Molori Safari Lodge

Lodge Highlights

• Just five suites — one of the most private lodges in the whole of Madikwe
• A private infinity pool on the deck of every suite
• Two presidential suites of 593 m² and 619 m²
• Two guided game drives a day, plus bush walking, with award-winning guides
• Big Five and wild dog, in a reserve that is malaria-free year-round
• Gourmet dinners, a wine cellar and a serious South African wine list
• Spa with Nordic sauna, steam room and a rim-flow Jacuzzi deck
• Stargazing with a telescope in your own suite

General Information

• Lodge type: Luxury safari lodge
• Location: Madikwe Game Reserve, North West Province, South Africa
• Lodge size: 5 luxury suites
• Recommended stay: 2–5 nights
• Malaria risk: None — Madikwe Game Reserve is malaria-free, all year, with no prophylactics needed
• Getting there: 360 km northwest of Johannesburg, a 4½ hour drive; light aircraft from Johannesburg to the Madikwe airstrip takes about 60 minutes

Molori, The Ultimate Luxury Lodge Experience For A Safari In The Madikwe

Molori Safari Lodge is the most private and the most indulgent address in the Madikwe Game Reserve — five suites, no more, each with its own infinity pool and an uninterrupted view over 750 km² of malaria-free Big Five bushveld. The name comes from the Setswana for dreaming, which is the sort of thing lodges usually say about themselves and, in this case, happens to fit.

There are very few safari establishments in Southern Africa that come close to Molori for space, privacy and unhurried luxury. Five large suites, gourmet cuisine, infinity pools, and a reserve outside your glass wall carrying elephant, lion, leopard, buffalo, rhino and one of South Africa's healthiest wild dog populations. A refuge without pretence is how Molori describes itself, and that phrase probably sums the place up better than any brochure line.

We have stayed at and visited Molori many times over the years while working in the Madikwe, and it remains the lodge we send guests to when the brief is nothing but the best, and absolutely no crowds. See our own photographs and impressions in the Molori Safari Lodge photo gallery.

Rooms and Suites

Molori Safari Lodge has five open-air suites, and every one of them has a wooden deck facing the Madikwe Game Reserve, a private infinity pool, a fireplace, air-conditioning, a large living room and floor-to-ceiling glass walls. Three of the five run between 232 and 315 square metres. The two presidential suites are on another scale entirely, adding a dining room, service kitchen, lounges, guest bathrooms, a walk-in closet, a rim-flow bath, an outdoor shower and a Jacuzzi.

Suites and sizes, including indoor and outdoor space:

• Ngwedi Suite: 232 square metres
• Lesedi Suite: 232 square metres
• Sephiri Suite: 315 square metres
• Metsi Presidential Suite: 593 square metres
• Molelo Presidential Suite: 619 square metres

Every suite also comes with a telescope for the night sky, a sound system, an espresso machine, Wi-Fi and a stocked mini-bar.

Cuisine and Wine

Molori Safari Lodge cooks to order rather than to a set menu, with in-house chefs drawing on both Eastern and Western influences. The freshest ingredients come from the lodge's own organic garden, with the rest flown up from Johannesburg. Only good South African wines and top-shelf spirits accompany meals, and the bar and service staff will pour you one at any hour of the day — which, after a hot afternoon drive, is exactly the correct policy.

Lodge Facilities

Molori Safari Lodge's central guest area holds an outdoor pool and deck, a library, a boma for dinners under the stars, a wine cellar and a full spa. The lodge sits inside the Madikwe Game Reserve, one of Africa's great wildlife areas and one of South Africa's largest malaria-free Big Five reserves — and the closest of them to Johannesburg. It is the kind of main area you actually use between drives, rather than walk through on the way to your room.

Wildlife Activities

Molori Safari Lodge includes two guided game drives every day plus bush walking, all led by highly qualified and award-winning guides who know the reserve's lion prides and wild dog packs as individuals. Night drives are also on offer and are worth staying up for — this is when Madikwe's cats move, leopard included. Madikwe holds all of the Big Five, and its wild dog sightings are among the most reliable in South Africa.

Other optional activities:

• Stargazing
• Rhino tagging
• Wild dog expedition
• Fishing
• Culinary classes
• Junior Ranger programme for children

Family Friendly

Molori Safari Lodge welcomes families and children of all ages, with suitable accommodation, activities and meal options for younger guests. The Madikwe Game Reserve is one of the best family safari destinations in Africa precisely because it is malaria-free — no prophylactics, no arguments about tablets, no worry. The Sephiri and Molelo suites both sleep up to four guests and are the natural choice for a family, and the Junior Ranger programme keeps children genuinely occupied rather than merely supervised.

