Madikwa Game Reserve, North West

Many of the Farms described by writer Herman Charles Bosman in his short stories no longer exist, quite a number having been incorporated into Madikwe Game Reserve. Wildlife that was so plentiful in this character Oom Schalk’s day had mostly been shot out by the late 20th Century and it was nigh impossible to imagine a leopard joining your siesta in the shade of a Withaak on the slopes of Abjaterskop Mountain. But that’s all changed and today there are plenty of leopards in the neighbourhood of Abjaterskop – and bigger cats too – for the famous Mountain is now on the edge of Madikwe. Located on the Western Border of North-West Province, Madikwe is all about big skies, wide-open plains, the meeting of Bushveld and Kalahari and all the wonderful diversity this entails. It offers 75 000 Hectares of malaria-free Wilderness. Opened in 1991, Madikwe is made up of reclaimed Farmland dotted with inselberg's, (An inselberg is an isolated rock Hill, Knob, Ridge, or small Mountain that rises abruptly from a gently sloping or virtually level surrounding Plain. In South Africa a similar formation of granite is known as a 'koppie', which is an Afrikaans word from the Dutch word kopje)
The Reserve lies where the Bushveld meets arid Kalahari Savanna. The wide range of Habitats makes for excellent birding, with more than 350 species recorded. The park has become famous for its African wild dogs, but it’s also great for Big Five viewing and cheetahs can often be spotted hunting the Grasslands.