Malaria Free Game Reserves

For complete peace of mind on your safari holiday especially if travelling with young children, South Africa has a number of excellent malaria-free game reserves.

The reserves we feature have been handpicked for their quality of gameviewing, range of safari activities and outstanding accommodation options. They also cater for children, with exclusive-use lodges and in many cases, fantastic kids’ programs.

South Africa’s fifth-largest game reserve, Madikwe is located on the border of Botswana on the fringes of the Kalahari Desert. Once overgrazed farmland, the landscape is now home to 66 mammal species including all of the must-see “Big 5”: elephant, rhino, buffalo, lion and leopard. There are also packs of rare wild dog on this 185,000 acre reserve, which is accessible only to guests staying at safari lodges and camps within its boundaries.

On the Northern Cape near the country’s border with Botswana lies South Africa’s largest private game reserve. Tswalu Kalahari comprises of 272,000 acres traversed by a maximum of ten gameviewing vehicles at any given time, ensuring incredible exclusivity. Track endangered desert rhinos and look for comical meerkats amid breathtakingly vast landscapes of open grassland and rolling dunes.

The country’s Eastern Cape is home to some enchantingly beautiful ecosystems, ranging from semi-arid Karoo desert to rugged hills. Kwandwe and Shamwari are two outstanding private game reserves in this area, offering a wide range of activities to uncover resident big game as well as eye-opening insights into the challenges facing wildlife conservationists in South Africa.