About the Game Reserves in Southern Africa
The southern part of the African continent
For the purposes of this website, we consider Southern Africa as the area south of the Sahara. The countries that we now display include Botswana, Kenya, Mocambique, Namibia, South Africa and Tanzania. The diversity of Southern Africa is somewhat overwhelming, with a total of close to fifty game reserves and safari areas that are offered in these countries.
Botswana
Botswana is one of the countries in Southern Africa which offers a blend of magnificent wildlife regions, stretching from the searing Kalahari desert to the lush waterways of the Okavango Delta. Intriguing landscapes, abundant wildlife and a myriad of bird species await you in Botswana. The private game reserves in Botswana are normally large concession areas within National Parks. These concessions are normally enjoyed in the same way as private reserves elsewhere.
Namibia
Namibia is the country in Southern Africa, the beauty of which encompasses vast spaces, surreal landscapes, unique sunsets, bewitching sand dunes and desert mists, dust swirled by herds of game on the pans of Etosha, lunar landscapes of Damaraland and the desolation of Skeleton Coast. Luxury game lodges are becoming part of the tourism offerings in Namibia for wildlife lovers. Private reserves in Botswana, where the luxury game lodges are to be found, also are mostly concessions in National Parks. A great destination and friendly people await you in this wonderfully unique country.
South Africa
South Africa, the southernmost country in Arica is home to a huge collection of wildlife and nature areas. It offers landscapes varying from deserts to forests, mountain chains, coastal reserves and game parks. All teeming with wildlife species, birds and unique habitats. Every possible wildlife encounter await you in South Africa.
Ever since the creation of the Kruger Park, Southern Africa's most famous National Park, in South Africa to preserve the once-prolific wildlife of the country and the opening of the park to tourists, the idea of touring and holidaying in wildlife-rich areas became popular and its popularity is still growing at an astonishing rate.
The greater Kruger Park area in Southern Africa is actually still the place where the highest concentrations of luxury game lodges occur, with some of these lodges winning some of the most coveted awards in the tourism industry.
The growing popularity of spending free time in the wild among animals caused the Kruger and other parks to become quite congested and too civilized to some people's taste. A few entrepreneurs who also happened to be keen on preserving wildlife created private game reserves - first around the Kruger Park and later the tendency spread to other wildlife areas as well.
Lodges in the Game Reserves
Privately owned lodges are established and marketed to people who have a taste for more luxurious and exclusive holidays in the bush. The demand for safaris and holidays in the bush kept on growing and more and more game lodges opened up for tourists.
To ensure exclusivity for their guests, only guests with a reservation to stay in one of the lodges are allowed into the park and then only allowed to drive directly to the lodge where they are booked in. From here, normally they are in the capable hands of the welcoming staff who will feed them and entertain them with activities like game drives, walks in the bush, meals and other activities that enhance the experience of holidaying in the bush. Normally everything is included in their fee to make payments easier and to make the holiday experience free of further money worries.
This exclusivity is what appeals to people since the national parks can sometimes get quite overcrowded, thereby lessening the enjoyment of the "pure nature" experience people need when holidaying in the bush.
List of Reserves
- AM Game Reserve, South Africa
- Chobe National Park, Botswana
- Kruger Park Concessions, South Africa
- Londolozi Game Reserve, South Africa
- Maasai Mara Game Reserve, Kenya
- Madikwe Game Reserve, South Africa
- Ngala Game Reserve, South Africa
- Okavango Delta, Botswana
- Phinda Game Reserve, South Africa
- Sabi Sand Game Reserve, South Africa
- Serengeti Game Reserve, Tanzania