Traveling to less-visited areas has its own appeal: they are quiet, away from the crowds, and you feel you have found something special. Many parks and game reserves exist in South Africa that fit this mold. Below is a handful of diverse experiences and accommodation types to offer guests.
Balule Private Game Reserve
Balule Private Game Reserve borders the Klaserie Private Game Reserve, with no fence between them, and forms part of the greater Kruger National Park Region. It has several accommodation options, all offering interested visitors an authentic game viewing and safari experience. Some of the lodges visitors might consider in this game reserve are the Naledi and Ezulwini Lodges, to name a few.
Klaserie Private Game Reserve
The Klaserie joined the list of protected game reserves in and around Kruger National Park in 1969 and was proclaimed a nature reserve in 1972. As with many of the private game reserves in the area, great wealth and dedication to conservation efforts have been the major drivers of the Game Reserve's formation. Some lodges to consider here include Simbavati Camp George and Makumu Private Game Lodge, among many others.
Manyeleti Private Game Reserve
Manyeleti means “place of the stars” in Tsonga, an apt description for this private game reserve within the greater Kruger National Park Region. It has several intimate lodges, making it more intimate than some of its neighboring game reserves.
Madikwe Game Reserve
Madikwe takes its name from the Madikwe (Groot Marico) River, which runs along its eastern side. It sits near the border with Botswana in South Africa's North West Province and has a score of luxury lodges and camps. The landscape is dominated by shrubs, with a variety of different species, chief among them the Big Five. The reddish hue of the soil transcends the landscape and gives it a distinct atmosphere approaching the Kalahari Desert on the other side of the border.
Mkhuze Game Reserve
The North of Natal is home to dramatic scenery, some captured in the Mkhuze Game Reserve, a 40,000-hectare reserve named for the Mkhuze River. Cheetah, wild dog, and lion are found here, the lion having returned in 2013 after an absence of some 44 years. The small Suni antelope, a rarely seen and shy antelope, is also found here, as are black rhino, leopard, elephant, and giraffe.
Ithala Game Reserve
Ithala Game Reserve has a rich variety of animals and birds, as well as some of the world's oldest rock formations and cultural sites from the early days of the Nguni migration into South Africa. Giraffe are particularly numerous here, though elephant and rhino are also found here, along with a range of unique bird and antelope species.
Welgevonden Private Game Reserve
Welgevonden is another well-protected game reserve that shows the reach of conservation and ecotourism in South Africa. It is not far from the country's economic hub of Gauteng and the OR Tambo International Airport, making it a good choice for those who will be traveling soon after their visit. The Big Five, many birds, and several smaller mammals call this beautiful reserve home.
Marakele National Park
Marakele has dramatic Waterberg mountain scenery, a few luxury lodges, and a unique safari experience about two and a half to three hours from Johannesburg. It is a malaria-free area ideally suited to families with young children who wish to enjoy a Big Five safari. The park is in the transition zone between the arid western part of South Africa and the higher-rainfall eastern bushveld. It has an impressive diversity of large mammal species.
Karoo National Park
The Karoo National Park is the pre-eminent game reserve in the Great Karoo, a desert region of South Africa with a great biodiversity of both plants and animals. Gemsbok (oryx) are a feature of this arid landscape, along with species rarely seen in Kruger and other better-known areas, including bat-eared fox, ostrich, springbok, eland and the endemic riverine rabbit.
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park
No national park in South Africa is more difficult to book accommodation in than the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. Families eager to book school holiday spots reserve theirs almost a year in advance. The park is home to beautiful Kalahari landscapes, starry desert skies, and ample game viewing opportunities. Waterholes are abuzz with life, with desert lion and gracious gemsbok all dependent on this life-giving resource.
