Bling and Biltong – North West’s game reserves

Casino capital of South Africa, the North West Province is often fobbed off as being merely the home to the palace of glitsch, Sun City. But at the tip of cabaret dancers’ toes is Pilanesberg, one of many North West reserves crawling with great game. Robyn Daly skipped the slot machines and went for a different kind of gaming.

Pilanesberg National Park
Lying in the maw of an extinct volcano, the landscape of Pilanesberg is rugged and wild. Eruptions some 1 300 million years ago laid the geological foundations for what is now a diverse and beautiful setting with wooded gorges, rocky outcrops and sweeping grasslands.

If on game drives you get the feeling of being protected in the palm of a giant hand, it’s not entirely imaginary: the reserve is fringed by three concentric rings of hills, the Pilanes-berg alkaline ring complex, to rock scientists in the know. Home to the Big Five and then some, it also has wonderful birds and a healthy reptile count.

Self-drivers have a good chance of seeing game on their rounds, but be disciplined about sunrise and sunset drives to get the best results. If you opt for a night drive with one of the resort vehicles, do so at your peril – spotlights are often manned by guests who wave the lights wildly, blinding all those in sight.

Accommodation: There is no accommodation within the reserve, but you will find a variety of places to stay on the outskirts.
Cost: Prices range from R280 to R2 800 a night.
Contact the park: Phone 014-555-5354, website http://www.tourismnorthwest.co.za.
Where to stay: $$$ Bakgatla Camp offers colonial-style chalets for self-catering and safari tents starting from R280 a person a night sharing. Phone 014-555-1000, http://www.goldenleopard.co.za.
$$$ Manyane Camp has self-catering chalets and safari tents which start from R300 a person sharing for B&B. Phone 014-555-1000, websitehttp://www.goldenleopard.co.za.
$$$$ Bakubung Bush Lodge has comfortable studio rooms and chalets from R940 a person sharing. Phone 011-806-6888, http://www.legacyhotels.co.za.
$$$$$ Tshukudu Bush Lodge is five-star luxury from R2395 a person sharing. Phone 011-806-6888, http://www.legacyhotels.co.za.

Madikwe Game Reserve
Madikwe is best known among tourists for its highly successful wild dog populations, but the reserve has also been a valuable source of income to its impoverished community. If you can afford it, it’s one of those dream holidays and worth every Big Five rand you’ll spend; if your budget is more modest, gather a group and hire a self-catering lodge. But on the whole, it is ‘big bucks’ territory.

As beautiful as Madikwe is, so too is it untouchable. This is a private provincial game reserve, an oddity that, nevertheless, is beyond the financial reach of most of us local plebs. Lodges are top dollar and pitched at foreign tourists, however, many are running below profitable occupancy and, if you’re flexible, it’s possible to find discounts during the low-season winter months.

Accommodation: For a full range of lodges in Madikwe, see our cover story in May 2005.
Cost: From R450 a person a night to ‘the sky’s the limit’.
Food: What you get is what you pay for.
We suggest: $$$ Madikwe Mooifontein a self-catering lodge that sleeps 10 people for R4 500, which translates to R450 a person a night. Phone 011-789-1605.
Contact: Madikwe Safaris is the most comprehensive booking agent, phone 011-315-6194, website http://www.madikwesafaris.co.za.

Molopo Game Reserve
Tucked away in the heart of the Southern Kalahari near the border of Botswana, Molopo is the province’s best-kept secret. Its rolling red Kalahari dunes are carpeted with silky bushman grass from horizon to horizon. The bird list of 120 species includes specials such as tawny and martial eagles, bataleur and lappet-faced vulture. Pack a picnic breakfast and make your way down to one of the new and smartly built hides. A special feature is the fossilised Phepane river bed. Many millions of years old, the river once carried huge volumes of water. Nowadays it’s a place for seeing herds of eland.

Although well stocked with large antelope such as gemsbok, red hartebeest, eland, zebra and giraffe, those who like to eyeball their game up close could be frustrated. As is the case with other parks in the province, Molopo offers hunting but, unlike Pilanesberg and Madikwe, the game on this 24 000 hectare reserve is quite skittish.
Nevertheless, for a sense of wilderness and having the whole place to yourself, no other North West reserve can beat it. There are no large predators, so Molopo is safe to explore on foot.

