Herman Charles Bosman has woven many a tale about Abjaterskop and the Marico River. It is perhaps he that best describes the vast area where enselbergs rise from the savannahs and an area that is given life from the Marico River. This is the Madikwe Game Reserve, 75,000 hectares of unique topography and breathtaking beauty, it is also home to the big 5 and a large variety of mammal and bird life. A Tswana word meaning word meaning 'A Gift from God'.
The lodge features a magnificent feature pool which looks over onto an active water hole, during the heat of the day much is observed from the pool or from the nearby viewing sala. Breakfasts and lunches are enjoyed on the pool deck while dinner is in the boma. For those wanting peace and tranquillity nothing can beat taking a book from the library and whiling away the afternoon in the sala.
Daily dawn and dusk / evening game drives are conducted in open landrovers by qualified rangers and Shangaan trackers. Walks are also available.
Accommodation
Carved from the hillside, eight glass fronted luxury chalets line a natural spring, each enjoying striking views either from within or from the outdoor shower.
The lodge enjoys spectacular vistas extending as far as the eye can see, your choice may be to visit in summer and laze on the pool deck with a chilled chardonnay.
Or maybe a winter safari - retire to the library with a cognac or stoke the fire in your suite, gaze out at the stars before drifting away with vivid images of unrestricted close encounters with Africa's big game.
Lodge Features
20 beds in 10 suites presented as
Each standard suite features
• 8 standard suites and 2 deluxe suites
• Twin beds with king size available on request
• Full en-suite facilities including spectacular vistas and outside showers
Two deluxe suites in combination feature
• Mini bar fridges,tea&coffee making facilities
• All inclusions in standard suites and
• Mini safes
• Lounge & dining room
• Climate control air-conditioning system
• Private plunge pool
• Covered patio
• Private boma deck
Lodge features
• Feature swimming pool
• Intimate lounge
• Library
• Outdoor dining area (Boma & pool Lapa)
• Curio / gift shop
• Wine cellar
• Bush dinner venue
• In room spa treatments
Location
Travelling by road
1. Drive from Johannesburg to Magaliesburg along the N14 and the R 24.
2. From Magaliesburg, take the R509 through Derby to Koster (69km)
3. Turn right in Koster to Swartruggens. (34km)
4. Continue straight through Swartruggens towards Groot Marico and Zeerust. You do not actually pass through the town of Groot Marico
5. After entering Zeerust, keep straight on until you see a sign for Gaberone / Madikwe Game Reserve. Turn right there.
6. Continue on this road through 2 rural villages and past Madikwe Road Takeaways (a store and filling station) and past Nietverdiend (a store, filling station and police station).
7. Continue on this road past the Abjagterskop Gate for Madikwe Game Reserve on your right. (Thatched entrance with flags etc.) for 7km.
8. 7 km past the Abjagterskop Gate, you will find another gate (Wonderboom gate) on the Right into the park. We will meet you here.
Typical Day
Rise in the morning to an African dawn and enjoy an early morning game drive with your dedicated professional ranger. Relax as your ranger guides you through the bush on a custom made open Landrover, searching out the Big 5 or the smaller secrets of nature.
Set out on a foot safari with your armed ranger and learn the secrets of tracking African game or just enjoy the trees, birds and stunning scenery. Return from the excitement of the bush to a sumptuous breakfast or brunch and then relax at the pool or the sala overlooking the waterhole where game may come to quench their thirst. In the afternoon, when the heat of the African sun has diminished and the shadows are longer, head out again on a sundowner safari, where you will stop to watch the sun set on this bushveld paradise and enjoy your favorite sundowner drink.
Once the sun has set and darkness descends, set off again for a night safari where the more nocturnal creatures now rule the bush. Return to the lodge where you will be treated to the finest Pan-African cuisine with your hosts in the open air boma, and share your days adventures, while you enjoy a night cap around the fire.
This is a typical day here at Impodimo where your safari experience will unfold. All our rangers are highly qualified and experienced, and undergo regular evaluations and ongoing training to ensure that they are up to our very high standards.
