DEEPEST, DARKEST Africa, as it is still perceived by many uninitiated foreigners who think that Africa is where lions roam free and the inhabitants all run around dressed in just a loincloth with a spear in hand!
However, this perception is rapidly changing as increasing numbers of international travellers are discovering. Africa, especially East Africa, is now regarded as the eco tourist’s Mecca, or even possibly the gateway to the biblical Garden of Eden. Introducing Africa, including South Africa, to the international market is by no means an easy task, especially when there are still many misconceived notions. Battling this perceived outlook are the tourist departments of most countries in the region as well as numerous companies whose existence depends mainly on the tourist trade. One such company which has succeeded in countering these notions to a large degree and thereby attracting increasing numbers of tourists from all over the world, is &Beyond Holdings (pronounced “and beyond”) which incorporates &Beyond Africa, &Beyond India and &Beyond Latin America.
Its roots are in Africa and the company’s experience in luxury safari travel spans many decades. From 1990 to 2008, &Beyond went by the name of Conservation Corporation Africa (CC Africa) and is globally recognised as one of the world’s pioneering responsible luxury adventure tourism companies. Today it owns and operates almost 50 extraordinary safari lodges and camps in locations across six African countries. Linking the company’s many lodges, safari camps and tented camps runs a common thread – a passion for guest delight. A spokesman for the company summed it up thus: “We come from many tribes in Africa and speak many different tongues, but, when it comes to our guests, we all share the same, warm brand of African hospitality.” &Beyond is well-known for having some of the most highly trained professional and knowledgeable safari guides, rangers and trackers in the world. They passionately impart an incomparable wealth of knowledge, personally researched and experienced, about the habitats, ecology, birds, trees, plants, animals and insects, providing guests with memorable wilderness experiences. Trends are starting to show that South Africa is becoming the “place to be and been seen” when it comes to luxury safari lodges. One such resort is &Beyond’s Madikwe Safari Lodge. Set in a malariafree area in the historic North West province near the border with Botswana, the 76 000-hectare Madikwe game reserve supports a diverse combination of bushveld and the semi-arid Kalahari. Madikwe is famed for Operation Phoenix, the world’s largest game translocation exercise.
Established almost 20 years ago, the reserve successfully reintroduced more than 8 000 animals of 28 species, including lion, elephant and buffalo, as well as black and white rhino. This area now boasts the Super Seven, adding cheetah and the endangered African wild dog to the already famous Big Five, as well as 350 bird species. Apart from wildlife, the region also boasts a rich history, ranging from Stone Age relics to the passage of Mzilikazi and a range of European explorers and missionaries. Madikwe is well known for the Mafikeng Road (the main road running through the Reserve), the artery that once linked the trading route from Cape Town to Bulawayo in the early 1800s. The likes of William Cornwallis Harris, David Livingstone and Cecil John Rhodes travelled through here, battling and forming everlasting friendships with the local people, the Tswana-Sotho. The renowned South African author, Herman Charles Bosman, also spent several months living in what is the present reserve and many of his books celebrate the unique characters and atmosphere of the region.
With its earthy plastered walls, dry packed stone work and rough wooden beams, &Beyond Madikwe Safari Lodge appears to grow out of the rust-red African setting like a gigantic termite mound. Offering a commanding view of the game-rich plains, each room overlooks the majestic panorama of the Dwarsberg Hills, as well as the Marico River, a green ribbon cutting through the landscape. Nestled on a gentle slope of the rolling hills above the flat plains of Madikwe, the conical roofs and chimneys of the lodge blend imperceptibly into the surrounding bushveld. Seemingly part of this wild landscape, the Madikwe Safari Lodge reflects the legendary, but whimsical, hospitality of the often-tough inhabitants of this corner of South Africa.
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