We recently had an opportunity to travel to the Madikwe Game Reserve along with three other senior missionary couples. Madikwe, is about a four hour drive north of Joburg just south of the Botswana border. It is one of the largest game reserves in South Africa; about 75,000 hectares of rugged, but beautiful scenery. I did some research about the game reserve and found the following information: In the game reserve, there are 92 species of mammals including the big five (Elephant, Rhino, Cape Buffalo, Lion, and Leopard). There are 340 species of birds, 92 species of trees, 22 species of tortoises and lizards, 16 species of frogs and 22 species of snakes including Black Mamba, Cobra, and Python. With all of this being said, this is an account of our visit.
Early in the morning, all eight of us boarded a van and headed north out of Joburg. After about a four hour drive, with a fuel stop and early lunch at McDonald's in Rustenburg, we arrived at the game reserve. We parked the van near the entrance and met up with Johnny, who would be our guide on the game drives. We loaded our gear into and climbed aboard Johnny’s Land Rover. He took us to Mosetlha Bush Camp, where we stayed during our visit. The bush camp is a privately owned and operated lodge for visitors of the game reserve. There is no electricity in the camp. The cooking and refrigeration is done with propane. After dark, light is furnished by luminaries (lanterns) in the rooms and throughout the camp. When we arrived, we were shown how to heat water for showers, with a wood burning water heater, then shown around the camp, and settled in to our cabins. We were served lunch, and after relaxing for awhile, we climbed in to Johnny’s Land Rover and headed out on the first game drive. It would last for over four hours into the night, out through the bush, looking at animals, enjoying the scenery and the cool gentle breeze, and ambiance of the game reserve. We took a late afternoon snack (a tea, as they call it) break. Johnny set up a little “table” on the front of the Land Rover, complete with table cloth, and broke out the snacks and drinks. Then it was back on the road to look for more animals, enjoying a beautiful African sunset, a colorful red/orange moonrise, and more stars than I’ve seen for many years. After it got dark, Johnny used a hand held spotlight to look for animals in the bush. When we got back to the camp, we were served a delicious steak dinner and after relaxing for awhile, we retired to our cabins. The rooms were rustic and open with mosquito nets if needed. With a gentle breeze, and the sounds of crickets and other creatures, we slept well. It was a good day, like something out of the movies. We got up the next morning at about 5:00 AM, got back in the Land Rover for another game drive which lasted over four hours. Finally, after a hearty breakfast, we headed back to Joburg. We saw many different animals; everything from impala to giraffe to wildebeests and elephants, lions, zebras etc. It was a great experience.
Attached are photos of the Mosetlha Bush Camp. They are: First, a beautiful African sunset. The water heater for hot showers; the fire underneath the heater heats water that is poured in the funnel. Then, the hot water is drained into the bucket. Cold water is added to cool it down, and then it is carried to the shower, which is a small overhead tank with a shower nozzle that is turned on. It's good for a very quick shower. The next photo is our "dining room" which seated all 20 or so guests. Then, our late afternoon snack (tea) that I mentioned earlier. Next, our cabin, which was very comfortable and open, so we could enjoy the night sounds of crickets and other night creatures. It is up off the ground to keep snakes and other unwanted animals out. Just my assumption. Sharon and I enjoying our morning break (tea), which was rusks and hot chocolate.