Malaria-Free Safaris:
Madikwe, Waterberg & Kalahari

Madikwe:

By road, Madikwe is about 4 to 5 hours’ drive from Johannesburg, and we can arrange private road transfers from Johannesburg, OR Tambo International Airport or Pretoria. By air, FedAir operates a daily scheduled shuttle flight from OR Tambo International Airport to the Madikwe airstrip, and transfers from the airstrip to Tuningi and Madikwe Hills are complimentary.

Marataba:

By road, Marataba is about 3.5 hours’ drive from Johannesburg, and we can arrange private road transfers from Johannesburg, OR Tambo International Airport or Pretoria. By air, shuttle flights from OR Tambo or private charters can be arranged to the Thabazimbi airstrip, followed by a road transfer of 40 minutes to 1.5 hours depending on the lodge.

Tswalu Kalahari:

Tswalu is too remote to reach comfortably by road, so guests fly in. Tswalu has its own airstrip, served by scheduled charter flights from Johannesburg’s OR Tambo International Airport (about 90 minutes) and Cape Town International Airport (about 2 hours). These flights connect on the same day with light-aircraft flights to Madikwe and the Sabi Sand, so it’s easy to combine Tswalu with a Madikwe Big Five safari or a Kruger safari. Flights to Tswalu are not included in the lodge rates; your consultant will arrange them as part of your booking.

All three destinations also combine easily with a Cape Town, Garden Route or Victoria Falls holiday, either as part of our private tour packages or as a stand-alone booking.

Madikwe and Marataba are both home to the Big Five: lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino. Madikwe is one of the best places in South Africa to see the endangered African wild dog, and is also known for cheetah, brown hyena and a huge variety of birds. Marataba is renowned for its black rhino, as well as giraffe, zebra, hippo and crocodile, with rarer sightings of brown hyena, aardwolf and pangolin, and the Cape vulture colony in the Waterberg cliffs. Tswalu has four of the Big Five (lion, leopard, rhino and buffalo, but no elephant) and is famous for its black-maned Kalahari lions, desert black rhino, cheetah, oryx and meerkats, as well as some of the best sightings in Africa of aardvark, pangolin, brown hyena and aardwolf.

Yes. Madikwe, the Waterberg and the Kalahari are all malaria-free, so no anti-malaria medication is needed. This makes them ideal for families with young children, pregnant travellers and anyone who would prefer to avoid malaria tablets.

All three destinations are year-round safari destinations. The dry winter months (May to September) offer the best game viewing, as the bush thins out and animals gather around waterholes, with clear blue skies. Early mornings and evenings can be very cold, especially in the Kalahari, where temperatures can drop below freezing at night, so pack warm layers. Summer (October to April) is hot and green, with dramatic afternoon thunderstorms, newborn animals and excellent birding; after good rains, even the Kalahari turns surprisingly green.

Guests usually arrive around lunchtime, enjoy lunch and high tea, and then head out on an afternoon game drive, returning for dinner. The following day starts with an early morning game drive, followed by breakfast, time to relax at the lodge, lunch and another afternoon drive. Schedules vary by season and by lodge; at Tswalu, with your own private vehicle and guide, you can shape the day around your own interests.

Typical schedule on safari:

This schedule varies by season and by lodge, but a general idea of what to expect is:

Arrival day:

• 13:00: arrival at the lodge
• 13:30: lunch served
• 15:00: high tea and snacks; time to meet your ranger
• 15:30: depart on afternoon game drive
• 19:00: return from game drive, and dinner served

Following day:

• 5:00: wakeup call
• 5:15: Coffee/tea and greet your ranger
• 5:30: depart on morning game drive
• 9:00: return from morning game drive; breakfast served
• 9:30: time to relax and enjoy the lodge
• Continue with lunch and afternoon schedule

Yes. The three destinations offer very different landscapes: Madikwe’s open bushveld plains, Marataba’s dramatic mountains and river, and Tswalu’s red Kalahari dunes. Madikwe and Marataba can be connected by road transfer, and Tswalu’s scheduled flights connect on the same day with light-aircraft flights to Madikwe, so a Big Five safari in Madikwe or Marataba combined with the Kalahari at Tswalu works beautifully. We can also include them in a wider South Africa itinerary with Cape Town, the Garden Route or Kruger, or add Victoria Falls.

Yes. All three destinations are malaria-free and several of the lodges are very family-friendly. Tuningi has two dedicated Family Suites, Marataba Safari Lodge has Family Luxury Tents and a kids’ activity programme, and Little Madikwe and Marataba Villa welcome children of all ages with childminding available. At Tswalu, children of all ages are welcome at all three camps, children aged 0–11 sharing with their parents stay free, and the Junior Ranger programme and child-minding are included. Please note that the main lodge at Madikwe Hills welcomes children aged 10 and above, and Marataba Mountain Lodge is for adults only (16 years and above).

Game drives are conducted in open-sided 4×4 safari vehicles, usually Land Cruisers or Land Rovers, with an experienced field guide and, at many lodges, a tracker. Most lodges limit the number of guests per vehicle to ensure everyone has a good view; Madikwe Hills, for example, takes a maximum of 6 guests per game drive. Exclusive-use options such as Little Madikwe and Marataba Villa come with their own private vehicle, and at Tswalu every booking has its own private vehicle, guide and tracker.

We recommend a minimum of two nights per lodge, but ideally at least three to four nights. Two nights gives you four game drives. Three or four nights gives you more time to explore the reserve, more chances to find special sightings such as wild dog, leopard, black rhino or aardvark, and a more relaxed pace, with time to enjoy the lodge in between drives. Tswalu has a minimum stay of 2 nights (3 nights over the festive season) and often runs special offers on stays of four nights or more. If you’re combining destinations, three to four nights at each gives you very different safari experiences, and at Tswalu you can also split your stay between The Motse and Loapi to experience two different areas of the reserve.

No. Madikwe is only open to guests staying at the lodges inside the reserve, and strict rules limit the number of vehicles at a sighting at any one time, with guides rotating so that everyone gets a good view. Marataba is a private concession within Marakele National Park, so game drives in the concession are reserved for Marataba guests, giving a very exclusive safari experience. Tswalu has the lowest guest numbers for its size of any reserve in South Africa, with no other lodges or outside vehicles on the property, so you will often not see another vehicle all day.