November 17, 2008 – Madikwe Game Reserve

Due to high swells the pilot boarded the ship from a helicopter and the ship docked in Richards Bay, South Africa around 7:00am. We joined a group of 10 working independently through B&K Africa to go to Madikwe Game Reserve for a 4 day, 3 night safari. We were met on the dock at 10:00 and taken to the airport where we flew commercial to Johannesburg on a South Africa Express airline Dash 8 turboprop. We were met at the airport and driven to a local airport about 45 minutes drive away and flew on a charter 12 passenger Cessna Caravan (powered by a PWC PT6 turboprop) to Madikwe. The landing strip was graded dirt and we buzzed the field at about 15 ft altitude to scare away any animals that may be lurking there. Safely down we were met by 3 vehicles to take us to our accommodations.

Two gals went to Madikwe Hills Lodge to join 15 other B&K travelers who had arrived from the US and won’t join the ship until Cape Town. The rest of us were taken to the overflow lodge, Mateya Lodge. We were the fortunate ones because Mateya is the best and most elegant of all the safari lodges in Madikwe, equal to any 5 star place anywhere. We were greeted with refreshing drinks and shown around the reception, lodge and dining areas and then escorted to our cabins to freshen up. Mateya is owned by an American woman from Atlanta and it hosts the largest collection of African art in Africa. There are only 5 cabins and they are magnificent, probably around at least 1500 sq ft under air. They are enclosed, thatched roofed and fully air conditioned. The main room has a king mosquito netted bed with lounge chairs and a fireplace. The glass patio doors look out over a wood deck with a private infinity plunge pool with the prairie and mountains beyond. To the side is a covered area with lounges and a table & chairs setup. Behind the bed area is a dressing area with two closets and to one side is the large bathroom with a tub and 2 sinks, a glass enclosed 2 head shower and an additional outdoor shower. The toilet & bidet are in a separate room. Artwork is on all the walls and shelves.

After ½ hour we met at reception for the evening game ride which I’ll describe in the next post. We returned at dark, showered and changed and met at the bar for drinks. Drinks are complimentary at the lodge as is laundry. There is a 9000 bottle wine cellar under the bar. The dining room was set up with a long table to seat our group of 8 and our 2 guides. Both rooms are exquisite with a lot of wood and artwork. The meal was fabulous and more than we could eat. By 10:00 we were all ready to return to our rooms and sleep.