Mammals: As a result of Operation Phoenix, one of the largest relocation programmes of its kind, Madikwe Game Reserve has a diverse mammal population.
Birds: A special feature of Madikwe lies in its unique location, a transition zone on the edges of the Kalahari, where a number of rare species occur naturally. Over 350 species of birds have been recorded at Madikwe including many interesting raptors. Listed here is a number species to look out for. Read More...
While touring in the North West Province visit:
Pilanesberg Game Reserve Explore the nearby Pilanesbeg Game Reserve - in an ancient volcanic crater "The Volcano that gave birth to a game reserve" Read More
Sun City Resort and Hotels Deep in the rugged bushveld, in the heart of an ancient volcano, lies the world's most unique resort. This is the internationally acclaimed Sun City. Read More
Top Destinations
Cape Town Hotels
With Cape Town's spectacular geography and its amazing vibe it is not hard to see why it is consistently voted amongst the world's best cities. It is also South Africa's oldest city, the point at which South Africa as we know it today started.Read More...
Garden Route Hotels
Travel to South Africa and visit the Garden Route. The Garden Route is one of the most scenic parts of South Africa. Situated on the Southern Cape Coast almost midway between Cape Town...Read More...
Pilanesberg Game Lodges
The crater of a long extinct volcano is the setting of Pilanesberg National Park - a fascinating alkaline complex produced by volcanic eruptions some 1300 million years ago...Read More...
Addo Elephant National Park
The first settlers in the Addo region immediately decimated the big elephant herds, because they frequently devastated their fields and plantations. So the number of elephants continuously decreased...Read More...
Durban Hotels
Delightful Durban is the largest city of the vast and varied Kwa-Zulu Natal province of South Africa. A coastal port with a more than equable sub-tropical climate and wide golden beaches washed by the warm Indian Ocean, Durban is a holidaymaker's paradise...Read More...
Johannesburg Hotels
A city of astonishing contrasts, a huge metropolis where opulent wealth and desperate poverty live side by side: Johannesburg is the intriguing, dynamic heart of this turbulent country...Read More...
Day Tours and Scheduled Tours
Scheduled Tours and Day Tours from selected african destinations...Read More...
Kruger National Park
The Kruger National Park is the primary destination in South Africa for many international tourists. Each year more than half a million visitors are registered...Read More...
Lion
Big 5 - The Lion
(Panthera leo) Most people will hope to see a lion or three while on safari in Africa. Luckily they are not quite as difficult to spot as the rhino or leopard. You have a good chance of seeing lion at most of the major game parks in southern and eastern Africa. Unlike most felines, lions are actually quite social and live in prides of up to 15 members. So, you can get the chance to watch the little ones play and interact with their bored looking mothers. There is nothing quite so chilling as hearing a lion roar in the night while you are camping but they are actually not prone to attacking humans unless you're unlucky and come across a man-eating lion.
Leopard
Big 5 - The Leopard
(Panthera pardus) While leopards are more numerous than rhino in the Big 5 pantheon, they are sometimes just as difficult to spot while on safari in Africa. Leopards use trees as observation platforms and for protection, so you have to remember to look up to see this solitary, beautiful cat. Leopards are shy and nocturnal, quite modest for a cat that can climb, swim and live in a wider range of habitats than most other wild cats.
Elephant
Big 5 - The African Elephant
There are two distinct species of African elephant: African Forest Elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis) and the African Bush Elephant (Loxodonta africana). The largest mammal in the world is remarkably adaptable; you can see elephants in rain forests, deserts and savannahs while on safari in Africa. Elephants are usually quite peaceful if left alone, but if they feel threatened, watch out. There's nothing quite like being charged at by 12,000 lb's of animal, flapping its ears and trumpeting loudly. Did you know that an elephant's trunk has more than 40,000 muscles?
