Marakele National Park
Overview
South Africa Parks
Philip lives in South Africa and has authored many guidebooks to African destinations, including ‘The Rough Guide to Game Parks of South Africa’.
Marakele, at the heart of the Waterberg Mountains, is a scenic destination in remote wilderness. The park is home to the Big Five, but sightings are hit-and-miss. A highlight is the vulture viewpoint where Cape vulture can be spotted. The park is divided into two sections: the first contains easy-to-drive gravel roads but not many animals; the second is far wilder but also richer in wildlife.
Pros & Cons
Wildlife
Marakele is a relatively new national park. Many large animals have been introduced, including lion,cheetah, elephant and buffalo, but numbers are still low. White rhino is spotted regularly, and black rhino is present, but rarely seen. Several interesting antelope species can be encountered, including the rare tsessebe.
Scenery
Marakele lies in the transitional zone between the dry western and moist eastern regions of South Africa and is characterized by rugged mountain landscapes, rolling hills and deep valleys. Magnificent yellowwood and cedar trees, beautiful suikerbos protea shrubs, five-meter-high cycads, and tree ferns are just some of the botanical delights.
Weather & Climate
Marakele’s two distinctive seasons dictate how you dress while visiting the park. It’ll be wet-weather gear on top of cool clothes in the rainy but hot summer months (October to April). And you'll need lots of warm layers to combat the cold nights of the dry winter season (May to September).
Best Time To Visit
Despite the dusty haze that develops in the parched depths of the Dry season (May to September), this is still the best time to spot Marakele’s wildlife. The animals are easily found as they stay close to rivers and waterholes. And when they do duck into the bush, there’s not much ground cover to hide them. That said, birders will want to visit in the wetter months when migrating birds pass through.