Accommodation: $Tent or caravan camping is at Phiri Camp in the reserve which has ablutions with hot water and a pretty setting for R40 a person a night. There is also $ Molopo Camp, a converted farm house which sleeps eight people for basic self-catering at R80 a person a night.
Cost: Park entrance is R15 a person.
Food: Self-catering is the only option, so you’re at the mercy of your own talents.
We suggest: Two days is fine for the reserve, making Molopo a great stop-over for travellers on their way to or from Botswana. Petrol and diesel are available at the village of Vostershoop nearby.
Contact: Gerald Botha 082-873-8780.

Mafikeng Game Reserve
Occupying a big, flat area of sour mixed bushveld outside the town of Mafikeng, game spotting in Mafikeng Game Reserve is not terribly difficult. Herds of zebra, springbok and red hartebeest are common and it’s fairly easy to pick out the buffaloes and rhinos in the bush. It is difficult to feel a sense of ‘getting away’ in this reserve which is small at 4 600 hectares and close to busy roads and the town, but it is worthy of praise as this little reserve works closely with Mafikeng schools and provides a ready source of wildlife appreciation for the local community.

Accommodation: $ Manyane Game Lodge borders the reserve and has its own entrance into the park. Self-catering chalets, which sleep four, are reasonably comfortable and cost R400 a night.
Cost: Park entrance is R15 a person.
Food: The lodge restaurant serves up a good rump steak for around R50.
We suggest: Pack a picnic and head out to one of the picnic sites in the reserve for a mellow lunch.
Contact: Phone 018-381-5611 (Mafikeng reserve), 018-381-6020 (Manyane lodge).

Kgaswane Mountain Reserve
Kgaswane is like a little (4 257-hectare) piece of Malawi’s celebrated Nyika Plateau set in the Magaliesberg. There are rolling grasslands and boggy dombos with the added advantage of mountain peaks rising above the ‘plateau’. The vlei which dominates the reserve and attracts great birdlife is the principal catchment for the Hex River, which eventually flows into the Crocodile.

Kgaswane’s calling card is its herds of sable, but it’s also home to caracal, leopard, aardwolf and black-backed jackal. The birdlife is superb with a list of more than 320 species including a breeding colony of Cape vultures and nesting black and martial eagles.

There are four hiking trails: the Summit Route which is 25,3 km and has natural swimming pools and the Baviaanskrans Route, a 19,5 km tour of the Waterfall View and the Garden of Remembrance. The trails have amenities to accommodate 12 hikers. Two trails are day walks: the Peglarae Trail is 5,5 km over fairly steep and rocky terrain and the Vlei ramble, just 2 km, takes visitors to a viewing hut on the edge of the vlei for great bird watching.

Accommodation: $ Camping is highly recommended. The cost is R40 a night for the site. There is also a self-catering cottage tucked away from the campers for R300 a night for six people.
Cost: Park entrance is R10 a person; R10 for a vehicle.
We suggest: Book to join one of the overnight hiking trails for R90 a person.
Contact: Phone the reserve on 014-533-2050, fax 014-533-0397.

Ivory Tree Lodge
The hottest new property surrounding the Pilanesberg crater is Ivory Tree Game Lodge, which is every bit the luxury lodge it purports to be. Its 60 sumptuous thatched chalets, replete with air conditioning and ever-so bush trendy outdoor showers are arranged so you hardly notice there could be 119 other guests close by.

A member of the African Anthology Collection, which includes Kapama, Grootbos and the Moyo restaurants, it is every bit as expensive, but worth a ‘little’ indulgence for a special weekend away.

Unfortunately game drives are vulnerable to outside influences that you wouldn’t have in a private game reserve as the lodges traverse the same roads as all other vehicles. So if you’re unlucky, you could find yourself enjoying a great elephant sighting with your five-star ranger providing in-depth commentary, when all of a sudden some mug with no understanding of the way of the wild comes roaring past, upsets the elephants and leaves you breathing dust.

Accommodation: 60 thatched en-suite chalets.
Cost: $$$$$ Full board and game activities cost R1 875 a person a night sharing.
Food: Delicious light lunches and set menu dinners or dine from the generous buffet.
We suggest: Try for special discounted rates on a quiet week night during winter.
Contact: 011-706-8781, website http://www.african-anthology.co.za.