Today some 12,000 animals live in the Madikwe Game Reserve. All predator species are represented and also black and white rhino, buffalo, giraffe, zebra and a great number of antelopes. More than 350 bird species have been registered.

The Madikwe Park was financed by the Nature Conservation authorities of the Nord-West Province as well as by private investors. All the hotels und game lodges belong to private companies who in turn have to pay licence fees to the parks administration.

The surrounding local communities also benefit from the reserve as they receive an annual share of the park's profits and so are able to upgrade their own infrastructure.

Further information and accommodation you find on the Tourist Info page.

The Madikwe Game Reserve belongs to the latest park developments in South Africa. It was opened in 1991 and is still in the initial stages. The reserve comprises 60.000 hectares of bushland north of the small town Groot-Marico up to the Botswana border. In the south, the Dwarsberg Mountains are the border. The terrain is mainly open grasslands and bushveld plains, interspersed with rocky outcrops and single mountains. Except for the Marico river in the east of the park, water resources are scarce and several dams had to be built.

With the "Operation Phoenix" which began in 1993, more than 8,000 heads of game were brought into the park. In 1996, predators were introduced in Madikwe, first cheetahs, wild dogs and hyenas, later also lions from the Etosha National Park (Namibia) and the neighbouring Pilanesberg National Park. 180 elephants came from the Gonarezhou Game Reserve in Zimbabwe which had been hit by a disastrous drought. The resettlement of the elephants was a great success and their population in Madikwe has grown to 250 animals.

Top right: Wide savannah dominates the park`s landscape. Bottom right: Giraffe in Madikwe, the Dwars Mountains in the background.