Game Reserves in Southern Africa
The Kruger National Park ranks among the largest game reserves in Africa. The park covers an area of nearly 2 million hectares in the provinces of Limpopo and Mpumalanga in the north-east of South Africa. The park extends 360 kilometres (220 miles) from north to south and 65 kilometres (40 miles) from east to west. Wildlife experiences in the Kruger ranks with the best in Africa and it is unrivalled in the diversity of its life forms. A famous Big Five destination.
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Londolozi Lodges:
SANParks (South African National Parks) granted a few private concessions inside the Kruger National Park to privately owned safari lodges. These are unfenced private concessions located in some of the best Big Five game viewing regions within the park. The lodges have a limited number of private luxury suites to ensure exclusivity. They offer some of the very best in hospitality, service, cuisine and safari game drives.
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Ngala Lodges:
Mnemba Island is a private island – a beach paradise just off the north-east coast of Zanzibar. The only lodge on the island offers ten beachside bandas overlooking the Mnemba atoll - a scuba diver's delight. Mnemba is renowned for its white beaches, coral reefs, excellent diving sites, tropical forest and wildlife. Mnemba is regarded by many as one of the most romantic ocean destinations in the world.
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Lake Manyara stretches for 50km along the base of the 600m high Rift Valley escarpment in Lake Manyara National Park, northern Tanzania. The Park was created to protect its elephant herds but is as famous for its tree-climbing lions and flocks of pink flamingos that inhabit the lake's shores. Visitors may also encounter large numbers of buffalo, cheetah, leopard, Maasai giraffe and hippo. Manyara, with more than 400 species, is a birdwatcher's paradise. One luxury treehouse camp, public bandas and campsites inside the park, and three lodges on the Rift wall, outside the park, provide accommodation.
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Bwindi Impenetrable Forest (National Park) is in southwestern Uganda on the edge of the Rift Valley. Its hillsides are mist-covered and preserved by one of Uganda's oldest rainforests. This forest protects an estimated 320 mountain gorillas – roughly half of the world's population. There are several habituated groups, which can be tracked by experienced guides. This diverse region also provides shelter to 120 mammal species and around 350 bird species.
Tourists may visit the park throughout the year although conditions in the park are more difficult during the rainy season. A number of lodges offer tourist accommodation in the area.
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The Okavango Delta - a vast inland delta that forms where the Okavango (Kavango) River flows into the flat, dry Kalahari Desert in northern Botswana. The delta covers between 6 and 15 000 square kilometres. The variation in height across the delta is less than 2 metres, which leads to the formation of a myriad of waterways that make up the delta. Seasonal flooding creates the Okavango Delta, which forms an oasis in an otherwise dry environment. But ultimately, all the water reaching the Delta evaporates. The Delta is renowned for its magnificent wildlife, its large populations of mammals and excellent birding.
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The Serengeti region lies in northern Tanzania and extends to south-western Kenya. The Maasai Mara is the Kenyan part of the Serengeti. The Serengeti region contains, amongst others, the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. The park covers 14,750 square kilometres (5,700 square miles) of grassland plains, savanna, riverine forest, and woodlands. It is famous for its numerous Nile crocodile and the annual migration of wildebeest and zebra. The Serengeti Migration is on the list of the Seven Natural Wonders of Africa (shared by Tanzania and Kenya).
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The Ngorongoro Conservation Area is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The central feature of the site is the Ngorongoro Crater. This extinct volcanic crater is 610 metres deep, and its floor covers some 260 square kilometres. The area spans vast expanses of highland plains, savanna, savanna woodlands and forests. The site is of global importance for conservation due to the presence of globally threatened species; the density of wildlife living in the area; and the annual migration of wildebeest, zebra, gazelles and other animals into the northern plains.
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The Maasai Mara National Reserve lies in south-west Kenya, sharing a common border with the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. The reserve is considered Kenya’s best park given the superb grassland plains scenery, unmatched safari activities, diverse wildlife and its density of predators. The reserve supports 583 square miles (1 510 square km) of open wilderness. The land not only protects the habitats of resident species but also protects a critical part of the route used during the Great Migration by wildebeests and zebras that traverse the Maasai Mara via the Serengeti National Park. The Migration is a course followed by over 1.5 million wildebeests and thousands of zebras, gazelles and eland and enjoys recognition as one of the spectacular wildlife events on the planet.
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Phinda is a 170 km² private game reserve situated in KwaZulu-Natal between the Mkuze Game Reserve and the Greater St. Lucia Wetland Park. Phinda is well-loved for its abundant wildlife, diversity of habitats and a wide range of safari activities. Due to its coastal rainfall, the reserve enjoys a lush green environment that contains seven distinct ecosystems. This fascinating variety of landscape and vegetation houses an abundance of wildlife, including the Big Five but also many of the rarer or less easily spotted species, such as the elusive cheetah or the scarce black rhino.
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Some of the largest game concentrations in Africa occurs in Chobe National Park, in northern Botswana. Size-wise, Chobe is the third largest park in the Botswana, after the Central Kalahari Game Reserve and the Kgalagadi. The Okavango Delta and Moremi Game Reserve borders the park in the south-west. The Chobe River forms its northern boundary. The Chobe riverfront is well-known for the large herds of Cape Buffalo and elephants that converge upon the river to drink during the dry winter months. The park covers approximately 11 700 square km, encompassing floodplains, swamps and woodland. The four distinct geographical areas in the park are the Chobe Riverfront, the Ngwezumba pans, Savuté and Linyanti.
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Madikwe, a Big Five game reserve, is situated on the border between South Africa and Botswana. Covering some 75,000 hectares, it is one of South Africa's larger game reserves. The rich diversity of vegetation ensures a wide range of game and the topography offers ideal game viewing opportunities. Being a place where one can see the scarce Brown Hyena and the Aardwolf, makes Madikwe a special safari destination.
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Madikwe Hills Private Game Lodge
Benguerra Island lies in the sunny Bazaruto Archipelago, off the coast of Mozambique. It is the second largest island in the Archipelago. This unspoilt island offers pure white deserted beaches, sparkling turquoise seas crossed by local dhows, sunny days and star studded nights. Alongside the island is the deep Mozambique Channel, which is renowned for its game fish. The island offers some outstanding catch-and-release deep sea fishing and fly-fishing opportunities. While sparkling sandy beaches border the island, its interior is a lush patchwork of forests, wetlands and freshwater lakes.
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Sossusvlei is one of Namibia's most spectacular and renowned attractions. It is in the south of the Namib Desert in the Namib-Naukluft National Park, which is the largest conservation area in Africa. The "vlei" is a largely white, salt and clay pan surrounded by huge red sand dunes. These dunes are said to be some of the highest in the world, reaching a height of about 400 meters. The dunes provide photographic enthusiasts with wonderful opportunities in the beautiful early morning and late afternoon light. Despite the harsh desert conditions of the area, a surprisingly wide variety of plants and animals have adapted to survive here. A great all year round destination.
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Pilanesberg Game Reserve is home to South Africa's "Big Five" along with a wealth of different animal and plant species - a wildlife lover's dream. The "Pilanesberg mountain" is an ancient volcanic formation that stem from the flat surrounding plains. Three concentric rings of hills, of which the outermost has a diameter of about 24km, make up this circular structure. The Mankwe Dam, rising above the surrounding bushveld, reflects the appeal of Pilanesberg. During dawn and dusk, the park unfolds colourful hues and panoramas - a delight for photographers and guests alike. Experience African wildlife safaris together with 5-star luxury private lodges.