Fun things to do in Northern Province

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Mabalingwe is located west of Bela- Bela (Warmbaths). It is a 12 500 hectares malaria-free reserve and hosts the big 5 along 36 species of wildlife and over 250 bird species.
Day visitors are not allowed so you have to stay in one of the many accommodations. The accommodations range from camping and self-catering chalets to en-suite lodge rooms and rustic bush camps.

We stayed in a private game lodge called Itaga. It is located in a separate area of the park, but the gamedrives will take you throughout the entire park.
See our accommodation tip on Itaga for more info.

The reserve is located in the rolling hills in the shadows of the Waterbergen. The vegetation is typical bushveld. Low bushes, high grasses. Although the reserve hosts the big 5 it is difficult to see it all. The lions are kept in a separate area (as in most private game parks). There is only one family group of elephants. We spent our entire three days searching for them, but didn't find them. The rhino is much more easy to spot and we saw several. Buffalo are kept in a separate station and can't be visited, as they all had bovine tbc. Leopards are never easy to spot. We did see lots of other animals though. The nyala is a very beautiful animal and they are all over the reserve.

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Located in the Waterberg Region, Mabula Game Reserve is a 12,000 ha malaria free reserve where you can find the big 5 next to 55 other mammals and 300 bird species.

Special attraction is big game viewing on horseback. But you also go for an open jeep. There is no possibility to drive your own car, as in most private reserves.

We stayed in one of the timeshare lodges. But most people stay in the Mabula Lodge. This also where we had our breakfast and dinners. And food was good for the times we could choose from the menu. The one evening there was a buffet in the boma we were not that pleased with the quality of the food. It was mostly too well done and overcooked. The native dansers brightened up the evening tough.

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Kololo is a small reserve, located right next door to Welgevonden. Kololo doesn't have any Big 5 animals so it is possible to go for a walk or take bicycle out on the reserve. It is only 500 hectares, which means it is almost impossible to get lost. It took Gonnie 2 hours to walk from fence to fence and back to our chalet.
It is a very good resort to relax a bit though. We stayed in Kings Chalet, the house of the former owner of the land. He was a hunting fanatic and the house is filled with hunting trophies. The terrace of this chalet is overlooking the park and looking straight into Welgevonden.
Have a gamedrive on Welgevonden in the morning. Take your time at breakfast after that.
Then get one of the mountainbikes they have on the reserve (free of charge) and go for a spin. Come back to the restaurant for lunch. Sit at the pool, or swim a little and go for a gamedrive on Kololo in the afternoon. They take drinks with you in the jeep and when the sun is going down you will be offered a drink. Then have a great dinner in the restaurant and end a great day at the bar with a drink. (Just a day at Kololo, but you can always choose to do something else.)
At Kololo they offer several excursions outside of Kololo to other game reserves or eco destinations. But you can also stay on Kololo and have a walk with a ranger, alone along the marked paths or just relax in the sun.

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One of the private game reserves we visited in Limpopo is Welgevonden. Welgevonden is 34,000 hectares, and is located in the Waterberg plateau. It is a Big 5 reserve, meaning they host elephant, rhino, buffalo, leopard and lion. You can't drive your own car in Welgevonden but have to participate in an organised game drive. If you are staying in of the lodges in the reserve game drives are always included.
We stayed in the neighbouring Kololo Game Reserve. (see the Kololo tip) From there it is possible to book a game drive in Welgevonden. (in 2008 it cost 4000 Rand p.p.)
During our gamedrive we spotted lions, rhinos and an elephant next to some other animals.

Every tourist visiting South Africa probably dreams of visiting the Kruger Park. The most famous and oldest park in South Africa. We can absolutely recommend it, because it is great to see all the wildlife in an area larger than our own country. We have visited the Kruger Park several times, one time we spend our entire three weeks in the Kruger Park.

You can read all about these visits and the park at
our Kruger Park page