Marakele National Park, Limpopo: The Marakele National Park in the heart of the Waterberg Mountains has become a 'place of sanctuary' for an vast variety of wildlife due to its location in the transitional zone between the dry western and moist eastern regions of South Africa.

The Marakele Park is characterised by contrasting majestic mountain landscapes, grass-clad hills and deep valleys. Rare finds of yellowwood and cedar trees, five metre high cycads and tree ferns, are some of the plant species found here. All the large game species from elephant and rhino to the big cats as well as an amazing variety of birds including the largest colony of endangered Cape Vultures (more than 800 breeding pairs) in the world, have settled here.

Marakele is home to most of the large mammals synonymous with the African bush, including elephant, black and white rhino, buffalo, leopard and cheetah. Lion and spotted hyena are the only large predators found in the park. A small pride will soon be re-introduced in the park. The wild dogs have been the first of these re-introductions. There is a pack of wild dogs in a holding facility (boma) and will be released as soon as the predator-proof fencing is completed. Resident antelope include, sable, kudu, eland, impala, waterbuck, tsessebe and many smaller species. Chacma baboon and Vervet monkey are two species to be watched carefully for mischief, particularly around the rest camps.

One of the Park