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National Parks
Marakele National Park
Province: Limpopo province
Features: Cape Mountain Zebra
MAIN ATTRACTIONS
1. Cape Griffin Vulture
2. African Elephant
3. Rhino
4. Cycads
5. Kudu
GENERAL INFORMATION
The Marakele National Park in the heart of the Waterberg Mountains, as its Tswana name suggests, has become a 'place of sanctuary' for an impressive variety of wildlife due to its location in the transitional zone between the dry western and moister eastern regions of South Africa. The park is characterised by contrasting majestic mountain landscapes, grass-clad hills and deep valleys. Rare finds of yellowwood and cedar trees, five metre high cycads and tree ferns, are some of the plant species found here. All the large game species from elephant and rhino to the big cats as well as an amazing variety of birds including the largest colony of endangered Cape vultures (more than 800 breeding pairs) in the world, have settled here.
ACCOMMODATION
NB. Some parts of the park are only accessible with 4x4 vehicles.
Tlopi Tented Camp with furnished units overlooking the banks of the Apiesrivierpoort Dam. Each tent has two beds (and two stretchers are available and suitable for children), private bathroom (shower, wash basin and toilet), a fully equipped kitchen with a refrigerator/freezer, two-plate stove and electricity. Each tent has a veranda with table and chairs and barbecue facilities. The camp is unfenced.
Modikela Bush Camp - This camp is being reconstructed during 2002 from an 18-bed unit to 3 separate smaller 6 or 4 bed-units. This will enable groups of smaller numbers to utilise the camp at a lower rate. The camp has 2 communal ablution and cooking facilities. Each cluster of beds will have access to their own facilities. Many of the drives in the vicinity of the Bush Camp are only accessible with a 4x4 or vehicles with a high ground clearance. Transporting of people on open vehicles in the Park is not allowed - Guests provide own linen and firewood - Central kitchen - fully equipped with crockery, cutlery, gas stove and fridge - Lapa with barbecue/braai facilities - Solar power for lights
Bontle Camping Site - 38 camp sites with power arranged into 3 circles with one communal ablution block per circle.
Overnight Visitors:
1.No driving at night is allowed in the Park.
2.No collection of firewood.
3.You will be warned at reception about roads that are inaccessible in the Park. Should you drive on these roads and get stuck you will be charged for recovery expenses of a minimum of R50,00.
4.Fines can be given if you drive off the roads.
5.Your vehicle can be searched at exit points.
6.Be aware of BABOONS and VERVET MONKEYS. Keep your tents closed when driving around and lock food in the tent's metal cupboard. You may even turn the fridge slightly so that the door does not open easily. Don't let anything lie around.
7.You are not allowed to get out of your vehicle, except at places shown to you on the map, by the receptionist.
8.No pets are allowed in the Park.
9.A general speed limit of 30 km/h must be maintained within the Park's boundaries.
10.Firearms must be declared at reception.
11.You have to vacate the tent at 09:00 on the day of departure.
12.The key for the gates must be returned to reception on the day you leave. Otherwise you can leave the key at the points indicated by the receptionist.
13.Please keep your entrance permit with you while driving in the Park.
*If you have a problem with the interpretation of the rules, please enquire at reception.
Handy Hints
Remember to bring a camera, binoculars, bird and wildlife reference books, a hat and sunscreen lotion. Also remember to take along medicines such as anti-histamine and lotion for insect stings and bites.
Cool clothing for summer and warm for winter - the region is subject to sudden changes in weather, particularly in the mountains.
Remember charcoal or wood as this is not available in the park.
Visitors should also remember to take a torch along as the camp has no illumination at night.
The safari camp has not been fenced and therefore visitors to Marakele are warned to expect the unexpected.
Office Hours
07:30 - 17:00 - 1 May to 31 August
07:30 - 18:00 - 1 September to 30 April
Take Note
Pets are not permitted in a national park
Firearms must be declared at the entrance gate and sealed. The seal will be broken upon departure.
No open vehicles are allowed. Passengers on the back of an open vehicle are also not allowed.
Medical, pharmaceutical, vehicle repair, fuel, post office and police at Thabazimbi.
Travel / How to get there
The park is situated in the Waterberg mountain range in the Northern Province near Thabazimbi, approximately 250 km north of Johannesburg, in a malaria-free area.
Travellers can take either:
1.The N1 to Warmbaths and from there follow the R516 via Mabula and Leeupoort to Thabazimbi
2.Or travel to Brits and follow the R511 via Beestekraal to Thabazimbi.
Access road from Thabazimbi to the park has been tarred, but internal roads are gravelled. The road to the mountain top towers is a tarred single lane track.
The camp and surrounding routes are accessible for 4X4 vehicles only.
The office is approximately 3 km from the Hoopdal/Rooiberg crossing on the road from Thabazimbi to Alma.
Gate Hours
The gates close at 18:00 in summertime and at 17:00 in winter.
