Wild Dogs in Madikwe: Finding Painted Wolves in a Malaria-Free Reserve

On our second afternoon in Madikwe we asked our guide, Regard, what our chances of wild dogs were. He told us one of the reserve’s packs had been seen near the northern fence line, a good half hour’s drive from the lodge.

Everyone on the vehicle wanted to try, so we went. Near the Derdepoort Gate, in the far north of the reserve, we found them: a pack of about twenty African wild dogs, lying in the late sun.

Madikwe turns up again and again on lists of the best places in Africa to see wild dogs. This guide covers why, what to expect, and how to give yourself the best chance.

Best places to see wild dogs in Africa

Before our October trip to South Africa we researched places to see wild dogs. Since we were planning to travel to South Africa’s north west, Madikwe was the perfect match. It comes in at number 4 on the Discover Africa list of the 10 best places to see wild dogs (updated 2024):

Rank	Place	Country
1	South Luangwa National Park	Zambia
2	Linyanti Concession	Botswana
3	Mana Pools National Park	Zimbabwe
4	Madikwe Game Reserve	South Africa
5	Selous Game Reserve	Tanzania
6	Kruger National Park	South Africa
7	Moremi Game Reserve	Botswana
8	Laikipia	Kenya
9	Hwange National Park	Zimbabwe
10	Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park	South Africa

Madikwe is also malaria-free and within reach of Johannesburg by road or a short flight.

Meet the painted wolf

African wild dogs are not dogs in the way most people think. They are wild canids in a genus of their own, Lycaon pictus, which means “painted wolf”. That name fits, because the mottled coat of black, tan and white is different on every animal. Their large rounded ears help them keep cool, and the white tip on the tail may help pack members stay in contact when they are hunting.

They live and hunt as a pack. Most of the food is medium-sized antelope, such as impala, and they run it down over a long chase, working together to tire it out. Back at the kill the adults feed the pups first, and they bring food back for the dogs that stayed behind with them. Normally only the dominant pair breeds, and the whole pack helps raise the pups.

One of the best known facts is how they decide to go hunting. Before a hunt the pack gathers for a lively rally, and researchers in Botswana found that sneezing works like a vote. The more sneezes, the more likely the pack is to set off. When a dominant dog starts the rally, fewer sneezes are enough.

African wild dogs are listed as Endangered, with only about 6,600 left in the wild. That is part of why seeing a pack in Madikwe is so special.

Why Madikwe works for wild dogs

Wild dogs cover huge distances, and in open ecosystems a pack can disappear from an area for weeks. In Madikwe the packs have a very large reserve to roam, and the boundary keeps them within it. That is the main reason sightings are more dependable here than in many other places.

Dependable is not guaranteed, though. Madikwe covers about 750 square kilometres, and our pack was half an hour’s drive from the lodge. Check in with your guide about recent sightings. The guides are well connected and know whether guides from other properties have come across the wild dogs, so be ready to make a longer drive when there is a good lead.

How wild dogs came to Madikwe

Madikwe was stocked in the early 1990s with animals from other reserves, and wild dogs were among the predators brought in, starting in December 1994 with a founding group of six.

The population has had a hard history. Rabies hit the packs in 1997, 2000 and again in 2014 and 2015. In 2018 four males from Zululand and five resident females formed a new pack. Madikwe is part of South Africa’s managed network of small reserves that each hold a pack, with dogs moved between them to keep the population healthy.

There are probably three packs in the reserve at the moment, counting groups that have split off from larger ones. It is difficult to give exact numbers. Packs split, lose members and are occasionally reinforced with new dogs, so counts change from season to season. Your guide will have a good understanding of the current situation.

Our afternoon with the pack

We reached the dogs on our fourth wildlife drive. The afternoon was warm and the light low, and the pack was in a loose group on short grass near a gate, mostly resting. A few were up and moving, others were lying close together. We had them to ourselves for a long time and could watch their behaviour: yawning, stretching, nosing each other and settling again.

Our guide had informed a second vehicle, which took quite a while to reach the site. When it arrived, we pulled back and left the space to the dogs.

A pack resting in the open like this is a good chance for photographers. Each dog has its own pattern of black, tan and white, so no two look alike. That is also how researchers tell them apart.

How to find them

Watching them responsibly

Wild dogs are Endangered, and a pack can be easily unsettled when too many vehicles crowd around it. Painted Dog Conservation has warned about this in Mana Pools, where too many vehicles near dens can push packs to move their pups more often.

• Follow your guide’s lead, and keep your distance. If other vehicles arrive, make space.
• If the pack seems unsettled, leave.
• Keep quiet, stay in the vehicle, and never feed or approach them.

Our recommendation: Jaci’s Private Lodge

If wild dogs are on your list, Jaci’s Private Lodge is our recommendation for staying in Madikwe. It is an amazing lodge, and we were impressed by the quality of the guides, the outstanding service and the setting of the new lodge. Our sighting began with a question to the lodge’s guide, who knew where a pack had last been seen, and that local knowledge and excellent guiding are what make the difference.

The lodge reopened in July 2026 on the site of the earlier Jaci’s Safari Lodge. Read more in our feature on the reopening, or see the Madikwe Where to Stay guide for the lodges we feature.

And the lodge’s logo is a wild dog, so it has to be a good omen.

Jaci’s Private Lodge

Reopened in July 2026 after a full rebuild: ten Safari Suites and three private-use villas, as colourful and personal as ever, with the signature water-level Terrapin Hide as its calling card.

Sources

• Discover Africa, 10 best places to see the African wild dog
• Getting to Madikwe Game Reserve
• Painted Dog Conservation, FAQ
• Jaci’s Private Lodge

Top photo: 25° South