Spa and Wellness

Molori Safari Lodge has a full spa with a range of treatments and massages, which is a fine way to spend the long, hot gap between the morning and afternoon drives.

Spa facilities:

• Spa and wellness rooms with view decks
• A fitness centre with Nordic sauna and steam room
• Jacuzzi deck with rim-flow spa bath

FAQ

Where is Molori Safari Lodge and how do you get there?

Molori Safari Lodge is in the Madikwe Game Reserve in South Africa's North West Province, on the Botswana border, about 360 km northwest of Johannesburg. The drive takes 4 to 4½ hours on good tar for almost the whole way. A light aircraft from Johannesburg reaches the Madikwe airstrip in roughly 60 minutes, and the lodge collects you there. Gaborone is only 30 km from the reserve.

Is Molori Safari Lodge malaria-free?

Yes. Molori Safari Lodge sits inside the Madikwe Game Reserve, which is malaria-free all year round. No prophylactics are required, and no seasonal precautions are needed either. This is the single biggest reason Madikwe suits families with young children, older travellers and anyone who would rather not take anti-malarials — and it is a rare thing in a genuine Big Five reserve.

How many suites does Molori Safari Lodge have?

Molori Safari Lodge has five suites and no more, which makes it one of the most private lodges in the Madikwe Game Reserve. Ngwedi and Lesedi are 232 square metres each, Sephiri is 315, and the two presidential suites — Metsi and Molelo — are 593 and 619 square metres. Every suite has its own infinity pool, fireplace and deck facing the reserve.

Can children stay at Molori Safari Lodge?

Yes. Molori Safari Lodge welcomes children of all ages, with tailored meals, activities and a Junior Ranger programme. The Sephiri and Molelo suites each sleep up to four guests and work well for a family. Because the Madikwe Game Reserve is malaria-free, no anti-malarial medication is needed, which makes this one of the easiest Big Five safaris in Africa to take children on.

What is included in a stay at Molori Safari Lodge?

A stay at Molori Safari Lodge includes accommodation, all meals, selected wines, spirits and soft drinks, two guided game drives daily, bush walking, transfers from the Madikwe airstrip, a stocked mini-bar, laundry, Wi-Fi and use of the gym, sauna, steam room and spa chiller pool. Excluded are the reserve conservation levy, flights, spa treatments, premium wines and babysitting.

When is the best time to visit Molori Safari Lodge?

The best game viewing at Molori Safari Lodge is from May to September, when the Madikwe bush is dry and thin and animals concentrate at waterholes. Mornings are cold, so pack layers. November to March is green, hot and full of newborn animals and migrant birds, with dramatic afternoon thunderstorms. Molori is comfortable in either season — the choice is game density versus green landscapes.

In Conclusion

Molori Safari Lodge is the right choice when the brief is genuine privacy, serious space and Big Five game viewing without a malaria tablet in sight. Five suites, two of them larger than most family homes, each with a private infinity pool and floor-to-ceiling glass onto the Madikwe Game Reserve — a 750 km² reserve where only lodge guests are permitted, so you will not queue at a sighting. Two guided drives a day with award-winning guides, elephant and lion and one of the country's best wild dog populations, gourmet dinners in the boma, a wine cellar worth the detour, and a spa for the long afternoons in between. Add the fact that Madikwe is malaria-free and reachable in a four-hour drive or a sixty-minute flight from Johannesburg, and it becomes the most practical luxury safari in South Africa — as easy to bolt onto Cape Town and the Winelands as it is to build a whole trip around. Come between May and September for the sharpest game viewing, or November to March for green bush, newborn animals and thunderstorms over the plains.

We have been arranging African safaris from Cape Town since 1999 — twenty-seven years of visiting these lodges, sitting in their vehicles and eating at their tables, which is how we know Molori earns its price rather than merely charging it. Tell us who is travelling, roughly when, and what you want the trip to feel like, and we will build the whole thing around you: the flight or the transfer, the right suite for your party, the number of nights that suits Madikwe rather than a spreadsheet, and whatever else in South Africa you want stitched to it. No booking fees, no card surcharges, and a real person in Cape Town on the other end of the line. Send us your dates and we will come back with a proper itinerary.