'It does strange things to you, the Marico moon, and in your heart are wild and fragrant fancies, and your thoughts go very far away."
It's impossible to travel through the dusty North West province without the scribblings of Herman Charles Bosman wandering through your head. Bosman may have only spent a short time in the Groot Marico, but it had an outsize impact on his life and writings. Driving through this enigmatic landscape, it's not hard to see why.
But we weren't headed to the town where Bosman briefly made his living as a teacher but, rather to soak up a few days of bushveld and bonhomie.
An old friend's birthday was more than enough excuse to hop on a red-eye flight to Lanseria and tackle the road to Madikwe Game Reserve.Bush breaks tend to be synonymous with broken budgets. While I'm as partial as the next guy to private plunge pools and gourmet cuisine, sadly my bank balance doesn't stretch that far. And honestly? Some good game viewing, a hearty meal and a chance to soak up the silence beneath a Marico moon is usually all I need for a memorable few days in the bushveld.
On that score, Mosetlha Bush Camp ticks all the right boxes.
The 7,0000ha Madikwe Game Reserve is home to a number of ultra-luxe lodges, whose rates would make an oligarch blush, but the laid-back charms of Mosetlha offer an accessible, pocket-friendly peek at this Big Five wilderness.Accommodation is in 10 open-sided wooden chalets. Some are adjoining, while others are private, tucked away in woodland where turacos, barbets and hornbills hop between the branches.Bar a single electrified strand to keep elephants at bay, Mosetlha is unfenced, a fact driven home on both nights of our stay when an elderly male buffalo settled in just a few steps from my cabin. At Mosetlha, the wildlife comes to you.
But twice a day we went out in search of it. Morning and afternoon game drives are a staple of safari lodges, and these didn't disappoint.
In just two days our group saw a leopard in a post-prandial stupor from its meal of impala, wild dogs in the morning light, and vast herds of elephant trumpeting at the waterholes. My highlight, though, was the journey of curious giraffe that loped to within 20m of our sundowner stop.
Our affable guide Jonny Motsieloa, who grew up on these dusty roads and knows them intimately, even rustled up a springhare from the darkness on our way back to camp.
There, the campfire was crackling and the red wine was flowing. As we sat by the fire late into the night, the Marico moon had long since set.
I think old Bosman would have felt at home, all the same.
PLAN YOUR TRIP
WHERE IS IT:
Madikwe Game Reserve, North West province.
WHY GO THERE:
For a dose of bushveld serenity just a few hours from Joburg. If you can manage it, book the entire camp for a reunion of old friends.
WHAT IT OFFERS: 
Ten open-sided wood-and-canvas chalets sleeping two apiece. There's no designer décor or even en-suite bathrooms but there are comfy beds, piping hot bucket-showers and communal eco-toilets. Few frills, but plenty of thoughtful touches.AND THE FOOD:
Hearty meals cooked over an open fire and served in the central dining room - simply satisfying country cooking.
RATES:
From R2,495 per person sharing. Rate includes accommodation, meals, twice-daily game drives and emergency medical evacuation insurance. Reduced rate of R1,895 per person per night for South African citizens.
GETTING THERE:
Take the R512 past Hartbeespoort Dam, turn onto the R104 and R556 past Sun City. Then follow detailed directions from Mosetlha towards Madikwe's Molatedi Gate.
CONTACT: 
Visit thebushcamp.com or call 011-444-9345...