Residents with keys have daylight hours to get to the office or tent camp.
Late arrivals are not permitted.
The reception office is open from 07:30 to 17:00 in winter and 07:30 to 18:00 in summer.
FAUNA AND FLORA
Fauna and Flora
Mammals
Marakele is home to most of the large mammals synonymous with the African bush, including elephant, black and white rhino, buffalo, leopard and cheetah. Lion are not currently permanently found in the park, although they do occasionally wander in from Botswana or from neighbouring private reserves. When Marakele's land consolidation is complete, permanent populations of lion, wild dog and spotted hyena will be re-established. The wild dogs have been the first of these reintroductions. Resident antelope include roan, sable, kudu, eland, impala, waterbuck, tsessebe and many smaller species. Chacma baboon and vervet monkey are two species to be watched carefully for mischief, particularly around the rest camps.
Birding in Marakele
Arguably the Park's biggest birding attraction is the largest colony of Cape Vultures in the world (more than 800 breeding pairs). However the park is also appealing to birders as it falls within the transition zone between the dry western regions and the moister eastern regions of the country. Thus it is possible to see certain closely related species alongside one another. These include (eastern species first) Southern and Crimsonbreasted Boubou, Arrowmarked and Pied Babbler, Tawnyflanked and Blackchested Prinia, Pintailed and Shafttailed Whydah, Blackeyed and Redeyed Bulbul, Grey and Cape Penduline Tit and Whitebrowed and Kalahari Robin.
The park is an excellent place to look for raptors, with many species using the uplift generated off the cliff faces of the Waterberg to ride thermals. Apart from the vultures, visitors should look for Gymnogene, Jackal Buzzard and several eagle species, including Black, African Hawk, Blackbreasted Snake and Brown Snake Eagle. In summer Wahlberg's Eagle becomes prominent.
On areas of high ground Cape Rock Thrush, Mocking and Mountain Chat, Malachite and Greater Doublecollared Sunbird, Gurney's Sugarbird and Swee Waxbill should be searched for.
Other species to look out for in the lower lying bushveld and broadleaf woodland regions include Purple Roller, Black Cuckooshrike, Brubru, Whitecrowned Shrike and White Helmetshrike and the exquisite Blue, Violeteared and Blackcheeked Waxbills. Bee-eaters are conspicuous, particularly Whitefronted and Little with Swallowtailed (winter) and Carmine and European (summer) present as well. Persons staying at the Matlabas tent camp should watch the river for signs of Halfcollared Kingfisher and Finfoot.
Vegetation
Four different veld types are represented in Marakele: north-eastern mountain sourveld, mixed bushveld, sourish mixed bushveld and sour bushveld. Basically four major physiognomic units can be identified:
i.the fine-leaved thornveld,
ii.broad- leaved woodland,
iii.forest and
iv.grassland.
Very little of the forest and high-lying sourveld grassland, of the north-eastern mountain sourveld, are presently under conservation (Edwards 1974). The low-lying grassland and wetland contribute to the high diversity of vegetation types.
The north-eastern mountain sourveld occurs on the high-lying south-western part of the Waterberg table-lands. The vegetation classes range from forests to grasslands.
The sour bushveld makes up 40% of Marakele. It forms a transitional zone between the north-eastern mountain sourveld and the mixed bushveld of the gently sloping plain in the western part of Marakele.
Small sections of the mixed bushveld are found in the western part of the park with gently sloping plains with more clayey soil. Small-leaved thorny woody species are the dominant species here.
Sourish mixed bushveld is situated in the southern parts of the park on the gentle footslopes of the Waterberg range with fairly tall and dense grassveld with common hook-thorne, Acacia caffra, the dominant tree. The characteristic elements of the bushveld communities in Marakele are not duplicated in other conservation areas.
One of the rare and threatened species of Marakele is the Waterberg cycad (Waterbergbroodboom) Encephalartos eugene-maraisii. The naturalist, author and poet Eugene Marais in 1945, but details of its locality died with him found this cycad. His niece, Dr Inez Verdoorn, found it again and named the species after its original discoverer. It is endemic to the Waterberg region. The Waterberg cycad grows to 3 m tall among low shrubs at an altitude of 1 450 m.
All in all from its Waterberg Cycads to Yellow-woods and Camel Thorns, Marakele National Parks supports 765 plant species.
Wheelchair Access
Marakele is a wilderness area with limited tourism facilities for everyone. Much of the park requires a 4x4 vehicle. The safari tent camp has 10 units, one of which is accessible to people in wheelchairs, with access ramp and adapted ablution facilities (roll-in shower). No accessible facilities are available at the Bush Camp. The new reception block (due for completion in June 2002) has a unisex ablution block for people with mobility impairment. Likewise the camping facilities have accessible facilities in one of the 3 circles.
RESERVATIONS
Telephone Number: +27 (0)12 428 9111
Fax number: +27 (0)12 343 0905
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