Madi-Madi - A Luxury Safari Lodge in the Klein Karoo, Sth Africa

It is late afternoon in the Klein Karoo, five hours drive from Cape Town along South Africa's captivating Route 62. We are sitting on our private terrace at Madi-Madi Karoo Safari Lodge hoping to catch sight of some of the wildlife which populates Madi-Madi's private game reserve. We are not disappointed. As if on cue, a herd of springbok wander into sight. With their striking markings and regal bearing they are unmistakable.  An antelope with a predilection for pronking (leaping), the springbok has a habit of suddenly launching itself into the air in leap after elegant leap, cruising several metres before hitting the ground and repeating the performance. The springbok in our field of view remain, frustratingly, firmly anchored to the earth, much more interested in quiet grazing than giving us a show of their physical prowess, but this is Day 1 of our stay and I am confident they will perform for us eventually.

The timing of our visit to Madi-Madi has not been good. Two years of drought have reduced the beautiful waters of the Kammanassie River to the occasional water hole. The lawns around the lodge are irrigated and manicured, a verdant green tantalising us with the promise of how lovely the countryside will be when the rains return. For now however we must be content with the parched and sun-baked landscape.

It is easy to see why the springbok was chosen as South Africa's national animal. 

A  herd of springbok visits the river bed in front of our terrace each afternoon.

 Although the lack of rain has taken its toll on the local wildlife, there are still enough large animals to make the afternoon game drive an adventure to look forward to. In the mid-afternoon we are met by our guide, Cherise, and a young couple from Germany with their six year old daughter.  The little girl wants to see giraffes and Cherise is confident she knows where the herd is. After fifteen minutes or so bumping along in the open sided land cruiser the giraffes come into view - a family of seven parading toward us along the dry river bed, pausing occasionally to reach up for high leaves on the acacia trees. They seem quite picky, munching away at one or two plants for a while before abandoning them for new trees further away. Cherise explains that the acacias have a defence mechanism to dissuade giraffes and other herbivores from decimating a single tree. After being grazed on for a while the leaves begin to produce a bitter tasting tannin and the giraffes move on. The acacias even 'warn' other nearby trees to step up their own production of tannins by emitting ethylene into the surrounding air.

These young giraffes were practising their fighting skills - or maybe just showing off for the tourists!

The herd feeding on Acacia trees.

After a while we pull ourselves away and continue our drive catching sight of a small group of zebra, a troupe of baboons and several more of Madi-Madi's resident antelope species.

This zebra was tail-end Charlie in the herd. He stuck around just long enough for me to snap a quick photo. Is it just me, or does he look like he is posing for the camera?

On our second day we forego the game drive and join a guided bush walk instead, hoping to see some of the smaller inhabitants of the Klein Karoo.   We look for centipedes, scorpions, plants and other insects with varying degrees of success and learn how the species interact with each other to create a rich biodiversity of flora and fauna. Heading back to the lodge we are rewarded with a passing herd of springbok putting on a great show of leaping.

Our bush walk took us beyond the manicured lawns of the lodge.

Much more than a game reserve, Madi-Madi is a place to come to relax and unwind. Time passes slowly, with lazy mornings and long languid afternoons punctuated by the occasional bush walk, game drive or horse back safari. A family of partly tame meerkats lives near the lodge and provides us with entertainment watching their busy, energetic little lives. They bounce from play-fight tussling, to furious digging, to striking statute-like poses on high alert before going back to gambolling about with no apparent rhyme nor reason. They hang around under the table at meal times and we can almost see their thought processes as they try to work out the best strategy for persuading us to feed them.  Not to be outdone there are three resident springbok who also hang around hoping for attention from the guests and a leopard tortoise which spend its days in the oasis of green lawns around the villas.

The tame springboks had 'chilling out' down to a fine art.

The family of meerkats were endlessly amusing to watch.

Meals, especially dinner, are a highlight of the day.   MJ, the chef, takes us night after night into gastronomic heaven. She seeks out our preferences and creates meals worthy of the best restaurants around the world. David is so besotted by the flavours he wants to return next year just for the food. Marilyn, the Maitre D, makes us feel very much at home with her warm and friendly service.

Madi-Madi Game Reserve - practical matters.

Madi-Madi Luxury Safari Lodge is a privately owned game and nature reserve in the Klein Karoo, five hours drive east of Cape Town. Oudtshoorn is 30 minutes away by car and George, an hour and a half. The emphasis is on quiet relaxation, luxury accommodation, friendly, welcoming service and fine food.

My tip - If you are after a wind in your hair big game safari experience, Madi-Madi is not for you. The reserve is home to cape buffalo, giraffe, wildebeest, zebra, eland, springbok and other antelope, and some smaller predators but there are no elephants, big cats, rhinos or hippos. David and I came to Madi-Madi for the tranquillity but not wanting to miss out completely on South Africa's larger animals and predators we also spent a few days at a 'big-five' game reserve in the Eastern Cape.

The view from the main lodge.

Accommodation

One of Madi-Madi's strengths is its intimacy and personalised service. There are only six suites; 2 Private Executive Cottages, 2 Superior Cottages and 2 Luxury Suites. 

My tip - Stay in one of the Private Executive Cottages if you can.  I can highly recommend where we stayed -  Cottage No. 1, the first cottage on the right as you enter the main gates.   It is worth booking early if you want a particular suite.

Our Executive Riverfront Cottage.

Inside our Executive Riverfront Cottage. The lounge faces large opening glass doors.

Rates

For up to date information on rates click - here. There are various packages available ranging from room only to full and half board packages which include meals and activities.

Note: David and I received a media discount toward the cost of our stay at Madi-Madi.

My other blog posts on South Africa - 

• Botlierskop Private Game Reserve

• Kirstenbosch: Is this the world's most beautiful botanic garden?

• 72 Hours in Cape Town: The best things to see and do.

• Cape Town to Port Elizabeth via the Winelands and the Garden Route

• Cape Town, South Africa

• The Cape of Good Hope - Cape Point, Chapmans Peak Drive and African Penguins

• The Winelands - Vergelegen, Delaire Graff, Zorgvliet and Asara Wine Estat

• Surviving a riot at the Nekkies, Knysna

• Shamwari Game Reserve - and the fastest animal on the planet.

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. If you enjoyed this post or found it useful please consider sharing it on social media. I always appreciate the compliment. 

If you would like to follow our travels, check back each week or enter your email address in the 'Never miss a post: Follow by email' box in the right hand sidebar just below my profile picture.

Pin this post to Pinterest - 

Travel blog link-ups -