Safari in northwestern South Africa

Where can you go on a malaria-free safari near Johannesburg?

North West, the province northwest of Johannesburg, offers malaria-free Big Five safaris less than half a day's drive from the airport. Pilanesberg fills the crater of an extinct volcano, 572 km² three hours away by road, and you drive it yourself, from gate to gate, with Sun City right on its southern edge. Madikwe, 750 km² on the Botswana border, is lodge-only, four and a half hours by road or an hour by plane, and its wild dogs are the most sought-after sighting. Both received their animals by truck, in two major reintroduction programs: Operation Genesis at Pilanesberg in 1979 and Operation Phoenix at Madikwe from 1992.

Pilanesberg or Madikwe: which should you choose?

Pilanesberg for budget and freedom: R748 per adult and R168 per car at the gate, lodges and camps at every entrance, and the option of a single day trip from Johannesburg. Madikwe for the quality of the sightings, with no day visitors, 4x4s that leave the tracks, guides who follow the wild dogs and lions from one day to the next, and an all-inclusive lodge price, plus a fee of R520 per adult per night. With children, both work, since there is no malaria, and Pilanesberg adds hot-air ballooning and the attractions of Sun City next door.

What wildlife can you see at Pilanesberg and Madikwe?

Elephants and white rhinos are the easiest to see in both reserves, on the valley-floor grasslands at Pilanesberg and at the lodge waterholes at Madikwe, where the elephant population exceeds 1,600. You see lions in both, wild dogs mostly at Madikwe, and cheetahs and brown hyenas from time to time. Pilanesberg has more than 10,000 animals of 22 introduced species, including zebras, wildebeest, giraffes, kudus and the hippos of Mankwe Dam, along with more than 360 bird species. Leopards live in the hills of both reserves and remain the rarest sighting.

When is the best time to visit Pilanesberg and Madikwe?

The dry winter, from May to September, is when you see the animals best. The bush thins out, waterholes become scarce and the animals gather at them. Nights drop to around 3°C at Madikwe and morning drives happen under a blanket, but the days are mild and the skies clear. Summer, from October to April, brings storms, days around 32°C and tall grass that hides the animals, with births and migratory birds in return. There is no malaria here, which makes these two reserves easy choices for a first family safari, summer included.