South African Game Lodges – Game Reserves – Private Game Reserves

WHAT MAKES US UNIQUE
Fahad Game Reserve – covering just over 6`700 hectares – is one of the largest privately owned game reserve on the Limpopo River. No other privately owned reserve offers the flexibility of three luxury family lodges and the natural beauty of the Limpopo River valley with its gigantic Leadwood, Anna, Acacia, Jackalberry and Rain trees [Appelblaar], as well as the indigenous Lala Palm on the banks of the river. We are in a Malaria Free environment which makes it absolutely safe to visit us with small children.

Apart from more than 20 species of normal plains game, around 400 bird species, and Buffalo and Sable, we offer the following special wildlife species [visit Wildlife for more information]:

2 endangered mammal species
16 specially protected or endangered bird species
19 protected mammal species
3 protected reptile species
15 different predators or carnivores
More than 10 small mammal species
Our two smaller lodges only accommodates a maximum of 10 to 14 people each and lodges are privately allocated once booked. This ensures a unique and private breakaway with only friends, family or colleagues.

THE BUSHVELD
Fahad Game Reserve is part of the Waterberg Biosphere Reserve. The Waterberg is the first region in the north of South Africa identified as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, and the incredible rock formations in evidence were shaped over hundreds of millions of years by riverine erosion. This recognition goes some way to impart the beauty of this lesser known part of the country – its incredible scenery, often accentuated by late afternoon thunder storms, plummeting mountain gorges, vast Limpopo River Valley, clear streams, and rolling bushveld.

The Bushveld of South Africa lies north of the Waterberge [directly translated as Water Mountains due to the abundant natural fountains that occur there]. This blue-hued Waterberg imposingly stretches its full length from Thabazimbi in the south west, to the Lapalala River in the north east of the Limpopo Province, supporting a biome of over 15 000 square kilometers. The Limpopo River valley forms the full northern border of the Waterberg Biosphere and Fahad Game Reserve is located in the northern center of this area.

A large portion of the Waterberg’s bushveld country has been given over to the conservation of plains game, elephants, white rhino, leopard and buffalo. Land owners have restored land overgrazed by cattle, to attract and protect antelope, giraffe, hippo and other species, with an accompanying rise in the trend of eco-tourism, and the marketing of the Waterberg and Limpopo River Valley as prime game country –well worth a visit.

This area has an extensive history with evidence of the first human ancestors as early as three million years ago. Closer to our history, the San, who produced beautiful rock paintings at Lapalala, entered the Waterberg about two thousand years ago. The Waterberg is steeped in a history and some artefacts found here date back to Stone Age times. The area is a mosaic of culture and tradition as is reflected by the different rural tribes such as the Bapedi, Tswana and Basotho, while the Voortrekkers also left their distinctive mark on the area.

The water-rich valleys of the Mokolo and Limpopo Rivers on the Botswana border provide sweet bushveld grazing. The highest concentration of hippopotamus in the Limpopo River is found between the Mokolo and the Mogalakwena Rivers. The Limpopo River rises in central southern Africa, and flows generally eastwards to the Indian Ocean. The term Limpopo is the modified version of the original Sepedi name diphororo tša meetse, meaning ″gushing strong waterfalls.″ The river is approximately 1,750 kilometres (1,087 mi) long. The Limpopo is the second largest river in Africa that drains to the Indian Ocean, after the Zambezi River.

Otherwise, the bushveld landscape, interspersed with sandstone buttresses and Leadwood, Acacia, Baobab, Marula and fever trees, supports a number of towns that make up one of the country’s fastest-growing industrial and agricultural districts. The Waterberg is one of the most mineralised regions in the world and numerous towns form part of the Bushveld Igneous Complex – 50,000km² treasure trove yielding massive amounts of minerals such as coal, vanadium, platinum, nickel and chromium. The Waterberg District offers the tourist a bit of both worlds – an infrastructure of excellent facilities and modern conveniences found in the many game reserves and conservation areas, coupled with the opportunity to experience the African wilderness in its pristine state.