Clear blue sky the limit for Ritsako
Luxury venue set in Big Five reserve
A new jewel in the crown of the Dinokeng Game Reserve was unveiled to much fanfare on December 1, the beginning of the main holiday season.
The wholly black-owned Ritsako Game Lodge has indeed added shine and value to the relatively young reserve.
Dinokeng, occupying a massive 18 500ha stretch of land in Gauteng, was established in 2011 from previously privately owned farm lands. Ritsako, on the other hand, was founded on the back of a R35-million investment and, according to its director Joseph Zinyana, the money is a good spend given the greater ideal to help boost the local economy in Hammanskraal and the Tshwane metro at large.
“Already we have 16 fully employed people on site and this number stands to grow substantially as we surge ahead with the completion of the final phase of Ritsako’s development,” said Zinyana, originally from Atteridgeville.
Construction of the lodge began in August last year. Ritsako, Tsonga for “joy”, is built on the site of a facility which was cleared to make way for the establishment.
Ritsako boasts all modern facilities, from luxurious grass-thatched rooms to conference rooms. As a wedding venue, the lodge also has a chapel for those who desire Christian weddings. bar overlooking a splash pool, an elevated viewing spot to check out wild animals or you can also take a short walk around the spacious property.
Speaking of wild animals, Dinokeng is the only reserve in Gauteng with free-roaming Big Five (lion, rhino, elephant, buffalo and leopard), prompting Zinyana to quip: “We have brought the Kruger National Park to Gauteng.”
A game drive can bring you closer to the game and I was lucky to witness a newly born buffalo under the protection of its mother, far away from the rest of the herd.
Though Dinokeng is in Gauteng and just 45km north of Pretoria along the N1, it is also close to the borders of Limpopo and Mpumalanga. An additional attraction is the pleasant weather all-year round.
With the guaranteed backing of the Tshwane metro, the sky is the limit for Ritsako Game Lodge.