Here is a quirk of geography that surprises most visitors: one of South Africa’s finest Big Five reserves is far closer to Gaborone than to Johannesburg. Madikwe Game Reserve covers about 75,000 hectares of North West Province, and its northern fence is the Botswana border. From Gaborone it is roughly 30 km to the Tlokweng–Kopfontein border post, and the reserve’s eastern lodges are not far beyond — against four to five hours’ drive from Johannesburg.
Madikwe was created in 1991 on worn-out farmland. In an operation known as Operation Phoenix, more than 8,000 animals of some 28 species were released over several years — at the time among the largest game translocations ever attempted. Today it holds lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo, both white and black rhino, cheetah, brown and spotted hyena and a well-known population of African wild dog. It is also malaria-free.
Top things to do: Madikwe Game Reserve
Go on lodge game drives
Madikwe does not admit day visitors or self-drivers: you must stay at one of the lodges inside the reserve, and the lodge runs morning and late-afternoon drives in open vehicles with a ranger. The upside is very few vehicles at each sighting.
Look for wild dogs
Wild dogs are among Africa’s most endangered carnivores, and Madikwe is one of the more dependable places in South Africa to see a pack. Rangers share sightings by radio, which improves your chances over a two- or three-night stay.
Bring the family
With no malaria and several lodges that welcome children, Madikwe is a popular first safari. Many lodges have hides, waterholes in view of the deck and special children’s programmes.
Combine it with Gaborone
Two or three nights in Madikwe pairs naturally with a couple of days in the capital — flying into Gaborone and transferring by road is often the quickest way to reach the reserve from overseas.
How to get to Madikwe Game Reserve
- From Gaborone: drive east through Tlokweng to the Tlokweng/Kopfontein border post (about 20–30 minutes), complete formalities, then continue to your lodge’s gate. Door to door is typically one to one and a half hours, depending on the lodge and the queue at the border.
- Transfers: most lodges can arrange a road transfer from Gaborone airport or city hotels; book it with your stay. There are also light-aircraft flights to Madikwe’s airstrips from Johannesburg.
- From Johannesburg: four to five hours by road via Zeerust. A private transfer from Johannesburg is listed on GetYourGuide.
Insider tips
- You are crossing an international border: carry your passport and check South African visa requirements for your nationality — they differ from Botswana’s.
- Border opening hours are limited (the Tlokweng–Kopfontein post has generally operated from early morning until late evening); confirm before a late arrival.
- Lodge rates are normally fully inclusive of meals and two game drives a day; a reserve conservation fee per person is added.
- GetYourGuide has no Madikwe game-drive products — activities are run by the lodges. See where to stay for a bookable lodge.
Best tours: Madikwe Game Reserve
These top-rated experiences are the easiest way to see Madikwe Game Reserve:
Private road journey from €407 per group From Johannesburg: Madikwe Game Reserve Scenic Journey
Madikwe, the Big Five reserve that touches the Botswana border about an hour from Gaborone, admits lodge guests only. This is a private road transfer to the reserve from Johannesburg — the game drives themselves are run by your lodge. A new listing without reviews yet.
- Private transfer from Johannesburg to Madikwe
- Scenic route through North West Province
- Price is per group of up to three
Day safari from €159 From Johannesburg: Pilanesberg Nature Reserve Game Safari
If you are flying to Gaborone through Johannesburg and have a spare day there, this is the region’s most-booked safari day trip, with well over a thousand reviews. Pilanesberg is malaria-free and lies on the road towards Botswana — but note that it departs from Johannesburg, not from Gaborone.
- Big Five reserve in an ancient volcanic crater
- Open-vehicle game drives with a guide
- Hotel pickup in Johannesburg
Full-day tour from €258 Around Gaborone Adventure
The full-day sampler: the Three Dikgosi Monument and the city in the morning, a game drive in Mokolodi Nature Reserve — the hilly private reserve south of town known for giraffe, zebra and white rhino — and a cruise to look for crocodiles. It is the most complete single day you can book in Gaborone.
- Game drive in Mokolodi Nature Reserve
- Three Dikgosi Monument and city highlights
- Boat cruise to look for crocodiles
