THE RESERVE

Welgevonden Game Reserve – located in the Waterberg District in the Limpopo province of South Africa – is a 38,200ha private game reserve. It forms part of the Waterberg Biosphere Reserve, which was officially declared by UNESCO in 2001 and currently covers an area of more than 654,033 hectares.

The reserve is characterised by mountainous terrain, dissected by deep valleys and kloofs, interspersed with open plateaus (best enjoyed from the hilltops). Altitude varies from ±1080m in the north to ±1800m in the southern section of the reserve.

Welgevonden is home to over 50 different mammals, including the Big Five. The diversity of habitat leads to a wide range of wildlife with grassy plains abounding with antelope from the largest eland to the diminutive duiker; and cheetah, lion and leopard are regularly seen close by.

There are also numerous rare and unusual species such as brown hyena, aardwolf, pangolin and aardvark – all best seen at night. Over 300 bird species can be seen on the reserve, including rare blue cranes which breed in the southern section early in the year.