Gallery » EUROPE/AFRICA/ MIDDLE EAST » South Africa 2019 » Sanctuary Makanyane
We left the Welgevonden Game Reserve at about 10:30AM on Thursday, 28 March and started our drive to the Madikwe Game Reserve, home to Sanctuary Makanyane. This drive was primarily on two-lane rural roads. We did pass through some small towns. Thankfully, we didn’t get lost and we were able to call the Lodge from Sun City to advise that we were at that point on our drive. From Sun City, the Lodge had provided a detailed map with turn-by-turn directions We were told to call when we reached the Lodge’s private gate entrance so that someone would open the gate for us. The last part of the trek was on gravel road that was in pretty bad shape. Our car was bouncing from spot to spot but we made it to the gate at about 3:00PM. Thankfully our cell phone worked and we called the Lodge and the gate magically opened. We had to travel on a dirt road to reach the lodge (it was vastly superior to the State gravel road outside the reserve). Interestingly if we had continued on that gravel road for only a few kilometers further, we would have reached the border crossing with Botswana.
When we arrived at Sanctuary Makanyane, we were warmly greeted by Steve, the General Manager, and Ruben, the individual who would be our guide for the next five days. We were shown into the main lodge and again warmly welcomed. We were then shown to our lovely, spacious accommodation overlooking the Marico River. We quickly settled in so that we could enjoy our afternoon/evening game drive. We were the only guests on this drive which is always a treat. For our first drive, we stayed on Makanyane’s private reserve (it’s about 1,800 hectares). That was the perfect way to begin our adventure.
Over the next four days, we enjoyed morning and evening game drives. Since gaming was a bit quiet on Makanyane’s private reserve, we explored different areas of the Madikwe Reserve. Ruben did a great job of finding lots of game. We were thrilled to see (and photograph) a Serval during daylight hours. We also had the thrill of heading to the south of the Madikwe Reserve to find a group of Wild Dogs. We saw lots of other game as well and each drive was great – whether we were alone or with other safari companions. One thing we truly enjoyed was having breakfast with Ruben and any other individuals in the vehicle after our morning game drive. It’s a great way to talk about the gaming experience as well as socialize with both your guide and vehicle mates.
All staff members at Makanyane were warm, friendly and professional. The meals were excellent as were pre-dinner cocktails. It was also wonderful to be able to interact with Steve and Maryna, the General Managers. They shared a great deal of information with us and were always so welcoming and willing to discuss what we saw and/or what we hoped to see in the future. Click on one of our subalbums to see the photographs from this wonderful experience!
