Take a walk on the Wild Side, go online and view the North West gallery! To see more of the North West Province visit the picture gallery at SellingLongHaul.com


Parks put NWP on safari map


The North West Province has numerous parks and reserves where visitors can spot wild animals and birdlife. The two world- class sanctuaries most featured by UK operators are Madikwe Private Game Reserve and Pilanesberg National Park


PILANESBERG NATIONAL PARK “Pilanesberg offers great game viewing and stunning scenic views and vistas. I enjoyed the drives and the park and now have no hesitation in suggesting and selling it. I would recommend Pilanesberg more to families and young couples looking for both game drives and a fun environment to enjoy after drives. With Sun City on the


park's doorstep, it's a great suggestion.” Ricky Kingwell, Kuoni


Surrounding Sun City, Pilanesberg National Park sits in the bottom of a long extinct crater, ringed by three hills. Because the park is in an area called


a 'transition zone', between the dry Kalahari and wetter Lowveld vegetation (known as bushveld), rare overlaps of mammals and birds inhabit the park.


MADIKWE PRIVATE GAME RESERVE “Madikwe is perfect for adults and couples looking for a special experience. It is exclusive, unspoilt and romantic and can be sold as a twin-centre with Johannesburg, perhaps with the beautiful Venetian- style Montecasino Hotel. Madikwe’s luxury lodges all enjoy views across the reserve and offer outstanding personal service. Makanyane Safari Lodge, surrounded by lush riverside forest, is ideal for a special occasion,


holiday treat or honeymoon.” Antonella Mandato, Thomas Cook


A private reserve where visitors are limited and exclusivity is guaranteed, Madikwe features over 30 luxury intimate lodges situated in prime areas that maximise the chances of seeing


Visitors can expect to see, for example, springbok, brown hyena and the red- eyed bulbul (songbird), which are usually only found in arid areas, alongside impala and black-eyed bulbul. It’s also one of the best places in


Africa to see both black and white rhinos, along with lions, elephants, buffaloes, wild dogs, leopards, zebras, giraffes, hippos and crocodiles as well as over 300 bird species. Visitors can drive through the park (on 200km of roads) in their own vehicle or on a guided 4X4 safari by signing up with Gametrackers at the desk in the Entertainment Centre, Sun City. For overnight stays in Pilanesberg, options include the five-star Ivory Tree Game Lodge and Tshukudu Lodge, the four-star Bakubung Bush Lodge and Kwa Maritane Bush Lodge.


The Elephant Bath By Alfredo Benedicto


“During our morning game drive in


Pilanesberg we


Key Selling Points • Pilanesberg is a malaria-free reserve • It’s a perfect park for families: there are a number of picnic spots, hides for game watching and walk-in aviaries to enjoy. Safari drives at night and flights over the park in a hot-air balloon provide thrills and unforgettable memories.


• It’s just a two-hour drive from Johannesburg


reserves in South Africa for seeing the Big Five and a host of other animals and birds. For clients with a ‘tourism conscience’, four communities surrounding the park share the 'rights' to sectors of land and benefit from luxury lodges built there, like Buffalo Ridge and Thakadu River Camp.


plenty of passing wildlife. For example, Makanyane sits next to the Marico River, a hot spot for passing elephant, hippo, wild dog and even leopards while lodges like Madikwe Hills and Etali sit high among the rocks that tower above open grassland areas. The 75,000-hecatre reserve has been carefully restored from farmland to a natural bush environment. With over 10,000 animals it is one of the best


Key Selling Points • Madikwe is a malaria-free reserve • Stress the luxury, privacy and personal service.


• Some lodges offer private 'sleep- over hides' out in the bush for those who want to get closer to Madikwe's wildlife cast.


• It’s a four-hour drive from Johannesburg or 45 minutes via a private charter plane that lands at one of Madikwe's two airstrips.


made a routine stop at a viewing hide. Hippos wallowed in the middle of a lake while turtles swam at its edges and a variety of birds kept us entertained. Then, on the horizon we noticed the silhouette of a big female elephant, the matriarch. She was followed by one of


her babies and other females and young males. Up to 30 elephants made their leisurely way towards the lake’s edge, where they played, rolled in the mud, drank, 'bathed' and took hesitant steps into the water. Big Mama Elephant waded into the water and started trumpeting. The rest followed. We watched mesmerised as the herd merrily splashed and just generally had the time of their lives! The show lasted for nearly half an hour and, we all agreed, no amount of watching National Geographic documentaries could have prepared us for the memorable experience we had just shared.”


www.tourismnorthwest.co.za 13


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