General

This remote Kalahari grassland and thornveld reserve is an arid savannah region of undulating grass and thornveld dunes offering a unique wilderness experience to the wildlife enthusiast. Many of the game and bird species found on the reserve are endemic to the desert regions of South Africa. The reserve is located against the Botswana border in the far west of the province, 250 km north of Vryburg and 7 km west of the village of Vostershoop.

The Molopo Reserve was established in 1987 and has been restocked with game from other parks and reserves. Today the reserve has flourishing herds of eland, blue wildebeest, gemsbok, red hartebeest, kudu, zebra, impala, waterbuck and springbok, as well as numerous steenbok, duiker and warthog. Cheetah, brown hyena, caracal, black-backed jackal, African wildcat, honey badger and the small spotted genet are also resident in the reserve.

Over 120 species of birds have been recorded at Molopo, including breeding pairs of bateleur, tawny and martial eagles. White-backed vultures and lappet faced vultures are also common. The reserve forms part of a one million hectare inter provincial raptor conservancy.

Climate
Generally mild to hot but winter nights can be extremely cold.

Activities

Both day and night drives in the reserve are permitted with the permission of the authorities. A number of artificial waterholes have been constructed where concentrations of game can be seen. The network of roads through the reserve are suitable for 4x4, and 4x2 (with diff lock) vehicles.

A special feature of the reserve is the fossilised Phepane river bed which can be visited and explored. This feature, which is many millions of years old, once carried huge volumes of water.

Accommodation

The Motopi Camp accommodates 8 people on a self catering basis.
Phiri Camp accommodates 9 campsites spread over a wide area for privacy.