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South Africa ~ North West Province & Northern Cape

NORTH-WEST PROVINCE GAME RESERVES

With excellent wildlife viewing, lovely scenery, easy access from Jo’burg and the advantage of being malaria-free, these reserves are a popular inclusion in itineraries.

MadiKwe Private Game Reserve

Located near to the Botswana border near to Gaborone, MadiKwe Private Game Reserve was established in 1991 through the cooperation of private partnerships, government conservation agencies and the local community to protect over 75,000 hectares of reclaiming farmland. The terrain consists mainly riverine woodland and low-lying plains, Tshwene-Tshwene hillock and rocky koppies, with the Groot Marico River in the east and views to the Dwarsberg Mountains in the west. Over 8,000 animals of 27 species including the Big Five, cheetahs, hyena and antelope were introduced through the relocation scheme ‘Operation Phoenix’. The game is now well established and this reserve is probably the best for sightings of the highly endangered African wild dog. The reserve has the size required to allow the dogs their necessary roaming distance. There are rewarding areas for birding, with around 350 species noted. Madikwe is special for the fact that many of the lodges are part or wholly community owned.

Pilanesberg National Park

Bordering the brash Sun City entertainment complex, Pilanesberg National Park is situated in the crater of a massive extinct volcano, resulting from eruptions some 1,200 million years ago. Pilanesberg is in the transition zone between Kalahari and Lowveld, flora and fauna of both habitat can be found overlapping here.  All of the Big Five have been introduced to the park.

NORTHERN CAPE

Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park

Located in the Southern Kalahari and bordering Namibia to the west, Kgalagadi (meaning ‘Place of Great Thirst’ in San language and Africa’s first official Transfrontier Park or ‘Peace Park’) is the result of a management agreement between South Africa’s Kalahari-Gemsbok National Park and Botswana’s Gemsbok National Park. Spanning over 3,6 million hectares (around 38,000 km²), almost twice the size of Kruger National Park, 27% of Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park is in South Africa and the remainder is in Botswana. The vast unfenced area allows for the essential seasonal migration of desert-dwelling wildlife such as blue wildebeest, springbok, gemsbok (oryx), eland and red hartebeest.

The arid terrain consists of undulating red sand dunes, sparse vegetation, occasional trees, and the dry riverbeds of the Nossob and Auob rivers – said to flow once a century or briefly after large thunderstorms. Wildlife concentrates in these dry river beds as here the water flows unseen underground, utilised by grasses and trees such as camelthorn, vaalkameel and swarthaak (black thorn) acacias, raisin bush and African blackwood which grow and in turn provide sustenance to grazers. Naturally, the whereabouts of herbivores attracts predators such as the rare and striking Kalahari black-maned lion as well as cheetah, leopard and spotted hyena.

Smaller mammals found in the reserve are ground squirrel and the adorable suricate (meerkat), gerbils and whistling rats. At night, with luck, pangolin (scaly anteater), the notoriously aggressive honey badger (ratel), and bat-eared fox may be seen.

The Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park contains over 200 species of bird and is renowned for raptors such as the secretary bird, black-breasted and tawny snake eagle, martial eagle, bateleur, lappet-faced and white-backed vulture, pale chanting and gabar goshawk, greater kestrel and pygmy falcon. The summer months (December-March) are particularly rewarding due to the arrival of migratory species (though this time can be very hot – see below!). Other birds featured include the ostrich (the world’s largest bird), the kori bustard (the world’s heaviest flying bird) and sociable weaver birds which together construct the largest nests of any bird which may accommodate over 100 pairs and can be seen weighing heavily on tree branches.

The ‡Khomani San and Mier communities who traditionally roamed this area but lost their land under apartheid, reached an historic land settlement agreement with the government of South Africa and South African National Parks (SANParks) in May 2002 which resulted in their being granted ownership of 50,000 hectares of land within the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park which they lease to and jointly manage with SANParks. The agreement means the San and Mier people have benefited from funding and employment in various aspects of tourism and conservation work which filters through to benefit the communities as a whole.

The weather in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park can be extreme, with sub-zero temperatures at night in winter and soaring over 40 degrees C in summer. The best time to visit is between March and May when some greenery remains from the summer rains and the temperatures are pleasant.
 

Tswalu Kalahari Private Game Reserve

The malaria-free Tswalu Kalahari Private Game Reserve in the wider Kalahari is the largest privately owned game reserve in South Africa where a maximum of six safari vehicles explore the 100,000 hectares, giving a sense of unparalleled privacy in the wilderness of dunes and savannah with the backdrop of the Korannaberg mountains.

A third of South Africa’s endangered desert black rhino thrive here, together with the huge Kalahari black-maned lion, wild dog, cheetah, sable and roan antelope, tsessebe, wildebeest, giraffe, eland, both Burchell’s and Hartmann’s mountain zebra and buffalo.

A chance to enjoy the endearing antics of meerkats is a big draw and over 230 species of bird have been recorded. At night there is a chance to glimpse more elusive creatures such as aardwolf, aardvark, brown hyena and bat-eared fox.

