25° South

travel ✦ wildlife ✦ adventure

Kruger Shalati, the train on the Selati BridgeSouth AfricaLodgingIs This the Most Unusual Safari Lodge in Africa?Red Alert: a sedated rhino with a red scarf tied over its eyes, photographed by Beverly JoubertAfricaTravel StoriesBeverly Joubert on Forty Years of LookingAn African wild dog in Madikwe Game ReserveSouth AfricaWildlifeWild Dogs in Madikwe: Finding Painted Wolves in a Malaria-Free Reserve
Special
From the Waterberg to Madikwe

In October 2026 we spent two weeks in South Africa’s northwestern region to find out if reserves like Madikwe, Welgevonden and Pilanesberg are a good alternative to the Kruger National Park. Read our stories here.

A Waterberg cycad on EntabeniSouth Africa · WildlifeThe Cycad Eugène Marais Found, and Nobody Believed29 OctAn African wild dog in Madikwe Game ReserveSouth Africa · WildlifeWild Dogs in Madikwe: Finding Painted Wolves in a Malaria-Free Reserve27 OctAerial view of Wildside Safari Camp below the Entabeni escarpmentSouth Africa · LodgingThatch, Canvas and Red Cliffs: Wildside Safari Camp on Entabeni18 OctJaci’s Private Lodge, MadikweSouth Africa · LodgingJaci’s Private Lodge Reopens in Madikwe8 Jul

Coming soon: Pilanesberg: 25 years later, Shepherd’s Tree Lodge, Guide to the Welgevonden Game Reserve

Upcoming specials
Northern Kenya in January 2027

In January 2027 we travel the central and northern Kenya safari circuit, with a hike up Mount Kenya and visits to the reserves around Laikipia, Samburu, Lewa, Borana and possibly Meru. We are still planning the trip. If you have input on content, or a property that would like to be featured, we would be glad to hear from you via our contact page.

Tools
Bush News
28 OctMadikwe Safari Lodge wins the Condé Nast Traveller Triple CrownIt also ranked among South Africa’s top 15 resorts in the 2026 Readers’ Choice Awards.Source: Madikwe Safari Lodge
28 OctTeam prepares to return cheetahs to the Zambezi ValleyPerhaps only one resident cheetah remains in the valley.Source: Great Plains Conservation
27 OctSANParks invests US$8 million in Addo Elephant National ParkEight family units and a new spa are open, with more accommodation due in December and a community lodge and solar plant in January 2027.Source: Tourism Update
27 OctAfrican Sun takes over the Victoria Falls HotelThe company now has full operational control and the leasehold, and has committed over US$11 million to a refurbishment that is under way.Source: African Sun
27 OctDistillation unit for the Mara Elephant Project farmThe Coexistence Farm now has an 80-litre unit, donated by Cinnabar Green, to process rosemary and other crops grown by community out-growers.Source: Mara Elephant Project
26 OctMaa Cultural Week in the Maasai MaraThe event runs from 10 to 14 November 2026.Source: Mara Hill Top
23 OctGovernors’ Safaris wins at the EcoWarrior AwardsEcoTourism Kenya named it Leading Tour Operator in Ecosystem Restoration at the ceremony in Nairobi on 16 October.Source: Governors’ Camp
23 OctJudy, a Sweetwaters chimpanzee, has diedBorn in 1983, she was a long-time resident of the sanctuary run by Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya.Source: Ol Pejeta Conservancy
23 OctJaci’s Private Lodge wins four LUXE Global AwardsThe Madikwe lodge received four honours at the 2026 LUXE Global Awards.Source: Jaci’s Private Lodge
19 OctRhulani Safari Lodge wins award for 13th year runningThe lodge says it received an award on the evening of 17 October, its 13th consecutive win.Source: Rhulani Safari Lodge
19 OctBird count on Borana Conservancy marks Global Bird WeekendLengishu’s head guide recorded bird sightings on the conservancy during the event on 10 October.Source: Lengishu
12 OctNew restaurant operators for four Kruger campsLower Sabie, Pretoriuskop and Berg-en-Dal get new restaurants, and the Cattle Baron at Skukuza is being refurbished. Temporary menus run during the works.Source: SANParks media release
28 SepLwenge River Camp opens in Kafue National ParkFive rooms on the Kafue River this season, with a sixth planned for 2027.Source: Classic Zambia Safaris
24 SepBwindi Gorilla Conservation Centre opensThe centre at Bwindi Lodge in Uganda presents the work of three conservation partners and is open to researchers, guests, schoolchildren and local residents.Source: Volcanoes Safaris Partnership Trust
Latest articles

