Haven to Wildlife and Humans Alike - Magical Madikwe

The majestic Madikwe Reserve is malaria-free, situated between the Botswana border and the area made famous by South African writer Herman Charles Bosman, the Groot Marico - just 110 km from Sun City and four hours drive from Johannesburg or Pretoria.

Madikwe is located North West Province. It is currently acknowledged as one of South Africa's premier safari and wildlife tourism destinations. Madikwe is a Big Five game reserve, including Lion, Elephant and Rhino, spanning some 75 000 hectares. It is one of the largest national game reserves in Southern Africa, the extensive grass plains of which are home to game such as Gemsbok and Springbok to over 340 species of birds. The rich diversity of vegetation ensures a wide range of game and wildlife, as well as a terrain and topography that offers ideal game-viewing opportunities.

Madikwe has a colorful history, traversed by trekkers, travelers, pioneers and later farmers and missionaries. The famous David Livingstone visited the area en route to Zimbabwe, and his later discovery of the Victoria Falls. Madikwe stalwart is the old Vleischfontein Mission, which was started by Jesuit missionary Father Croonenberghs in 1885, who had decided to establish a mission station en route to the Zambezi. He purchased a farm on the stony wagon track on the road to what is now Gaborone, near the Dwaarsberg. The farm at that point was 4 000 morgen and he paid eight hundred pounds for it. The missionaries soon established themselves, a church and school were soon built, and so too were the Vleischfontein Gardens, which are still in evidence today. Cuttings from their orchards were sent to missions in neighboring African countries such as the banana plants sent to Zimbabwe. These gave rise to the banana groves and trees that are still present and growing around Harare today.