Waterberg Biosphere, Limpopo
Situated in the magnificent Waterberg Mountain Range of Limpopo, the Waterberg District is the ideal getaway where the weary traveller can relax and revel in the great natural beauty of the bushveld savannah and its rich wildlife heritage. The Waterberg Mountains stretch along more than 5 000 km² of spectacular vistas and scenic valleys - the ideal destination off the beaten tourism track.
The Waterberg is steeped in a history and some artifacts found here date back to Stone Age times. The area is a mosaic of culture and tradition as is reflected by the different rural tribes such as the Bapedi, Tswana and Basotho, while the Voortrekkers also left their distinctive mark on the area.
The Waterberg is steeped in a history and some artifacts found here date back to Stone Age times. The area is a mosaic of culture and tradition as is reflected by the different rural tribes such as the Bapedi, Tswana and Basotho, while the Voortrekkers also left their distinctive mark on the area.
Commercial agriculture is an integral part of Limpopo, and cattle ranching and maize farming are regional institutions - the water-rich valleys of the Limpopo River on the Botswana border provide sweet bushveld grazing, while the plains of the Springbok Flats near the towns of Bela-Bela and Mokopane are covered with a colourful quilt of carefully cultivated fields of maize and sunflowers. Otherwise, the bushveld landscape, interspersed with sandstone buttresses and baobab, Marula and fever trees, supports a number of towns that make up one of the country's fastest-growing industrial and agricultural districts. The Waterberg is one of the most mineralised regions in the world and numerous towns form part of the Bushveld Igneous Complex - 50,000km² treasure trove yielding massive amounts of minerals such as vanadium, platinum, nickel and chromium.
The Waterberg District offers the tourist a bit of both worlds - an infrastructure of excellent facilities and modern conveniences found in the many game reserves and conservation areas, coupled with the opportunity to experience the African wilderness in its pristine state.
THE WATERBERG
Game & Nature Reserves within the Waterberg Biosphere
Welgevonden Game Reserve
The Malaria free Welgevonden Game Reserve is situated just 2.5 hours north of Pretoria. Welgevonden Game Reserve is a declared Heritage Site of 33000 hectares and borders the Marekele National Park, situated in the breathtaking Waterberg Biosphere. A true bushveld environment is home to some of ...more information
Marakele National Park
The Marakele National Park in the heart of the Waterberg Mountains has become a 'place of sanctuary' for a vast variety of wildlife mainly due to its location in the transitional zone between the dry western and moist eastern regions of South Africa. The Marakele National Park is characterised by ...more information
AND
Big sky, big game...
Cupped in a giant curve of mountains at the highest point in the Waterberg, lies Marakele Mountain Lodge. Here the views are forever, and the local residents have made the most of the views too, with the largest Cape Griffon colony in the world gracing the cliffs.
The Bush Camp, Griffons at Marakele Lodge, is set in a fig and acacia forest on the slopes of the mountain, on over 1 000 hectares of Waterberg bushveld. Here visitors can enjoy many nature trails, from steep and demanding to leisurely and relaxing
Marakele Lodge is within Marakele National Park, which hosts the Africa’s Big Five game species. Marakele Lodge offers game walks and trails, and from the Griffons Bush Camp as a base, visitors have a choice of self-drive or guided game drives into Marakele National Park.
