Two female friends traveling to Madikwe for only two nights (we are on a pretty tight work schedule). We are looking for luxury (good food and wine!) and good game viewing. Can anyone rank these lodges or give me any feedback? Am I leaving out any others that are better? We are booking now for March. Thanks all!!

Makanyane
Madikwe Hills
Etali
Buffalo Ridge
Tuningi

Why do you want Madikwe. Are you working nearby.
Mark

We settled on it for being malaria free and close to Jberg. Plus all of these lodges seemed very nice. We have to book our flights soon so we needed to narrow our search down quickly. I know there are other areas that are better for game but we are okay with that. Any recommendations?

Almost all of the lodges are great. Pure luxury but the game viewing is not as good as the Sabi Sands.
I would go for a lodge in the Sabi Sands and DON'T be woried about malaria.
Mark

You are leaving out Madikwe Safari Lodge run by CC Africa. Absolutely beautiful, fantastic staff, dreamy accommodations. Wonderful! Check out ccafrica.com. However, I agree with Mark. If I could only pick one park, it would be in the Sabi Sands. Madikwe is nice, but the game viewing does not compare. There were times when we went out and did not see a thing. On our last day on our last hour, we did see a wonderful sighting of wild dogs, but it is not guarenteed. You cannot drive off road, so your chances of sightings are less than in the Sabi Sands. If you are stuck on going, then I highly recommend the CC Africa property. We were there last December and did enjoy the it very much.

Lolazahra ([email protected])
Thanks. Have to give them the best experience.
Mark

I think you would have a hard time topping Mateya. It is simply the most luxurious and fantastic property I have ever visited...get that, I said "property" not just safari lodge.

An incredible art collection decorates the entire lodge including the 5 guest suites. Although Mateya may be the most expensive property in Madikwe, it is probably not much more than a couple already appearing on your list.

Rocco
In your absolute honesty, what would you recommend and leave aside your comm basis
Mark

Great help - but now I'm worried about seeing any animals in Madikwe since we only have 2 days. I know it is a gamble anywhere but how likely is it we can see at least 3 of the big 5 in in March??

Sorry I forgot to mention that I REALLY don't want to take the malaria preventatives...so very low risk or malaria free areas are pretty important.

Dont take them. There is other precautions like spray. I live here and I don't take anything.
Mark

Mark, Have you ever had malaria?

I agree that if you live in the area you should not be on medicine year round. But just wondering.

CJA, Is there a medical reason that you should not take malaria prevention? I've been on several kinds, including the dreaded Larium, with 0 side effects. Malarone, which I now take, is very safe. Lots of travelers take it and it's no big deal.

I enjoyed Madikwe -- but it was the property, not the park. I came back and said if I had not gone to the Sabi Sand, I would have been very sorry. There was not enough game. However, I went in December. Maybe it is different in March. In the Sabi Sand, I saw a leopard, a lion pride, hippos, elephants, eland, and giraffe within 20 minutes of the first drive. Simply amazing! I did take malaria, as did my kids. I took Larium which you only have to take once a week.

CJA: I spent 4 nights in Madikwe last March. 2 at Madikwe Hills and 2 at Buffalo Ridge. You can see my trip report at this link and these lodges are covered early on.

http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34780788

I can recommend both lodges without problem. Madikwe Hills is more luxurious with private plunge pools but Buffalo Ridge is a tremendously well done property that costs significantly less than most of these other choices and yet still is luxurious. If price is no object I would definitely consider Madikwe Hills and look at Rocco's recommendation of Mateya which is supposed to be spectacular. If budget is more of a concern I would really look at Buffalo Ridge which is the first lodge in all of South Africa to be 100% owned by the local community, it is a fantastic project and the product they are producing is outstanding.

As far as game viewing we had lots of good sightings in our 4 days. As others have said it is not the Sabi Sand which is legendary but there is a wide array of species and you should have some good and possibly great sightings. As for Big 5 you should easily see 3 (rhino, lion, and elephant), good chance for 4 (buffalo) and would need extreme luck for 5 as leopard is a very rare sighting there. However, it is one of the best places to see African wild dog which is one of the most interesting species and amongst the most coveted of sightings for safari veterans. Again read my report for those lodges and you will get a feel for the gameviewing that I had at the same time of year that you are going.

We spent three nights at Buffalo Ridge in September and would go back in a NYM. Saw 4 of the big 5 on the first drive; no leopards, but the quality of the place, and the community ownership, and - I don't know - the spirit of Buffalo Ridge will bring us back when we return to SA next year.

Yes it is significantly faster to get to then Sabi Sands, and if you'd like to visit Gabarone (Botswana) it's another 20 min. up the road.

Just quickly sorted a new album for Madikwe and the 2 lodges that I stayed at. Also checked my notes and we saw 21 mammal species in 4 days including 4 of Big 5.

http://www.kodakgallery.com/Slidesho...ywzxf&Ux=1

I can certainly recommend Makanyane very highly, though I would concur that SSGR is awesome for game, and wont let you down on good food and wine. On the malaria thing, I say keep most of you covered up, apply large amounts of bug spray and you should be fine.

Mateya is the top of the food chain in Madikwe. If you plan on spending the $$ at some of the lodges you already have listed, then you might as well do Mateya. The food & wine were unbelievable - they have an 8,000 bottle wine cellar. The service will amaze you. Best part is no more than 4 people in a vehicle - you may get lucky and have a land cruiser with ranger & tracker to yourself. Mateya is a true 5 star property. As far as animals go, we saw tons of everything and we were there in May/June. Hope this helps

Wow - you guys are awesome! My co-traveler is looking into lodges in the Welgevonden reserve, Mondoro and Shidzidzi Nungubane. Any experience with those? There are not very many reviews on either.