveld. The topography ranges from the Dwarsberg mountains in the south to the stark granite hills on the otherwise flat north-western plains near the border of Botswana.
Madikwe is home not only to the Big 5 but a wide variety of other animal species from wild dogs to nocturnals including a wide array of bird life making it a must-visit for safari lovers.
The ideal time to visit Madikwe is June – Sept (winter months in the southern hemisphere). This is when the grasses and bushveld turn dry allowing guests to see farther and deeper into the landscape. Additionally, with this being the dry season, animals tend to congregate at watering holes vs dispersing over the entirety of the reserve making it easier to spot predators and prey. On the negative end, it is winter so it’s cold especially the early morning and late evening game drives which require layers of warm clothing as the vehicles are open (no covers unless it’s raining). All lodging options provide a combination of warm blankets, hot water bottles or parkas.
Other times of the year have their own benefits – green vs dry and offseason rates.
Overall, Madikwe is a great reserve to visit for individuals, couples and families, whether for first timers or repeat guests.
If there is one negative, it’s the lodge to reserve ratio. Reserves/concessions generally limit 3 vehicles to a sighting. This is good to not overcrowd the sighting. The flip side is vehicles queuing during game drives as everyone is out at the same time. This is especially true for predator sightings. If you are the first one in, you get a greater chance to see the action and/or take the picture of your dreams!
We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Madikwe and would not hesitate to return.
Lion Sands Lodge
We had originally planned to stay at the more intimate Ivory Lodge but somehow missed this during the booking process. Upon arrival, we turned left to our suite at River Lodge instead of right to Ivory Lodge. River Lodge has more suites (about 18 across various categories) compared to Ivory Lodge, which has around 8. Lion Sands also operates two lodges within their Kruger concession—Tinga and Narina—and three treehouses (two in Lion Sands and one in Kruger).
Overall, we enjoyed our time at River Lodge. The setting along the Sabi River is stunning! However, would we return? To be honest, probably not. The lodge has a larger footprint, and while it does blend into the environment, we prefer the smaller lodges we’ve visited. The downside to Lion Sands, despite being a premium offering, is that laundry services are not included. The lodges in Kruger are luxurious but are somewhat close to Skukuza, which might not provide the full wild African bush experience for some.
The food quality was decent, and the Boma experience was enjoyable. As for the guiding, we had one of the better experiences at this lodge, particularly during the bush walk.
Cape Town
We took a detour to visit Cape Town between our stays in Madikwe and Lion Sands. This required us to plan our itinerary carefully so we could catch the twice-weekly flight to Nelspruit on the day we departed from Cape Town.
