Last Word Madikwe

We absolutely loved our stay at Last Word, Madikwe. The staff were all friendly, professional, knowledgeable and patient (we had 5 children in our group aged between 3-9). Jodi, Roxan, Max & John looked after all our needs in the lodge and were always discretely on hand. All our meals were delicious, a full section of cold and hot breakfasts, varied and tasty lunches and some very special dinners, especially the bbq overlooking the watering hole. Thank you to the chef! The lodge was spotless at all times, thank you to the cleaning staff too. The children were well looked after with child friendly food, a playroom, swimming pool and plenty of space to play and run around. They enjoyed meeting Steve the resident snake! They were experiencing nature in a way that is so rare nowadays and they were in their element. We all really enjoyed the nature trails we could navigate on our own (within the grounds of the lodge). We cannot fault the game drives - Nick & Damian were brilliant. They shared such interesting information with us about the history of the reserve and the animals. We saw an incredible variety of animals including rhinos, a lion kill, cheetah and two leopards! We spent such special time watching the elephants, giraffe, baboons, lion and zebra go about their day to day lives, it was truly memorable. The trucks were very comfy and we really enjoyed the stops for a breakfast snack and sundowners. The lodge is beautiful, decorated in such style and comfort. There were so many places to relax and watch the animals only a stone’s throw away in the watering hole right next to the lodge. We were blown away every day going into the hide where we could watch the animals even closer. It is nothing like any other safari we have ever experienced. We left Last Word so incredibly grateful for such a wonderful few days. Thank you to everyone who made it such a special holiday for our family.

We recently stayed at the BEAUTIFUL private villa with our daughters of 9 and 3. The whole family loved every minute of this holiday. Sam, our guide, was excellent! The villa is exquisitely decorated, and chilling by the pool only meters away from a watering hole which always has game at it was unforgettable. We will definitely be back!

Me and my wife are addicted to wildlife, safari, game drives and wildlife photography. We go 2 or 3 times a year to Africa so we have been privileged to be to a lot of beautiful places in Africa. Last month (June 2014) we went for the first time to Madikwe and stayed 6 nights at Last Word. On arrival I was struck by a beautiful waterhole with a hide so you can come close to all the animals drinking at the waterhole and are able to make low angle photo's. What an absolute delight, the hide has an entrance and exit far enough not to scare the present animals. It is open 24/7 has comfortable seats and even beanbags are present. There is a water inlet next to the opening of the hide view where Elephants like to drink the fresh water. You have to be quiet but the what a reward. We have seen Elephants, Wildebeest, Buffalo, Kudo, Whartog, Rhino, Impala, Roen, Spotted Hyena, Brown Hyena, Zebra, Giraffe and many birds come drinking. Also there is light during evening and night, great light for viewing but for photography I would recommend a bit more bright light. There was always a lot to see at the waterhole in the hide or sitting in the garden in front off the waterhole. What an absolute pleasure that was. Normally we try to catch a little sleep between the morning drive and afternoon drive but we had extreme FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) and did not went to our room and stayed at the waterhole/hide the entire day. The lodge itself is very beautiful decorated and has a great atmosphere. It is not a big lodge only two game viewers with maximum of 6 people per game viewer. They have a great chef, the food was delicious and they serve breakfast, high tea and dinner. The Staff was very friendly, genuine interested in your well being and went the extra mile to make your stay as pleasant as possible. The room was clean, comfortable and everything needed was available including refrigerator and aircondition. The bed was also very comfortable. The bathroom was a bit outdated. We were here at wintertime so during the night the temperature hit zero degrees sometimes. We were surprised to find a hot water bottle in our bed when we went to sleep. Also a hot water bottle with a blanket was provided during morning game drive. The reserve is a big five game reserve and the also have two packs of wild dogs. During winter it was dry but there was a lot of change of scenery with hills with dense population, plains and big dams. During our drives we unfortunately did not see the wild dogs, they were denning in the hills and only came down to hunt. But a lot of general game, Elephants, Rhino and we had a few very good lion sightings (also male lions with kill) and several cheetahs. At the beginning the drives were a bit slow but later we saw a lot of action. Our ranger was very knowledgeable, knew the area very good and needed bit of guidance to position the car the best way possible for photography but she picked that up very fast :-) After 6 beautiful nights and days we wen

We have just returned from an incredible trip to Last Word Madikwe. I have been on safari in South Africa, Kenya, Zimbabwe and Botswana and was blown away by the intimate experience the lodge's onsite, underground hide affords guests. The hide is accessible to guests all day and night and with the lodge only having a max of 12 guests, we often had it all to ourselves. Every night we watched rhino drink at water level and during the day we delighted in seeing the elephants up close as they swept their trunks close to the entrance of the hide. It was truly unforgettable. The lawns of the lodge also look over one of the park's oldest waterhole, which results in a steady parade of all species coming into full view to drink -- throughout the day and night. For several hours between game drives we could relax on the lawns and watch the wildlife interact with one another without their behaviour being disturbed. Out on drive we saw a cheetah kill, at least 10 rhino, elephant, the rare brown hyena and lion. We cannot wait to go back, this time taking more family members with us!

Loved my stay at Last Word. The staff are wonderful and take care of all your needs. My room was comfortable and serviced every day. The food was excellent, with plenty to choose from each day. The location is perfect, it is peaceful and has a watering hole that many species of animals visit each day. The hide is great if you want to photograph up close in a very safe environment. The twice daily game drives were amazing, with wonderfully informative guides and plenty of outstanding photographic opportunities.

We cannot thank Jodi and the other staff members for getting us there safely! The main road to Botswana was blocked due to a protest, so we had a five hrs detour on unpaved, pot holed roads, with no idea where we were! On arrival, our traumas were soon forgotten as the staff welcomed us “home” again. The food was even better than on our previous visits, and Damian’s intrepid skills on Safari never disappoint. The water hole and underground hide are amazing, a unique experience at The Bush House! We love the small, intimate lodge.