Activities are tailored to individual interests and include game drives, bush walks, night walks and horseback safaris as well as simply enjoying the stillness, sky and stars of the Kalahari. Guests leave Tswalu with a rounded appreciation of the whole ecosystem – from the geology, plants, insects and reptiles to the smaller mammals and larger game as well as the human history of the area and how the San people learned to survive in this arid land.
 

Augrabies Falls National Park

In the north of the Northern Cape in the green Kalahari bordering Namibia, the Augrabies Falls National Park protects 28,000 hectares of barren, rocky semi-desert terrain surrounding the Orange River. This mighty river tumbles 56m over a sheer granite cliff at Augrabies Falls then cascades a further 135m into a turbulent pool below. This is best seen in March-May after the summer rains when it justifies it’s original Khoikhoi name of ‘Ankoerebis’ or ‘place of big noises’ as the water thunders into the gorge below (the name Augrabies was later derived from this by the Boer Voortrekkers).

Augrabies Falls National Park provides sanctuary to specialised flora and fauna which are able to survive the aridity and extreme temperature fluctuations. As well as smaller succulents, the kokerboom (aka quiver tree) can be found here - a giant aloe which can store water in its stems and so survive lengthy drought. Their name comes from the tradition of the San people to keep their arrows in kokers (quivers) made from hollowed branches of this plant. There are several varieties of mesembryanthemums (known locally as ‘vygies’), shrubs such as raisin bush and tree species include camelthorn acacia, wild olive and white karee.

Small reptiles and mammals such as Broadley’s flat lizards and rock dassies (hyrax), slender and yellow mongoose find shelter in rock crevices, fallen trees or burrows. Klipspringer are some of the more commonly seen antelope, as well as gemsbok (oryx) steenbok, kudu, eland and springbok. Giraffes here are paler in colour than elsewhere as an adaptation to reflect the sun’s heat. The park is home to black rhino and Hartmann’s mountain zebra and predators include leopard, African wild cat, black backed jackal, caracal and bat eared fox. Cape clawless otters may be found hunting for fish in the river.

Nama people, who are descendents from the original Khoikhoi, have inhabited the Augrabies Falls National Park area for many centuries and learnt many fascinating methods of survivial.

Visitors can explore this wilderness on 4x4 trails, game drives, river rafting trips, on mountain bikes or hiking trails.

Namaqua National Park

In the land of the Nama people, descendents of the Khoikhoi herders, the 144,000ha Namaqua National Park is a biodiversity hotspot and part of the semi-desert Succulent Karoo biome. It is deservedly renowned for providing one of the floral wonders of the world. Whilst relatively bare at other times, in spring (sometime during August and September) the dry valleys of Namaqualand explode with the brilliant colours of its wild flowers. A perfectly timed visit after the winter rains will reveal the richest bulb flora display of any arid region world-wide and lilies, mesembryanthemums (vygies), aloes, gladioli and various colours of daisies emerge from their underground dormancy to carpet the land in brilliant fashion. Around 1000 of its estimated 3500-4,000 plant species are found nowhere else on earth. It is also a paradise for butterfly and bird enthusiasts and, of course, photographers. As per the wildlife safaris, tracking the best floral display involves skill, local knowledge and luck – and as with a lion sighting, vehicles may converge out of nowhere at the best spots! Another factor to consider is that accommodation needs to be booked in advance and so one must hope for lucky timing.

Namaqua National Park is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and reaches 1700masl at its highest altitude. Winding dusty roads curve through a landscape of endless horizons, massive granite outcrops and sandy alluvial valleys, with quiver trees (kokerboom) standing sentinel.

Wildlife of Namaqua National Park must be well-adapted to the challenging climate. Reptiles thrive, including the Namaqua speckled padloper (roadrunner) - the world's smallest tortoise, reaching 6-10cm. Mammals include aardvark, baboon, porcupine, klipspringer, duiker, steenbok, black-backed jackal and (though rarely seen) leopard. Around 250 bird species include black harriers, cinnamon-breasted warbler, Cape long-billed and Karoo lark, black-headed canary and cape bulbul.

Ai-Ais Richtersveld Transfrontier Park

The only true desert in South Africa, receiving less than 50mm annual rainfall, this transfrontier park spans part of the border of north-west South Africa and southern Namibia. The Ai-Ais Richtersveld Transfrontier Park is formed by the merging of South Africa’s Richtersveld National Park and Namibia’s Ai-Ais Hot Springs Game Park. The temperatures are extreme (over 50 degrees C in summer), the landscape dramatic and inhospitable and the sandy roads and tough mountain passes are only to be attempted by experienced drivers in suitable vehicles. Wildlife is scarce, though leopards are present and lizards and klipspringers may be seen. The best time of year to visit is August/September when the succulents are in bloom.  Activities include gentle canoeing along the wide Orange River (best for birding) and simply exploring this ruggedly beautiful landscape by 4x4 vehicle.