Entabeni Game Reserve, Limpopo (original) (raw)

Translated, Entabeni means 'place of the mountain', which goes some way to describe its location deep in the heart of the malaria-free World Heritage Waterberg biosphere in the Limpopo, south west of Lapalala Wilderness Game Reserve.

Did you know? Guests can enjoy game drives and walking safaris through the reserve where you can expect to see a wide variety of animal, bird, reptile and plant species.

The Waterberg biosphere is the first region in the northern part of South Africa to be named a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO. It covers an area of 4170 square kilometres and includes a number of protected areas that include Lapalala Wilderness, Touchstone and Kwalata.

Only three hours' north of Johannesburg, Entabeni Game Reserve is privately owned and is roughly 250 square kilometres of bountiful bushveld typified by wide open grassland accompanied by sandy wetlands, surprisingly defined and beautiful crags, and ravines through which pretty streams babble.

Entabeni boasts five different ecosystems within one reserve and promises solid big game viewing and rewarding bird watching. Their advantage definitely appears to be the rich variety of wildlife in the reserve and the optional extras they offer visitors like guided horse trails, visits to a local Pedi village and helicopter flights.

This malaria free area, set within the most beautiful mountain scenery offered by the ever present Waterberg, is now a major attraction to visitors and locals alike, particularly locals from Gauteng, for whom getting away to the Waterberg to see game, without the added hindrance of anti-malaria medication, is something of a bonus.

Hundreds of years ago this area was home to a rich variety of wild animals like giraffe, lion, hyena, buffalo and elephant that due to both farmer and hunter were fast depleted. Now, due a concerted effort to reverse the loss of animals for whom this is their natural home, large areas in the Waterberg biosphere have been restocked.