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Buffalo Ridge Safari Lodge is a 16-bed luxury facility designed by Nick
Plewman, an acclaimed small lodge designer. The lodge is situated at a prime
site in the west of the Madikwe Game Reserve, straddling the Tweedepoort
Ridge with expansive views across the northern plains and Inselbergs. The
central lodge sits on the slopes of a hill across a ravine, separating it
from the chalets. Each of the chalets is positioned on the ridge with
expansive views to the north. Buffalo Ridge Safari Lodge opened in November
2004.
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Buffalo Ridge Safari Lodge is situated on the Tweedepoort
Ridge overlooking the plains and inselbergs of the western section of
Madikwe Game Reserve. The main lodge is spectacularly located on two tiers
of the ridge, accessed via a wooden bridge that crosses a ravine surrounded
by rock figs. Each of the living areas has its own character, mood and style
providing guests with a choice of breathtaking views and tranquil spaces.
Whether you are relaxing in the lounge, the lower or upper
deck areas or at the pool, you will find a space that suits your mood.
Suites
The lodge has 8 suites, each with its own viewing deck,
decorated in natural hues of colour and texture, offering a very private and
luxurious experience. The thatched suites, with sliding doors from each room
and shower, allow the guest to experience a oneness with the bushveld.
Activities
Open vehicle game drives, walks, tracking, stargazing,
bush dining, birding, botany interests. Madikwe is home to a tremendous
diversity of fauna and flora, including both black and white rhino, buffalo,
elephant, lion, leopard, cheetah and wild dog. The lodge is a superb walking
and open vehicle safari destination where guests are accompanied by
well-trained and informative rangers who are able to interpret the many
encounters whilst on safari.
Direct involvement from the community!
Buffalo Ridge is unique for many reasons, none more so
than the fact it is the only lodge of its kind wholly owned by a local rural
community. Known as a Balete, the owners of Buffalo Ridge live in the
village of Lekgophung just west of Madikwe. Their story is one of endurance
and hardship, but also of joy and triumph. Like many such places, Lekgophung
was shaped by the history of our country. Its people have deep roots in the
North West. They are members of the Botswana, the great tribe that has lived
in and around the fringes of the Kalahari for many centuries. Their graves
are scattered across the landscape, including Madikwe itself. They speak
Setswana, the common tongue of the Batswana but the people of Lekgophung
belong to a clan with its own traditions and way of life.
The Balete have their own chief, Kgosi Tsiepe, and their
own totem, the buffalo, after which the lodge has been named. Your guides
are from the village. Ask them and they will proudly tell you of their
history. Of the time before the white people came, of the hardship they
suffered living in a harsh and dry environment and especially of the time
when many of their inhabitants were removed from their ancestral homes and
resettled in what is today Lekgophung. During the time of apartheid, the
Balete lost everything including most of the land that had sustained them.
In their new surroundings, they had little opportunity and little support.
But gradually they rebuilt their lives and their village into a place that
today pulses with vitality. The photographs in your rooms are scenes from
everyday life in Lekgophung, where people and their animals live in
difficult conditions with dignity and humour. |