Buffalo
Big 5 - The Cape Buffalo
(Syncerus caffer) When you spot the Cape Buffalo while on safari in Africa, you usually don't spot them alone. They tend to appear in very large (and intimidating) herds. Even when looking at them through binoculars from a distance, the males always seem to be staring right at you with intense dislike. Weighing in at over 700 kg's (1540 lb's) even lions don't dare take a chunk out of this beast. Cape Buffalo are said to have killed more big game hunters than any other animal in Africa. Hence they have earned their place in the Big 5.
Rhino
Big 5 - The African Rhino
In Africa, there are two distinct species of rhinoceros; the Black Rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) and the White Rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum). Both of these species have two upright horns on the snout.
Rhinos are large mammals (only second in size to the elephant), shortsighted, bad tempered but magnificent to look at. Unfortunately there aren't too many to look at these days due to poaching. Rhino horn, used for medicinal purposes, is much prized in the Middle East and the Far East where it is more valuable than gold.
There are two species of rhino in Africa, the Black rhino and the White rhino, both of which you can see while on safari. Black rhinos have suffered the most drastic reduction in population in the last 20 years. There are now only about 3500 left in the wild although valiant conservation efforts are increasing those numbers.
A Game Translocation Program Operation Phoenix is one of the largest game translocation exercises in the world. More than 8,000 animals of 28 species have been released into the Madikwe Game Reserve including... Read More
Park Entry Fees
The North West Parks Board has announced that the entry fee to Madikwe Game Reserve will be increased as of 01 February 2008. This is a once-off fee and is paid directly by clients on entry to the park. The new tariff for self-drive clients is R50 per adult and R20 for pensioners and children under the age of 12. Clients who fly in are charged landing fees of R100 per adult and R40 per child for park entry.
How to get to Madikwe
From Johannesburg travel to the Hartebesspoort Dam, Rustenburg and continue with the N4 to Swartruggens and then Zeerust... Read More
Mammals: As a result of Operation Phoenix, one of the largest relocation programmes of its kind, Madikwe Game Reserve has a diverse mammal population.
Pilanesberg Game Reserve 
Sun City Resort and Hotels 
(Panthera leo) Most people will hope to see a lion or three while on safari in Africa. Luckily they are not quite as difficult to spot as the rhino or leopard. You have a good chance of seeing lion at most of the major game parks in southern and eastern Africa. Unlike most felines, lions are actually quite social and live in prides of up to 15 members. So, you can get the chance to watch the little ones play and interact with their bored looking mothers. There is nothing quite so chilling as hearing a lion roar in the night while you are camping but they are actually not prone to attacking humans unless you're unlucky and come across a man-eating lion. 
(Panthera pardus) While leopards are more numerous than rhino in the Big 5 pantheon, they are sometimes just as difficult to spot while on safari in Africa. Leopards use trees as observation platforms and for protection, so you have to remember to look up to see this solitary, beautiful cat. Leopards are shy and nocturnal, quite modest for a cat that can climb, swim and live in a wider range of habitats than most other wild cats. 
There are two distinct species of African elephant: African Forest Elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis) and the African Bush Elephant (Loxodonta africana).
(Syncerus caffer) When you spot the Cape Buffalo while on safari in Africa, you usually don't spot them alone. They tend to appear in very large (and intimidating) herds. Even when looking at them through binoculars from a distance, the males always seem to be staring right at you with intense dislike. Weighing in at over 700 kg's (1540 lb's) even lions don't dare take a chunk out of this beast. Cape Buffalo are said to have killed more big game hunters than any other animal in Africa. Hence they have earned their place in the Big 5. 
In Africa, there are two distinct species of rhinoceros; the Black Rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) and the White Rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum). Both of these species have two upright horns on the snout.
A Game Translocation Program Operation Phoenix is one of the largest game translocation exercises in the world. More than 8,000 animals of 28 species have been released into the Madikwe Game Reserve including... Read More 
From Johannesburg travel to the Hartebesspoort Dam, Rustenburg and continue with the N4 to Swartruggens and then Zeerust... Read More 
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
;)
