Marakele National Park is a hidden gem with magical scenery and good selection of wildlife.
My visit to Marakele took place at the end of September 2015. This is typically considered near the end of the dry season. The temperatures are above 30 degrees celsius daily with little to no sign of rain. The surrounding vegetation is quite dry, although leaves are starting to sprout with the advent of the coming summer. This means that the vegetation is not too thick enabling you to spot the animals further away from your vehicle than you otherwise would when everything is green and vibrant. Its also a good time to frequent waterholes in the morning and evening because water is still scarce and animals tend to congregate at the waterholes for their daily fill.
Marakele has a predator section and a non predator section. Camping is allowed at designated camp sites in the non-predator section. There are no fences around the camp sites so animals are free to walk through the camping area. This might sounds both exciting and scary, but what I noticed is that many campers are not used to this and do not respect the animals right to be there and try to chase them away when they come sniffing at the strange smells we humans bring. But its a lovely experience to see giraffes and rhino walking through the camp and the ability to grab the camera to get amazing photos. Additionally, Bontle Camp, where I stayed, has a waterhole alongside a wide plain that provides hours of peaceful wilflife entertainment where one can spend hours sitting and staring through binoculars. The non predator section has an abundnace of wildlife ranging from many species of buck, to more rare sightings of rhino and giraffe. Monkeys, babboons and warthogs are fairly prevalent too, as well as plenty of zebra and ostriches. There should be ample opportunity to spot most of these animals while driving through the park over the course of a few days.
The non-predator part of the park covers a small region of fairly flat savannah. The predator section takes you into the larger part of the park which is situated among some of the mountains making up the Waterberg mountain range. Most of the animals from the non-predator section can also be found in the predator section, but because of the larger area, sightings become more rare here. In addtion to the above, it is also possible to encounter lions, elephant and leopard. But these are rarer and they were mostly hanging around the single large dam which I, as a resident of the Bontle camping site, was off limits to me. But the most notable thing when driving into this part of the park are the high mountain peaks and craggy cliffs creating some amazing landscapes. The single tar road ends in a very beautiful scenic climb up one of the mountains ending at the top near a radio relay station with some spectacular views. Here you can also spend a while looking at the family of white backed vultures that fly gracefully around the valley and often come to glide above the viewpoint giving birders and photographers some great opportunities.
There is only one tarred road in the park. For the most part it is reasonably maintained except where it starts to rise up the side of the mountain leading up to the view point where you can encounter some tricky potholes. All other roads are dirt tracks of varying conditions. Most roads can easily be accessed by normal cars but some of the roads in the predator section are certainly uneven and can be very bumpy, and in some cases my require some careful navigation. There are a couple of marked 4x4 roads and certainly I wouldn't recommend low clearance cars trying them, but only the 4x4 track in the north eastern part of the park requires a capable 4x4 and a driver with some experience.
Overall the park is a lovely place and was not very busy when I was there, which is perfect. The guards and game rangers were friendly. Animals in the non-predator section were plentiful but the predator section was less eventful in this regard. But the spectacular scenery made up for that. Many of the local bird species appear in the park, of note are rollers, vultures and hornbill. Places like Pilanesburg probably have a higher density of animals, but Marakele has better scenery and certainly has its own charm that should not be ignored.
Kafue : A Truly Wonderful Experience
We recently visited the Kafue National Park in Zambia. Having visited Southern Africa for safaris several times before (South Africa, Namibia, Tanzania, Botswana) we decided that we wanted to visit somewhere a little bit different and a little bit rawer. It was suggested that we visit Zambia and the Kafue. We were not disappointed.
Kafue has the feel of a park the is yet to be truly discovered. The natural beauty of the country and the low key feel of the park made for a unique visit. There is plenty of wildlife to be seen, cheetahs was a first for us, and the amount of different birdlife on the river is remarkable. There is maybe not the amount of wildlife that we have seen in other countries but there is certainly the diversity to make up for it, plus you can drive all day with your guide and on most days not see another vehicle or boat. You get the impression that some of the wildlife there have never seen a jeep or a boat before too!
We visited three camps and they were all excellent. The standards are very high with regard to guiding and the accommodations. Everything was just.......great.
In summary, a truly wonderful experience and we are now discussing on how can better this for our next visit to Africa. It's not going to be easy.
IE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Tanzania by Aindriu H
I have only travelled on the northern safari circuit but have found the parks to be well maintained and abundant with wildlife. The tourist infrastructure in the north has also improved greatly in the last few years between my visits. I would love to go back and spend time in the southern parts of the country.
Review about South Africa by BitRogue
South Africa focuses on conservation and wildlife preservation. There are many national parks in South Africa highlighting this as one of its foremost tourist attractions. The biodiversity of South Africa is plentiful, and ecotourism takes full advantage of this. There is a big drive in the South African culture on ecotourism and much of the profits made in all the national parks are fed back into the system and education. When you add good roads and infrastructure into the mix, it makes South Africa arguably Africas foremost safari and ecotourism destination.
Review about Zambia by Jim
Somewhere a bit different to the usual areas. Just that bit wilder and less developed.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great experience
Two friends and I were visiting Tanzania for only a short time and were looking for a safari to meet our needs. I did some research and found Kanuth Adventure Safaris, emailed and booked the safari easily. We participated in a 2 day/1 night in Mikumi National Park. We saw a lion (the carnivorous animal) which was really neat. We saw a lot of Giraffes, Zebras, Wildebeests, and Elephants. Our driver, Tony, was very friendly and knowledgable. I would recommend this safari to others.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Came away with memories of a trip of a lifetime & photos to prove it to all my friends.
Nick was wonderful & very knowledgeable about all things African. We saw everything we dreamed of seeing.
There were 8 of us & he guided us expertly through game drives, lodging & meals. Definitely a 5 star tour!
ES
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
We enjoyed the trip. was exciting, interesting, different from what we had done before
only before traveling we had slow answers,but they respond us all questions. The safari was very funny! we saw animals and stay in very nice hotels, and we had a very attentive and servicial driverguide,thanks Ewa Moshi!
A highly recommended trip!
CH
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A perfect guide team (driver and guide)
Our driver Shiza and the guide Patrick (very good German knowledge) were a perfect team. Very polite, helpful and flexibel and the knew lots about animals and plants and very experienced in discovering animals. Everything was well organized and ready on time. We just could relax and enjoy.
NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great experience!
We really liked the safari, all of it! We saw so many animals and all were so close by!
It really was a great experience. And we saw all of the big five and even a lot of little ones! Our driver, Dickson, was great and our cook, Obed, made excellent food! We would recommend It started to Africa to everyone! We stayed at the campsites which were surrounded by the beautiful nature!
It started in Africa: thanks for all!