The Karongwe Private Game Reserve is located 67 km south of Tzaneen in the Limpopo Province of South Africa. The distinguishing feature of this reserve is the collection of independently run private game lodges and safari businesses that operate on the reserve.
The 8500ha Private Game Reserve was created in 1998 when a group of landowners dropped their fences on what had been agricultural land and began re-introducing wildlife. Today you can see over 40 mammal species on the reserve, including the Big 5, and the reserve is owned collectively by the Karongwe Association who also own Karongwe Game (Pty) Ltd – a company set up specifically for the management of the reserve and the animals within for the purposes of restoration of the natural environment, conservation, the promotion of biodiversity, and the sustainable future of the reserve for itself, the local Shangaan community and South Africa.
Accommodation is available at a number of privately owned luxury or family lodges and safari farms on the reserve. The Makutsi Lodge features mineral springs and self-catering cottages. All offer day and night game drives, and ‘Wait a Little’ offers horse-back safaris on horses trained especially for Big 5 game viewing. Guides are mostly local Shangaan, who add cultural and historical flavour to the drives with their tribal knowledge and relationship with the environment and animals.
Karongwe also hosts a volunteer programme on the reserve for the furtherance of the aims of Karongwe Game.
Getting there: Take the R36 south from Tzaneen. After 67km you will see the signs for the entrance to your left.
| More info on the quaint town of Tzaneen | More on the Valley of the Olifants area |
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