Marataba Safari Lodge — Hotel in Lephalale Local Municipality

We had heard lots of amazing things about Marataba and had been trying to visit since over a year. Unfortunately, they are so popular, that I was never able to get a booking over a weekend. We finally had a mid-week break and they were available and we got to visit them earlier this week.

The road to Marataba is mostly highway and only turns into a smooth dirt road for the last 16-17km if you take the recommended route. (compared to the terrible roads leading to Lodges at Gowrie Gate - GKNP - Sabi Sands) Huge Plus Point.

The rooms are very comfortable with double sinks and both indoor & outdoor showers (indoor showers are essential for me after a dusty evening drive, when its too cold for the outdoors) The in-room fridge and coffee station are very well stocked.

The location is stunningly beautiful with the Waterberg mountains as a backdrop. There is a lot of wildlife about, but not at the same density as some other parks. On a 2 night break, we were able to view lions, rhino and cheetahs. We missed a leopard by 10 seconds. The buffalo here are a bit reclusive and we only saw elephants as we drove to the gate after checking out. I was hoping to see some of the species endemic to this park like reedbuck and white tailed mongoose - but they remained elusive.

Our ranger was the Head Ranger Scott who is phenomenal. His knowledge, passion for the bush, infinite patience in answering our questions and the way he interacts with the rest of the staff is amazing.

The water safari on Miss Mara is a unique experience and James our guide on the water was very good. This area is brilliant for birding and both James and Scott know their birds very well. It however, puzzled us all when a flock of 7 night herons kept flying around us all through the morning cruise. The hippo pod bobbed up to say hello, but kept their distance. Plenty of water monitors and even a little python were sighted on this ride.

James and Scott also led us on a Bush Walk. They both did an excellent job, but the 32+C temperature played spoilsport - we were all extremely hot and the animals, even the little ones were curled up fast asleep somewhere.

The food was very good and the portion sizes were perfect for me. The MORE special chilli sauce is the bomb!

Everyone we met and interacted with at Marataba was lovely - Chantel, Olivia, Vanessa, Shaun, Innocent, Euphenia, Hendrick, Thabo, JC/Jessy - the Chef, Kuda and Liesl from the Concierge team. - everyone working behind the scenes too.

This all combined for a very comfortable stay and we would love to go back in summer to see the jacanas eating insects from the center of the...

Marataba felt very familiar, it reminded me a lot of Lelapa in Madikwe. So nothing was new, except for the sunset cruise on Miss Mara which was a nice surprise.

Obviously got a warm welcome from the team including a refresher towel and a welcome drink. Then did the check in stuff and lunch was served (even though I was a bit late). The view from the common areas was breathtaking and one could almost always spot some animals at a distance.

Dartlas and Gladys were attending to all my needs and it’s fair I mention that Dartlas always knew what I wanted. When I went for breakfast he would have my freshly squeezed orange juice ready and then hand me the menu to order. After breakfast he’d bring my rooibos with honey, lemon and mint and say “hope I’m correct” and he indeed was, without a miss. (I hope he sees this and knows I appreciated the attentiveness so much).

The room had no view, it was just bush and that’s what I was looking for (although I’m still going to check out the Mountain lodge for the views). The room wasn’t made too Modern, which is something most Safari lodges are doing and I quite don’t understand it cos if I’m looking for “modern” I’ll stay in Jo’burg. But ey, different strokes for different folks. So I loved the setup.

The lodge is not fenced, so on one of the nights I got escorted to my room by 4 Hyenas 🤣😂 and I fully understood why we were warned to never walk to our rooms alone at night (there’s always a night guard).

The Ranger (Storm) in my case asked what animals I was hoping to see and having been to the bush a few times you wouldn’t believe me if I told you I had never seen Buffaloes. So Buffaloes were top of my list and guess what, he knew just where to find them and I saw 60+ buffaloes. Officially have seen all of The Big Five.

Another nice thing is; the lodge is child friendly and they have kid’s activities and stuff. So for those with kids, it’s a nice one to try out.

As mentioned above, the cruise on Miss Mara was a lekka surprise and the best part of my stay at Marataba. The weather was perfect, saw the most beautiful sunset ever and on our way back to the lodge we did some star gazing (yeah, I did shed a tear or two)… Oh, how wonderful and beautiful is God’s creation 🙏🏽

Highly recommend, can’t fault anything. Thank you Floyd Nkuna and Team🙏🏽

And Oh, they had washed my car when I...

We love safaris and have been to Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia and other places in South Africa. Unlike other reserves and lodges where we have stayed in South Africa (especially Kruger), Marabata's isolation from other neighboring lodges and reserves allows guests to enjoy a much more exclusive and true experience of being in contact with nature. There are no cities, roads, power lines and dozens of cars from other lodges passing you all the time. At Marabata, it feels like the entire reserve as far as the eye can see is practically yours. The Lodge has just a few rooms in a huge area connected to Marakele National Park where the mountainous topography of the plateaus meets the irrigated plains just below to create a stunning landscape! We found the facilities, service, food and drinks to be excellent. The reserve is full of animals and we saw the Big 5 countless times, as well as many other species over the course of our 4 nights. Our guide, James, was very helpful, kind and competent at all times, especially considering that we were traveling with our three young children aged 7, 9 and 12. Unlike most other safaris, there is a great deal of concern for the safety of guests during the game drives and all guides carry a rifle that is kept in the car at all times, which although many consider unnecessary, made us feel much more at ease, especially with children on board. We booked the tree house for our last night and the entire staff went out of their way to ensure that we had a perfect experience in every way. We have been traveling the world for decades and sleeping in the tree house was possibly one of the most special, surprising and grand experiences we have had in our lives. I highly...