prettyinpinkmum

We have taken the plunge and booked to stay in the Thakadu River Camp in Madikwe next year. I've heard only good reports but would love to hear from anyone who has been there or knows someone who has been there and can reassure me that we've made the right choice for both safari and accommodation!

wavejourney

I met a couple from the UK, while staying at CC Africa's Madikwe Safari Lodge, who had just spent 3 nights at Thakadu.
E&J had a very nice time and enjoyed their Thakadu experience. I asked them how the two lodges compared (we LOVED Madikwe Safari Lodge and rave about EVERYTHING we experienced there) and they commented that the lodges were very similar in terms of style, comfort and construction (a good thing); food was equal to MSL (also a good thing); service was better at MSL - although they had very good service at Thakadu (service at MSL was impeccable); and they liked the ranger better at MSL as he was more accommodating to what times they wanted their morning drive, more enthusiastic and wanted to make sure they saw the animals they wanted to see (this was their 14th safari); price was good and about the same as MSL.
So, E&J's first hand experience was favorable and they would recommend Thakadu to friends.
If there's anything specific you'd like to know, email me with your questions and I'll pass them along to E&J.
Sounds like you're going to have a great time and I'd love to hear about your experience there.
Cheers!
Viv
www.wavejourney.com
[email protected]

prettyinpinkmum

Thanks for your comments Wavejourney. Its reassuring to hear that Thakadu is alright. When I was pricing this all up, it was also significantly cheaper than MSL - we have two children who will be 9 and 12 next April when we go. Did your friends see everything? We spent our honeymoon in Kenya in 1991 and didn't see any big cats so we are determined to do so this time!Did they enjoy Madikwe as an area and how does this compare to other reserves / safari experiences? Why did they spend time at two places in the same area?

wavejourney

J&E were spending a week in Madikwe and wanted to experience two camps. As far as game viewing, as they have been on so many safari's before, they're pretty specific as to what animals they were there to see - this time wild dogs were the priority. They did get to see them on their second to last game drive at MSL.

As this was my first safari experience I was happy to see anything and everything - we didn't see the wild dogs or leopard, but we saw lots of giraffes, elephants, lions with a fresh kill, cheetah, zebras, rhino, owls, tortoise, hundreds of birds, impala, warthog, and loads more animals. After the entire trip we had done 14 game drives in various parks, and saw the most and had the best viewing/experience in Madikwe. I highly recommend Madikwe as do E&J (with all their experience). They told us to go to Botswana for our next safari as that was their most favorite safari experience ever.
Hope this helps.
Cheers!
Viv
www.wavejourney.com
[email protected]

prettyinpinkmum

Thats reassuring thank you. Its stil a year until we go but I am very excited about our trip already. As long as we see a big cat this time, we will be happy and Madikwe sounds fab.