About

The Herd Reserve forms part of the 10,000hectare Philip Herd Private Nature Reserve, situated on the Limpopo River at the confluence with the Nzhelele in the north-east of the Vhembe Biosphere Reserve in Limpopo Province, South Africa.

Proclaimed over fifty years ago, the Philip Herd Private Nature Reserve falls within a critical biodiversity area along the lower reaches of the Nzhelele and contributes towards conservation targets for Limpopo Ridge Bushveld set out in Limpopo’s Protected Areas Expansion Strategy.

The 6,000hectare Herd Reserve constitutes a portion of the Philip Herd Private Nature Reserve and encompasses four contiguous farms. It’s declaration will cement the partnership between private landowners and the provincial conservation authorities, LEDET, under South Africa’s Biodiversity Stewardship programme.

Ultimately, the Herd Reserve is born of the vision of its landowners, who share a passion for saving Africa’s dwindling wilderness areas. They remain dedicated to enlarging the reserve by agreement with neighbouring landowners and communities, and to the creation of a wildlife migration corridor extending across the Limpopo river basin to the great Transfrontier Parks in the east and west.

A passion for wildlife conservation

You can get in touch with the team here.

Philip Herd Private Nature Reserve

Location

Situated in the far north-east of the of the Limpopo Province, South Africa, the 6,000hectare Herd Reserve is located on the Limpopo River, which forms South Africa’s border with Zimbabwe, at the confluence with the Nzhelele, a tributary of the Limpopo, and is bounded by the  the 40,000 hectare Maremani Reserve,

The entrance to the reserve is accessible by 4WD off the gravel D1942 Malaladrift Road, some 30km east of the town of Musina towards the Pafuri Gate of the Kruger National Park.

The reserve has both a landing strip and helipad.

It’s a long way to the Limpopo, take the first step here

 Ownership & Management

The Herd Reserve, part of a the Philip Herd Private Nature Reserve declared under the Protected Areas Act, is a partnership between the landowners – the ZZ2 group of companies and the Limpopo Valley Conservancy (Terblanchehoek Game Farms Pty Ltd) – and the provincial conservation authority, the Limpopo Department of Economic Development, Environment and Tourism, LEDET, and is managed by a dedicated team who share a passion for African wildlife and conservation.

Under the direction of the Biological Management Committee, our Reserve Manager, Chris Owen, manages the day-to-day running of the reserve together with his incredible hospitality crew and reserve staff.

You can get in touch with the team here.

The landscape is dominated by undulating, wooded hills, which pitch and roll gently in all directions to the horizon – a scenic backdrop to a rich variety of wildlife, including giraffe, Burchell’s zebra, blue wildebeest, kudu, impala, waterbuck, eland, gemsbok and various other antelope species, including the endemic nyala, as well as naturally occurring predators, such as leopard, wild dog, hyena and jackal.

Want to know more about our refuge on the banks of the great, grey, greasy Limpopo River all set about with fever-trees…