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For Reservations and Rates
Call: +27 (0) 861 000 333
Molatedi Gate Madikwe Game Reserve North West
Phone: 0861 000 333
Phone (Int): +27 31 536 6600
Fax: +27 (0)86 517 5780
Email: ceres@threecities.co.za
Website: www.madikwe.com
Beukes Geldenhuys: jacisreservations@madikwe.com
Region: North West Province, South Africa
Physical Address: Molatedi Gate Madikwe Game Reserve North West
Apart from their unique surroundings and comfortable, well-appointed accommodation, twice-daily safari game drives into the 75 000-hectare Madikwe Game Reserve are the main draw card at Jaci’s Lodges.
Safari game drives take place when the likelihood of sightings is at its highest – early morning and late afternoon. Winters are dry and evening temperatures may drop to 0°C, while the wet summers are characterized by daily highs of up to 38°C.
Game drives take into account these shifts in temperature, to ensure that guests are in no discomfort while out on a drive.Safari game drives take place when the likelihood of sightings is at its highest – early morning and late afternoon.
The morning drive leaves after a light breakfast at first light, while the later drive usually departs around 15h00 to 15h30, depending on the season. Each drive lasts for three-and-a-half hours on average, but if a spectacular or unusual sighting is made, it could last longer.
Guests are allocated one of seven qualified and experienced game guides on arrival. The guide remains with the couple or family for the duration of their stay, that they might develop a rapport. Over and above a wealth of knowledge on local fauna, Jaci’s guides have accumulated a wonderful repertoire of anecdotes and interesting snippets of information on local customs, flora, geology, history and geography – all of which is guaranteed to make your African safari game drive fun and informative.
A two-way radio system keeps the guides in touch as they traverse the vast expanse of thorny, scrubby terrain that is Madikwe. This adds to the variety of animal sightings, although a strict protocol is enforced to ensure that a fresh lion kill, for example, doesn’t become instantly overcrowded with excited tourists.
Only three vehicles are permitted at a time per animal sighting, and subsequent arrivals remain out of range, only approaching once the initial vehicles have left the scene. This system works well in Madikwe and prevents commercialisation of its wildlife resource.
Jaci van Heteren says: ”We are there for the wildflife and we need to respect their territory.”
A fleet of rugged land cruisers – with tough 14-ply tyres and suitably elevated seating – offer premier game viewing along Madikwe’s main and off-road trails. On morning drives guests are provided with blankets and hot-water bottles to ward off early morning chills – a most welcome example of the attention to detail that guests constantly encounter at Jaci’s Lodges.
The guides who provide the link between guests and the thousands of animals living in Madikwe are all professional game guides who have a minimum of three to four years of experience in the field, on top of their Field Guides Association of Southern Africa (FGASA)-accredited qualifications. Many of Jaci’s guides have had long tenure in the world of wildlife, and one in particular has two decades under his belt.
Guests can relax in the knowledge that guides not only collaborate to ensure that visitors are exposed to a variety of game species, but they are also equipped and trained to deal with medical emergencies, thanks to regular medical training.
If you haven’t experienced one before, a safari game drive can be a pretty bumpy affair, especially when plunging off-road to see something really special, like a leopard kill or young cubs at a hyena den
However, one soon adjusts to the rugged ride and it’s not long before your eyes become focused on the middle distance where animals are likely to be spotted.
Morning drives include a halfway stop for hot chocolate, coffee or tea and home-baked rusks, while the late afternoon drive includes a stop for drinks and snacks to take in an unforgettable African sunset.
Options after your game drive include an alfresco shower, an indulgent full-body aromatherapy massage,or a wallow in one of the lodge’s inviting pools.
