CENTRAL REGION, North West Province (original) (raw)
The central region of the North West Province is dominated by bushveld and savannah plains, the fertile grasslands subject to fields of maize, sunflowers and ground nuts, as well as cattle and game farming.
The Central Region, although apparently flat and dry, is able to sustain farming as it does because of the large volumes of quality water stored in groundwater springs. The central region borders on Botswana, and is an amalgamation of what was once the western Transvaal and Bophuthatswana, dominated by the capital of the province, Mafikeng, and the Groot Marico Bushveld area, an area romanticised in the stories by the author Herman Charles Bosman.
Did you know? The central region borders on Botswana, and is an amalgamation of what was once the western Transvaal and Bophuthatswana, dominated by the capital of the province, Mafikeng, and the Groot Marico Bushveld area.
To the west lie the fringes of the Kalahari Desert, which explains the tendency of the central region to become drier and flatter the further west one travels.
Whilst Mafikeng, the commercial and administrative centre of the area, is the major hub of the central region, and is without doubt a vibrant city worth a visit, it is the smaller towns like Delareyville where the Barberspan Bird Sanctuary is situated just outside the town, Ottosdal, where the totally unique "wonderstone" is mined, Groot Marico, and Zeerust that collectively steal the show.
More essentially, the central region is about game viewing. Game farms and guest houses are in abundant supply in this bushveld area that includes 'Big 5' game viewing, fishing, bird watching and numerous other activities. Highlights of the central region include the Botsalano Game Reserve, Cookes Lake, Mafikeng, including the game reserve just outside town, the Lichtenburg Game Breeding Centre, the Kortloof Cultural Village and Disaneng Dam.
Find accommodation in the Central Region
South Africa Accommodation / North West Province Accommodation / Central Region Accommodation
Game Lodge
Royal Madikwe Luxury Safari Lodge
The Royal Madikwe offers nothing short of luxurious accommodation, sincere hospitality and spectacular wildlife encounters. Royal Madikwe Luxury ...
Game Lodge
Etali Safari Lodge
Out of the heart of the spectacular Madikwe Game Reserve, embraced by pristine bushveld nurtured by Mother Africa's rich red soil, Etali Safari L...
Game Lodge
Madikwe Safari Lodge
The rich red timbres of the African earth are reflected in the warm tones of Madikwe Safari Lodge. Cradled between rolling hills, overlooking gam...
Self Catering
Rockfig Lodge Madikwe
Rockfig Lodge offers accommodation in the malaria free Madikwe Game Reserve. The reserve offers some of the finest game viewing opportunities in ...
Game Lodge
The Last Word Madikwe
The Bush House is not your typical game lodge. The Lodge is set in the malaria free Madikwe Game Reserve. It is an old farmhouse that after years...
Game Lodge
Tau Game Lodge
Tau Game Lodge is situated in the malaria free Madikwe Game Reserve where the Big 5 are among the 27 species which you can expect to see on game ...
Game Lodge
Motswiri Private Safari Lodge
Motswiri is an exclusive lodge offering guests a personal bush experience and offers some of the best views in Madikwe. Each bush villa offers st...
Game Lodge
Buffalo Ridge Safari Lodge
Buffalo Ridge Safari Lodge is located on the Madikwe Game Reserve. The lodge offers accommodation which is spectacularly positioned on the Tweede...
Game Lodge
Madikwe River Lodge
Situated in the heart of the malaria free Madikwe Game Reserve just four hours drive from Johannesburg, Madikwe River Lodge is the perfect venue ...
Destinations in the Central Region
Delareyville
This historical town in the vast North West Province has a rich history that is deeply rooted in South African culture. It was founded in 1913, after the tragedies of the Anglo-Boer War, and was named after General Koos De la Rey. Today, it continues to b...
Groot Marico
Overnight? Groot Marico accommodation
Lying just off the N4, known as the Platinum Highway, the little town of Groot Marico lies between Zeerust and Rustenburg - a smattering of houses and streets that include the ever-popular names of Church and Voortrekker (almost every little dorp in the c...
Lichtenburg
Overnight? Lichtenburg accommodation
Lying between the towns of Mafikeng and Coligny on the R503, Lichtenburg is predominantly a farming town about 200 kilometres west of the major metropolis of Johannesburg. The pretty little town of Lichtenburg, whose streets are lined with willow tree...
Madikwe
Overnight? Madikwe accommodation
Still in its beginning stages as a park, the Madikwe Game Reserve is about 70 000 hectares of bushland just north of the little town of Groot Marico that stretches all the way up to the Botswana border, about 3 hours� drive from Johannesburg. Young it mig...
Mafikeng
Overnight? Mafikeng accommodation
Formerly, and rather confusingly, known as Mafeking and originally named Mahikeng, Mafikeng is today the capital city of the North West Province that lies on the border with Botswana about 260 kilometres west of Johannesburg. Mmabatho, its neighbour, held...
Mmabatho
Overnight? Mmabatho accommodation
Mmabatho, once the capital city of the North West Province, lies just south of the Botswana border - relegated to something of a suburb of the now capital city of Mafikeng. But this in no way detracts from the buzzing Mmabatho, which originally served as ...
Ottosdal
Overnight? Ottosdal accommodation
Ottosdal lies on the R507 between Hartebeesfontein and Delareyville, north west of Klerksdorp. Whilst there is not much at first glance to recommend the little town (it risks being described as yet another mining town like many others found in the provinc...
Zeerust
Overnight? Zeerust accommodation
Mixed farming and mining of minerals (lead and chrome) are the backbone of the economy in the bushveld town of Zeerust. Attractions include the Kleinfontein Memorial, Kaditshwene Village Ruins, the Zeerust Museum, Marula Kop (an Iron Age settlement 50km n...