Independent

Marataba Safari Lodge

Marakele National Park, South Africa

Marataba Safari Lodge is for the adventure family safari. A place in the mountains to unwind or find adventure. The 15 Luxury Tents (including four Family Luxury Tents) bring you closer to nature without having to rough it. The stone and canvas abodes each have a king-sized bed, en-suite, outdoor shower, and shaded viewing deck, while the Family Luxury Tents give children their own bedroom and bathroom. A guest pool is located next to the main lodge area. Between the hours spent on safari, guests can relax at the pool, enjoy an in-room spa treatment, or simply choose to take it all in. Enjoy game drives with our professional field guides, bush walks, morning and sunset water safaris, or a night under the stars in Thabametsi Treehouse. Bush dinners and boma dinners are filled with conversation of all the adventure of a safari. Mack & Madi Kids’ Adventure Safari Club at Safari Lodge offers a wide variety of activities on site with a dedicated coordinator and an eco-garden play area. There’s a jungle gym, paddling pond, haybale archery, toys and games, arts and crafts, movies, beanbags and blankets, and a yard in which to run wild. On arrival children aged 12 and younger are given a Mack & Madi branded peak cap and backpack. Children also receive Mack & Madi bathroom amenities and on their last evening a little farewell note with a gift is placed on their bed. Family game drives for the young ones include bush orientation, basic bush survival course, animal ‘spoor’ identification and mould making, identifying the stars, and more. Lots of fun for all. We offer family safari drives for under 6 years old. Marataba is a privately managed section of the malaria-free Marakele National Park. The park is a ‘place of sanctuary’, as its Tswana name suggests, conserving 67 000ha (165 560ac) of the Limpopo Waterberg’s biodiversity, as well as Iron Age sites of great historical significance. The game here is impressive in number and diversity due to Marataba’s location in a transition zone between the dry western and the wetter eastern regions of South Africa. Its wildlife includes the Big Five and abundant bird species, with the largest colony of endangered Cape vultures (including 800 breeding pairs) in the world to be found here. Rare plant species of yellowwood and cedar trees, ancient cycads, and fern trees flourish here. Marataba is also malaria free.