Madikwe December 2022

Madikwe - Trip #3

I’ve already had many great times at Madikwe in the past. The lodge (Madikwe Hills), the food, the staff and even the animal sightings were fantastic every time. But my latest experience there was not the best, because of the ranger/tracker I've had. Check out my previous blog post about Madikwe Hills to read why. They missed to make me happy, because they missed a lot of opportunities and they never asked me (as the only guest on the vehicle) whether I like to stay with the sighting or move on. The ranger didn't care, whether my camera was stowed or not and just moved on. I've provided my feedback to the manager and gave him positive pieces of advice to change the situation with that particular ranger. So I had to get back to this place to see, whether anything has changed and everything else remained as I loved it at my last stay.

And hey - spoiler alert - I can tell you: Madikwe Hills was rocking again, as on my first stay. And again: Even the second stay rocked - just not ranger-wise. The same ranger I had the last time picked me up at the airstrip. I could see that he changed for the better again. I really think he just burned out after that many years of being a ranger and it just needed a light to burn the fire again. Whenever I was out in the field with another ranger and tracker the following days, I was happy to see with passion again for his job.

My ranger this time was Benson and together with tracker Eric we had a beautiful time out in the bush of Madikwe. From the first drive, they showed me, that these guys are professionals. It seemed as if they were trained over years in theory, waiting for just that moment to go out into the real bush with me as their very first customer. Further, they always gave me wonderful explanations and information about even the tiny little things. I've learned so much. Benson never started the engine before making sure, that I'm ready or what my plans were. Under the line, we didn't even have to communicate verbally: It was just a perfect match. My tracker Eric even spotted a Chameleon on our trip back to the lodge on the first evening - in complete darkness - just with a spotlight and was able to get it onto our hands. "It just is a little bit greener than the leaves or grass" was his explanation for it. This little creature was way smaller than my fist - and this during night and on a moving vehicle... It was so memorable! So, before I start with my animal sightings, I need to introduce to you these two amazing guys and my little chameleon friend first:

No need to speak about the lodge

There is absolutely no need to speak about the lodge - Madikwe Hills - again. The lodge is wonderful. The room is wonderful. The food is wonderful. The staff is wonderful. The management is wonderful. The National Park is wonderful. If you like to see photos of the lodge and food, just see my latest blog post about Madikwe and you will find plenty of photos and more information about this beautiful place. If you are a foodie: You will get several meals every day. It starts with a pre-safari snack in the early morning, followed by a coffee stop on safari with some muffins, a hearty breakfast after the safari (with special and fantastic non-standard options), followed by a delicious lunch, a pre-safari afternoon high-tea, a sundowner out in the bush with freshly prepared game meat on a gas burner and finally an out-of-this-world dinner with several courses. I've stayed there for 6 nights - just guess how much weight I've gained during that time! The quality is on the same level as my Sabi Sabi experience: But the big plus point is the freshly prepared game meat whilst on the afternoon drive. This is unbeatable so far and because of that, it is my number one lodge food-wise. The small things could make a big difference.

But now it is time for some wildlife impressions:

Madikwe National Park

The Madikwe National Park is located in the northern part of South Africa and is just next to the border with Botswana. With 750 km2, it's the fifth largest game reserve in South Africa, comprised of vast open plains of grasslands, woodlands, rocky outcrops and single mountains. The scenery completely changes on every drive just depending on which direction you are heading. The park is home to approximately 66 large mammals and roughly 300 bird species and got the big five.

Depending on the lodge you have chosen, you can reach Madikwe within about 4-5 hours by car from Johannesburg or with a 30-minute flight by Federal Airline.

Walking Safaris

I'm more the "stay on the vehicle guy" on Safari. Not because I'm scared about nature, I just like to adjust to nature! I was one meter away from lions already, whilst sitting on the open vehicle, which brings up the adrenalin pretty much. And I didn't hesitate to take a walk. But I respect the wilderness - especially when we track down wild animals and not just walking around.

Benson and Eric took me on a special walk twice. First to track down an elephant bull. We were about 20 meters away on foot from this big guy, when he saw us. It was a magical experience for me when the elephant bull stepped forward to us quickly to charge us and angled his ears widely to show his dominance. Benson was stepping in front of me, called out a single unrecognisable word (for me) and the elephant turned around and left us in freedom. This experience was scary and amazing at the same time. But it built up confidence, that this ranger and tracker are professionals and know what they are doing. After some other hours spent on the vehicle, they asked me whether I like to join them in tracking down a male lion on foot. My brain told me "Don't do that" - but my mouth already told them: "Yes, I will join you for sure". So we stepped off the vehicle and followed a pathway with lion tracks into the bush. We couldn't find the lion - so after around 500 meters, we turned around to get back to the car. On the way back we realised, there were even new tracks - so this lion was tracking us as well - LOL. We made it back to the car and found this beautiful male lion a bit later.

Conclusion

I can't wait to be back at Madikwe anytime soon again! It provided me with the best experience in a combination of all the aspects I expect of a safari - accommodation, food, wildlife and service. Maybe the only downside of Madikwe is, that it's way harder to see a leopard there, in comparison with game reserves within the Kruger National Park. But maybe I'm lucky the next time.

As usual, this is my personal opinion about Madikwe and Madikwe Hills. I don't receive money or other compensation for writing this blog post. I just receive a little discount on the regular rate, as every returning customer.