Kruger Shalati, the train on the Selati BridgeSouth Africa · LodgingIs This the Most Unusual Safari Lodge in Africa?30 OctA Waterberg cycad on EntabeniSouth Africa · WildlifeThe Cycad Eugène Marais Found, and Nobody Believed29 OctAn African wild dog in Madikwe Game ReserveSouth Africa · WildlifeWild Dogs in Madikwe: Finding Painted Wolves in a Malaria-Free Reserve27 OctA white lioness lying on grass among tawny lionesses of the Birmingham PrideSouth Africa · WildlifeThe Birmingham Pride: Lions of Greater Kruger27 OctAerial view of Wildside Safari Camp below the Entabeni escarpmentSouth Africa · LodgingThatch, Canvas and Red Cliffs: Wildside Safari Camp on Entabeni18 OctDenis Mugabo, guide at Virunga Lodge and Mount Gahinga Lodge with Volcanoes Safaris, smiling above a lake in the Rwandan highlandsRwanda · Ask the GuideAsk the Guide: Denis Mugabo on Silverbacks, Chimpanzees and Patience in Rwanda’s Volcanoes2 OctThermal-imaging view of elephants and antelope on a Tintswalo night safariSouth Africa · LodgingTintswalo’s New Thermal Night Safari30 SepMisty valley below rocky hills at dawn with vehicles parked in a clearingZimbabwe · WildlifeBlack Rhinos Are Back in Matusadona24 SepElephants drinking at the Chobe riverfront, northern BotswanaBotswana · GuideChobe National Park: River, Elephants and a Vanishing Channel23 SepGuests at a picnic table under a flat-topped acacia at Cottar’s 1920s CampKenya · Travel StoriesHeritage as the Experience, Impact as the Purpose20 SepRed Alert: a sedated rhino with a red scarf tied over its eyes, photographed by Beverly JoubertAfrica · Travel StoriesBeverly Joubert on Forty Years of Looking19 SepThe elevated sky bed at Evolve Back Kalahari under the Milky WayBotswana · LodgingTracks of the Lion: Evolve Back Kalahari19 SepA cheetah standing alert in long grass in Etosha National Park, NamibiaAfrica · WildlifeCheetahs: Where to See Them19 SepAerial drone photograph by Wesley HartmannMalawi · WildlifeElephants Can’t Look Up: Wesley Hartmann on Drones and Elephants16 SepCheetah and her cub in the Maasai Mara ecosystemKenya · GuideReserve or Conservancy? Why the Maasai Mara Is Not a Choice Between Two Places14 SepCape fur seals filling the beach in coastal fog at Cape Cross, NamibiaNamibia · Wildlife210,000 Seals: What to Expect at Cape Cross11 SepSafari guide at the wheel of a game viewer as an elephant walks past, South Luangwa, ZambiaZambia · Ask the GuideAsk the Guide: Andrew Mweetwa on Lions on Foot, and Why Hippos Run South Luangwa8 SepToppers Muleya, safari guide at The Hide Safari Camp, with a cheetah at sunset in Hwange National Park, ZimbabweZimbabwe · Ask the GuideAsk the Guide: Toppers Muleya on Moto Moto the Hippo and Swinging Baboon Babies3 SepA hired 4x4 pickup with a rooftop tent parked on a deep sandy track under midday sun in northern NamibiaAfrica · GuideSelf-Drive vs. Guided Safari: Which Is Right for You?2 SepSouthern giraffe in Etosha National ParkAfrica · WildlifeGiraffes: Everything Worth Knowing About Africa’s Tallest Animal30 AugThatched guest chalets at Lolelunga Private Reserve on the Lunga River, northern ZambiaZambia · LodgingLolelunga: Zambia’s Newest Reserve Is Bringing Lion and Cheetah Home25 AugLawrence Ngugi, safari guide at Borana Lodge, scanning the plains with binoculars from a game vehicleAsk the Guide · Ask the Guide: Lawrence Ngugi on 25 Years in Laikipia’s BushKenya24 AugThitaka River Lodge at dusk on the Kwando River, Zambezi Region, NamibiaNamibia · LodgingThitaka River Lodge: On the Kwando, Where Namibia’s Elephants Came Back24 AugCanvas-walled suite on stilts above the Nile at Kulu Ora, Murchison Falls National ParkUganda · LodgingKulu Ora: A Lodge in the Empty Half of Murchison Falls23 AugA safari vehicle and a lone figure silhouetted beneath an acacia tree against a dramatic cloud-filled sunset sky in the Chyulu Hills, KenyaAfrica · GuideBest Time to Visit: A Safari Season Guide by Country23 AugA desert-adapted elephant in the Hoanib River Valley, NamibiaNamibia · WildlifeThe Elephants Who Learned the Desert20 AugA Temminck’s ground pangolin walking across open ground in Gorongosa National Park, MozambiqueMozambique · WildlifeWalking With Pangolins in Africa’s Great Comeback16 AugCheetah in the Serengeti, TanzaniaTanzania · GuideThe Trip Everyone Asks About14 AugTreehouse at Tum Tum Treehouse Lodge overlooking a waterhole with an elephant passing below, Hwange National ParkZimbabwe · LodgingTum Tum Treehouse Lodge: Sleeping in the Trees Above Hwange’s Wildlife13 AugAerial view of a lone elephant crossing a narrow water channel in the Okavango Delta, BotswanaAfrica · WildlifeWhere Giants Wander: Elephant Corridors Across Africa6 Aug