Buffalo Ridge Safari Lodge

Buffalo Ridge Safari Lodge is owned outright by the Balete Ba Lekgophung community, whose ancestors were removed from this land during apartheid and resettled in the village of Lekgophung nearby. When Madikwe Game Reserve was established, North West Parks offered the Balete a 45-year lease to build and run a lodge on land that once belonged to them. It’s now the first wholly community-owned safari lodge in South Africa.

Buffalo Ridge takes its name from the clan's own totem, the buffalo. Eight suites sit high on Tweedepoort Ridge, reached across a wooden footbridge over a ravine lined with rock figs, each has its own viewing deck over the plains and inselbergs below. Every ranger and guide at Buffalo Ridge grew up in Lekgophung so you’ll learn as much about history and culture as the wildlife by staying here. Twice-daily game drives cover a transition zone between bushveld and Kalahari thornveld rich enough in habitat to support species from both ecosystems, and guides can arrange a village tour by arrangement with community members who still live nearby. Madikwe's malaria-free status makes it a rare safari destination where children of any age can visit worry free, though the under-sixes sit out the game drives themselves.