Exploring Marakele

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A “Place of Sanctuary”; that Marakele National Park certainly is. As its Tswana name suggests, this Park of around 650km² in size offers protection not only to some of the most awe-inspiring scenery one could hope to find, but also to an impressive variety of fauna and flora. Humans too can find a safe and peaceful haven here in the malaria-free Waterberg range, as we were reminded again on our recent visit.

A public road splits Marakele into two sections. Kwaggasvlakte in the south-western corner is much smaller than the main portion of the Park lying to the east. Kwaggasvlakte is where the Park’s entrance gate and Bontle  Camp is located, and is characterised by flat, sandy plains on which mixed bushveld is the main vegetation type.

Marakele scenery
Marakele scenery
Blue wildebeest
Plains zebra
You’ll often see troops of banded mongoose crossing roads in the Kwaggasvlakte section of Marakele National Park
Female ostrich
Acacia seedpods
Sickle Bush seedpods
Black-backed jackal
Black-backed jackals
Little sparrowhawk
Young impala
Young giraffe

Overlooking a waterhole in the northern corner of the Kwaggasvlakte section, Bollonoto Hide offers a great place from which to enjoy the constant stream of game and birdlife arriving to quench their thirst.

Well-hidden Bollonoto Hide
Impala ram near the hide
Young nyala bull near the hide
Bollonoto waterhole
Blue wildebeest drinking from Bollonoto
Blacksmith Lapwing at Bollonoto
This impala with a malformed right horn is a regular at Bollonoto

A subway connects Kwaggasvlakte to the bigger, eastern portion of the Park. It is in this more mountainous section of the Park where elephants, buffaloes and lions also occur, just some of the 91 species of mammals that the Park hosts. Tlopi Tented Camp is available to guests who’d like to overnight in this section of the Park, which is dominated by a wholly different type of vegetation, described as “Waterberg Moist Bushveld”. A good network of roads allows visitors to explore widely – some of Marakele’s roads are only accessible to 4×4 vehicles, but most of the Park’s 80km road network can easily and comfortably be traversed in a sedan.

Marakele scenery
Marakele scenery
Marakele scenery
Marakele scenery
Marakele scenery
Marakele scenery
Marakele scenery
Waterbuck bull
Tlopi Tented Camp in its waterside setting
Seen from Mbidi Loop, Tlopi far below seems tiny next to the grand mountain shadow
Marakele scenery
Kudu calf
Crested francolin
Kudu bull
Natal spurfowl
Impala bachelors
Impala bachelors
Plains zebra stallion
Roan antelope trying to hide

A very narrow tarred pass leads to Marakele’s most impressive attraction, the Lenong View Point on top of the Waterberg massif. Lenong lies at an altitude of 2050m, over a kilometer higher than Bontle on the Kwaggasvlakte below – a fact you become well aware of when your ears pop on the very steep and winding ascent. From the viewpoint you normally have fantastic views over the plains below and the mountains around, and perhaps get a close-up glimpse at Marakele’s prized colony of Cape Vultures soaring on the thermals. Unfortunately the weather didn’t play along when we went up to Lenong on our latest visit, the top of the mountain being cloaked in a thick and teeth-chatteringly cold fog. However, dipping below the clouds on our way down we did get glimpses of the wonderful views to be had from up there.

Lenong viewpoint is up there, at the towers, in Marakele National Park
Halfway up
Lenong shrouded in thick fog
Lenong shrouded in thick fog
Lenong viewpoint marker
Lenong shrouded in thick fog
Klipspringers are plentiful up at Lenong
Klipspringers are plentiful up at Lenong
Klipspringers are plentiful up at Lenong
Descending the pass
Descending the pass
Descending the pass
Descending the pass

Our latest visit to Marakele was just 3 nights long, and honestly we found that too short to fully savour all the Park had to offer. The broken terrain does make game-viewing a little more challenging than in many other parks and reserves, especially if you are mostly after the “Big 5” (which we luckily aren’t, we just enjoy being “out there” and enjoy anything we find along the way), but as far as spectacular scenery and serenity is concerned Marakele has few equals.

Marakele National Park is managed by South African National Parks, and the access gate is located just 12km outside the town of Thabazimbi, which offers most of the modern conveniences. Thabazimbi is easily accessed from Gauteng along the N1 and R516 via Bela-Bela or via the R511 through Brits.

Road to Marakele (2)

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43 thoughts on “Exploring Marakele”

  9. Midwestern Plant Girl

    What a beautiful park! It’s inhabitants are pretty exceptional also 😁
    I loved the black backed jackle. He really liked like he has a coat on!

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. de Wets Wild Post author

      Thanks Ilex. Marakele’s a special place, even the more so for someone as interested in botany as you! That’s partly due to the enormous altitude range and because the Park is situated in the transitional zone between the dry west and wetter eastern parts of South Africa.

      Liked by 1 person

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  14. Cal Butler

    Thanks for the comprehensive blog about this park. It also amazes me what you get to see if you don’t go with specific game in mind, i.e The Big Five. Appreciate what you do get to see and you’ll find far greater value in that.

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    Reply ↓
    1. de Wets Wild Post author

      Absolutely Cal! Some of our most memorable sightings were of smaller creatures most people wouldn’t give more than a passing glance. Like the hunting wasp at Tembe Elephant Park, catching caterpillars and burying them in tunnels she dug herself – we sat flat on the sand watching her for almost an hour!

      Liked by 1 person

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    1. de Wets Wild Post author

      Dankie Annalize! En julle sal nie spyt wees as julle n bietjie by Marakele oorbly op julle volgende trip hierdie kant toe nie, jul siele is mos gewoond aan die stiltes!

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