Inside Marakele: A search for the Big Five in Limpopo’s Waterberg

2026-03-20 - 16:30

I have been privileged to see the endangered rhino close up, but on a recent visit to the Marakele National Park in the Waterberg area of Limpopo, I was hoping to tick off the other members of the Big five: lion, leopard, elephant and buffalo. The 100 000-hectare park is a Big Five reserve and has the added advantage of being just over four hours from Joburg and in a malaria-free area. But seeing all the big five in just two days, which is how long we stayed in the park, can be a matter of luck and our luck wasn’t that great as the weather closed in and the rain came down. Animals tend to stay put in the bush in such conditions. On a game drive with SA National Parks experts we tried to find the lion and leopard, but they were elusive. But all was not lost because I got a sighting of a buffalo, not close by, but a tick on the list nevertheless. But my day and entire visit was made as we came upon an elephant on the road... so close you could almost touch it. The massive beast was not stressed at all, relaxed as it turned its head looking at us as if it wanted to greet us. It slowly moved into the beautiful undergrowth and continued “dancing” in the rain. As we were observing the elephant, the friendly tour guide was busy sharing knowledge about its behaviour. That was special. We also saw several ostriches and their chicks moving towards us and eventually stopped and stared at us. Other exciting animals that we came across included baboons, zebras, a number of giraffes, herds of springboks, impalas, and a group of fascinating birds. ALSO READ: Airlink’s new plane has that new car smell ... and it’s quiet Marakele ranges across three local municipalities, Thabazimbi, Lephalale and Modimolle. Plans are in place to expand its territory by 70 000 ha. After aborting our search for the cats, we returned to base at about 11am and went to the Mupauli restaurant in the park. The restaurant staff were welcoming and the food was so good I even forgot I did not accomplish my mission of tracking down a lion and a leopard. Marakele is one of South Africa’s few national parks accommodating the big five animals. The service rendered at the restaurant was one of the best as the employees were friendly and the dining space was well arranged and clean with a mouthwatering smell. After enjoying breakfast, we returned to the site where the tour guides and senior staff accompanied us. They taught us about the importance of some indigenous trees. After a long day of moving around and enjoying the activities in the park, I made my way to the Kransberg Country Lodge Guest Farm, just a few kilometres from the reserve, where I was one of the guests. The lodge serves as an accommodation partner of the park. The room was big and clean with a huge kitchen space. As soon as you come out of the room, you see the beautiful panoramic view of the the majestic Waterberg mountains. Some of the visitors were sleeping in the safari tents situated in both safe and unsafe areas within the reserve. On the third day, we went back to hop on bicycles for a thrilling cycle through the park. Those of us who were not comfortable with this were transported in a safari truck, which was escorting the riders. We went to the historical grave site where Jan Jacobus Coetzee, one of the freedom fighters during the apartheid era, was laid to rest. “What makes this cemetery special is Coetzee went against the policies of the now-defunct apartheid regime and married a black woman – a decision that led to his resignation from the South African police force. “His marriage was one of the first known mixed-marriage relationships in the area,” a tour guide said. “This after being transferred from Cape Town to Lephalale, where he fell in love with Regina Motloung from Botswana,” the guide added. The park also has an open space where visitors (families and friends) can bring their caravan and enjoy their braai near a huge swimming pool. It has an educational centre accommodating environmental and tourism students from the University of South Africa and other institutions in the country. This section of the park has a huge hall with a capacity to host about 100 people. Apart from being an educational centre, the facility offers space for events such as weddings and many other related gatherings and functions. It also has rooms where visitors can spend nights. One of the things that stood out for me during my stay was the park’s strong security, which allows visitors a stress-free and enjoyable stay. The park has the highest number of rhino population outside the Kruger National Park within the national parks. The park is also home to the Kransberg widow butterfly and has approximately the third-largest population of the Cape vultures with more than 700 breeding pairs in the world. The reserve has a wetland which is highly protected from being destroyed by the elephants and other animals that love playing in the water. Indeed, the reserve is the place to be if one needs to have a quiet, uninterrupted weekend. I can’t wait to go back to the park. I still have that mission to see those two big regal cats (lion and leopard) roaming freely in the park. NOW READ: We took the Ford Ranger Tremor on a Pilanesberg game drive – Here’s what happened