From the Owner’s Diary

I will never forget the first moment I noticed how time seems to slow down in Madikwe.

By the second morning of game drives, having gone through the first day’s learning curve and the uncertainty of what to expect, you almost begin to anticipate the wake-up call. As you open the door to the deck, your face is struck by a gentle but cool breeze that sends a shiver through you. Gazing up to the east, you catch the first soft hues of sunlight breaking through the clouds.

By the third day, your senses have adjusted. What once sounded like a random cacophony of birds tweeting, chirping and whistling, reveals itself as something else entirely. You pause, close your eyes, and hear the rhythm: a layered, melodic conversation carried across the skies.

At Royal Madikwe, it has always been my intention that we exist to facilitate your journey through this wild paradise. To create a space where you feel protected and at ease, allowing you to fully surrender to your surroundings and experience it through all your senses.

The experiences here are designed to surprise and stimulate, but above all, to elevate. The pace is deliberately unhurried, while the spaces offer vistas that draw you in and enable contemplation. The palate draws its inspiration from the nature around us, while life’s guilty pleasures are enjoyed with humility and gratitude. And the unfolding drama of wildlife, at once comforting and exhilarating, often mirrors something deeper within ourselves, inviting reflection on where we come from and what truly matters.

As we look ahead to a new year in Madikwe, my dreams remain as vivid as that very first day.

To offer experiences that feel meaningful rather than performative.

To grow without noise or haste.

To remain deeply committed to authenticity: honouring our guests, our team, the community, and the land that sustains us all.

Will you dream along with me?

With wild wishes,
Dr Chai Patel