Patience Bogatsu, who is from Molatedi village just outside northern South Africa’s 185,000-acre Madikwe Game Reserve, is one of the few black, female game rangers in the country. She might be your guide at the Thakadu River Camp, a lodge run entirely by members of the Molatedi community. Bogatsu and other staff share their knowledge about the reserve’s wildlife—cheetahs, black and white rhinos, wild dogs, lions, and leopards—as well as their tribe’s culture. After game-watching drives around the reserve’s savannah grasslands and volcanic outcroppings, travelers can visit Molatedi village or just relax in one of the 12 tented suites along the banks of the Marico River.
Thakadu River Camp, 27/(0) 11-805-9995. From $450 per person, per night, including lodging and meals. Village visits are an additional $44 per person. Photo courtesy of Thakadu River Camp. This appeared in the May/June 2011 issue.
