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


Image Conscious Opposite page: Arrival in Johannesburg; Below: Monkeying around in the bush; Main panel:


Children put their best foot forward at Lekgophung Primary School; Zebra need to keep an eye out in Madikwe; Game drive with Madikwe Safari Lodge; Setting out on an early-morning walking safari in Madikwe; The Palazzo Montecasino hotel, near Johannesburg; a stunning Madikwe sunset


Game Reserve, through mostly rural areas and small villages, with immaculately dressed schoolchildren walking to school on the side of the road alongside wandering goats and cows. At traffic lights and Stop signs vendors approach our van to sell us everything from oranges to coat hangers to wooden catapults. Rural areas in this region are literally


dirt poor and unemployment the norm – which is why tourism pounds and dollars make a huge difference. Located up against the border with


Botswana, Madikwe is one of the most exclusive wildlife reserves in Africa. Only guests staying at one of the


30-plus lodges in the 75,000-hectare reserve can sign up for game drives in the park. We enter through Molatedi Gate, which is an easy two-hour drive from Sun City. On the way to Makanyane Safari Lodge – which in the summer of 2011 hosted Michelle Obama and her children – we see a variety of antelope like impala, kudu and nyala. Birds included a Jacobin cuckoo, and, bouncing high above us on the warm thermals, a bataleur eagle. After a welcome drink, cold towel and


lodge orientation, we are shown to our suites, which all look out onto the river, before our evening game drive. Makanyane has a private area for


game drives – that’s 1,800 hectares of bush accessible only to its guests. The lodge is unfenced, which means


all the animals wander freely, often close to the villas. Permanent residents of the bush such as spiders, geckos and lizards sometimes share the suites with their more fleeting guests. Suite blinds are left open at night, so guests can watch the activity in the bush around them.


DAY THREE School Visit "This educational saw us experience the country and its people, not just hotels and activities. I was so touched


"The North West Province is an excellent choice. It has a good range of accommodation and activities, while the variety of wildlife, activities, cultural opportunities and delicious cuisine make it suitable for all ages" Annette Ross, Travel Stop


when we visited a local primary school; it is another slant on tourism to the region and something agents


should encourage their clients to do" Katrina Angel, Travel Counsellors We are woken at 6am for coffee and


snacks before it was back on the 4X4s. It doesn't take long for the bush’s cast of thousands to start appearing. The highlight is several lions, which spread themselves around our vehicle before letting out a series of spine-tingling roars. Lions top most visitors’ 'must see'


lists, but often the encounter involves watching them sleep! On average lions snooze away between 18 and 20 hours each day. After breakfast we head to a ‘local’


school, about an hour’s drive from Makanyane. At Lekgophung Primary School we are met by the headmaster, Bakang Molefe, who describes the school's very limited facilities before taking us on a tour of the classrooms. After sitting in on an English class


the entire school gathers to sing songs and perform dances. We drop off several bags of essential school


supplies like writing pads, crayons and felt tips. Before we leave the village we spend


a couple of hours enjoying some giant bottles of beer and cider at the local shebeen, or village pub, the Bakang Bottle Store. In warm sunshine we discuss the impact of our visit and how our group, and tourists in general, could help provide life-changing funds, publicity and other support for schools and community projects in South Africa. Back at Makanyane our evening


game drive produces sightings of hippos, more lions and a memorable encounter with a big herd of elephants. Travelling along the blood-red sand


road we become aware of ghostly grey figures in the bush ahead of us. A single crack of a branch signals the procession of up to 100 elephants, moving almost silently through the bush. It is a genuine jaw-dropping moment as we watch elephants of all sizes, including several recently-born babies, move along the road before, just as mysteriously, they disappear from view altogether. Under a bright night canvas,


www.tourismnorthwest.co.za 07


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