Madikwe & Pilanesberg

The two reserves share a malaria-free corner of the North West but answer different briefs. Madikwe is the private one: among South Africa's largest reserves, hard against the Botswana border, with no day visitors and no self-drive. Its lodges run off-road game drives across big red-earth plains known for wild dog sightings, and the reserve stays remarkably quiet.

Pilanesberg is the accessible one: a national park set in an ancient volcanic crater about 2.5 hours from Johannesburg, where you can self-drive or join guided drives, and Sun City sits on its doorstep for water parks, golf and shows on the non-safari days.

Choose Madikwe for exclusivity and serious game viewing, Pilanesberg for flexibility, price and an easy first taste of the bush. Both are Big Five reserves; plenty of guests do two nights in each, and our safari specialists will say honestly which suits your trip.

When

The North West is a great year-round destination. For birding enthusiasts, the hot, wet summer months (November to March) are best. The reserves are at their most beautiful at this time, with lush vegetation providing an ideal backdrop for wildlife photography. This is also the animals’ calving season, so it’s perfect to see gambolling babies. If you want to combine your safari with a South African beach holiday, this is the best time to visit.

The dry, winter months (June to September) are the most rewarding for game viewing, and the weather is pleasant, with warm days and cold nights. During this period, vegetation thins out significantly, and animals congregate around permanent waterholes, making them far easier to spot. Visitors will require warm clothing for the evening and early-morning game drives.

Where

Madikwe, Pilanesberg and Sun City lie in South Africa’s wild, thinly populated North West Province. This is a great, malaria-free Big Five area within easy striking distance of Johannesburg. The region has good ecotourism infrastructure, superb scenery and diverse appeal, especially for families.

Madikwe Game Reserve is all about big skies, red earth and wide-open plains in a zone where South Africa’s Bushveld meets the Kalahari Desert. Comprising 760 square kilometres, this reserve has a rich diversity of vegetation that attracts a wide range of fauna and birdlife, and topography that is ideal for game viewing.

The reserve comprises more than a dozen private lodges and doesn’t allow day visitors or self-drive safaris. Most of its lodges are luxurious, top-end affairs and the game viewing throughout is excellent.

Madikwe is a relatively new reserve and an ecological success story. In 1991, when the park was declared, the region comprised a series of degraded cattle farms and the wildlife had all but disappeared. An extensive translocation project was instituted. Operation Phoenix was reputedly the largest reintroduction of game in the world, and today, the reserve is home to more than 16,000 mammals comprising nearly 100 species.

Occupying an eroded volcanic crater north of Sun City, the 550-square-kilometre Pilanesberg National Park is a wonderfully scenic place to see a variety of southern African wildlife.

In 1979, Operation Genesis reclaimed this area from agriculture and released 6,000 animals into the new park. Today, all the Big Five are here, as well as cheetahs, African wild dogs and 300-plus bird species.

At adjacent Sun City, the creation of entrepreneur Sol Kerzner, Disneyland meets ancient Egypt in Africa’s version of Las Vegas. Filled with gilded statues of animals, acres of man-made beaches, 1200 hotel rooms, a famed golf course and a casino, it’s an entertainment mecca. Even if you find the resort kitschy, visiting Sun City can be huge fun.

Must-see: During your game drive, stop and enjoy a sundowner drink on the banks of the languid, green Marico River and watch a scarlet sun setting over the bushveld.