WELCOME TO, THE GREATER

MAKALALI

PRIVATE GAME RESERVE

A BIG FIVE

WILDERNESS

The Greater Makalali Private Game Reserve (GMPGR), together with the Pidwa Wilderness Reserve forms the Greater Makalali Nature Reserve (GMNR), is currently a 25,000-hectare game reserve and a registered Protected Area (PA). The GMNR is situated outside Gravelotte in the Limpopo Province of South Africa, in the triangle between Hoedspruit, Phalaborwa and Tzaneen.
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THE RESERVE

The reserve overlooks the majestic Drakensberg mountain range in the Limpopo Province. It is bisected by the perennial Makhutswi River, a tributary of the Olifant’s River, and includes approximately 10 km of the Selati River frontage.

The Reserve was established to promote the conservation of the land and wildlife within its boundaries.

Besides enhancing biodiversity, this initiative has become the draw card for visiting tourists; potential new landowners to expand the reserve, its goals and objectives; and simply for the pleasure and lifestyle of the resident landowners.

The reserve comprises of seven owners who have retained ownership of their individual properties but have removed fences to create a Conservancy allowing the game to traverse the entire extent of the reserve. The first properties making up the reserve (originally 6,000 ha) were purchased in 1994 and the reserve has subsequently expanded to its current size of 25,000 ha.

The reserve is home to the Big 5, with previously extirpated species including lion, elephant, rhino, hippo, cheetah, hyena and disease-free buffalo, being reintroduced. Leopard, brown hyena and the smaller mammal species as well as the endangered ground hornbill and the many threatened and endangered vulture and raptor species are present on the reserve.

Read More About the Reserve’s History & Environment