Welgevonden Game Reserve

'34 200 ha, privately owned 'Big 5' game reserve in the heart of the Waterberg in the Limpopo province of South Africa'

Size & Location: 34 200 ha in the Limpopo Province, 3 hours drive from Johannesburg
When to visit the park: Throughout the year
Climate: The Waterberg is more elevated than most other game reserves in South Africa and has a somewhat cooler climate
Altitude: between 1080m and 1800m above sea level

WELGEVONDEN GAME RESERVE INFORMATION:

The Waterberg region has a long history of human occupation and evidence of Middle Stone Age, Late Stone Age (San and Khoi Khoi) and Iron Age inhabitation has been found in the area, of which two rock paintings sites also occur on Welgevonden.

Recent indications are that Tswana people have lived in the area of the Welgevonden Game Reserve since 250 years ago, but it is unlikely that high human population densities were ever achieved.

The first known white travelers entered the area in 1808, and settled farms were established from around 1845 onwards. Since then, however, both cattle farming and agriculture have become sub-economic, and although a few specialised farming enterprises remain based on exceptionally good management and permanent water, conventional farming has largely been replaced by hunting and wildlife tourism.

The combination of the veld types of the sour Waterberg Mountains and the sweeter lowland bushveld types historically supported a wide diversity of mammal species, but by the end of the 19th century most of the large herbivore and carnivore species that were present in the area in historical times had been exterminated by uncontrolled hunting. Over the last 10 years, many of these species have been reintroduced back into the region into reserves like Welgevonden Game Reserve.

However, it is reasonable to assume that prior to the erection of fences, populations of high-density herbivores such as wildebeest and zebra would not have remained in the mountainous areas during the dry season, and their permanent confinement in the mountains are not completely natural. This puts a huge responsibility on Welgevonden to have proper management practices in place to ensure the well-being of the animals and to prevent damage to the system.

Some of its unique features include:
- Mammals found in the Welgevonden Game Reserve: Aardwolf, African Wildcat, Antbear, Bat Eared Fox, Black Backed Jackal, Brown Hyena, Burchell's Zebra, Blesbuck, Bushbuck, Bush Pig, Cape Buffalo, Cape Clawless Otter, Caracal, Chacma Baboon, Cheetah, Civet, Common Duiker, Common Reedbuck, Eland, Elephant, Genet, Giraffe, Honey Badger, Jameson's Red Rock Rabbit, Impala, Klipspringer, Kudu, Leopard, Lesser Bushbaby, Lion, Mongoose (banded, dwarf, slender), Mountain Reedbuck, Oryx, Nyala, Pangolin, Porcupine, Rhino, Red Hartebeest, Rock Dassie, Scrub Hare, Serval, Steenbuck, Tree Squirrel, Tsessebe, Vervet Monkey, Waterbuck, Warthog, White Rhino, Wild Dog
- rich heritage of archaeological and historical sites.
- accommodation and activity options for all tastes.

ACCOMMODATION AND SAFARIS THAT INCORPORATES WELGEVONDEN GAME RESERVE
GAME AND SAFARI LODGES	SAFARIS AND TOURS
WELGEVONDEN LODGES	SOUTH AFRICA SAFARI