Description of the attraction
Marakele National Park is located in the heart of the Waterberg mountain range in Limpopo province. It has become a "sacred site" for a wide variety of wildlife, mainly due to its location in the transition zone between the dry western region and the humid eastern region of South Africa. Marakele Park is characterized by the juxtaposition of majestic mountain landscapes, free-standing hills and deep green valleys.
Cedar trees, five meter long cicadas and tree ferns are just a few of the plant species that grow here. Elephants and rhinos, lions, cheetahs and leopards, hyenas, giraffes, zebras and buffaloes, as well as an amazing variety of birds (over 250 species), including the largest endangered vulture colony (over 800 nesting pairs) in the world, that have settled here. Sixteen species of antelope: kudu, eland, impala, waterbuck and many smaller species. The bear baboon and vervet are two types of mischievous monkeys that will keep a close eye on you, especially around holiday camps.
One of the amazing attractions of the park is the world's largest colony of Cape vultures (over 800 breeding pairs). In addition to vultures, visitors to the park can see the rock buzzard and several species of eagles, including the Black Eagle, African Hawk, Black-breasted Snake Eagle, and others.
The area that makes up Marakele Park was home to several prehistoric settlements that have not yet been opened for public inspection. Before the founding of the national park, this area was the "home" of the naturalist Eugene Mare (1871-1936), who was called an intellectual genius and hailed as a hero of South Africa.
Marakele was founded as Kransberg National Park in 1994 on an area of 150 square kilometers, but was soon renamed to its current name. By 1999, the park was expanded to 670 sq. km.
Over the past three years, eight new campgrounds and several campgrounds have been built to the two campgrounds Tlopi and Bontle, which are always open to visitors.
