Marataba Safari Lodge

Marataba Safari Lodge in the Waterberg Mountains is off the typical safari goers path. It was chosen (besides the animals) for the beautiful mountain views (think Sedona or Zion), the permanent tents, and access to water. The white rhino have their horns (no poaching). It’s a malaria-free area. At the lodge, impala, warthogs, and vervet monkeys roam on the grass. And the watering hole provides for lots of animal action while enjoying breakfast lunch or dinner.

We stayed at Marataba from the 3rd to 5th August 2024, the staff was very friendly , welcoming and going an extra mile , the lodge serve delicious meals , the rooms were always clean and fresh.. And lastly big up to Tim to the best game drives

Fantastic place really stands out for the ambiance; we were so well looked after. Thanks to Douglas our butler and Manus our guide, who were both very professional and personable as well as great at their jobs. We went to 3 safari lodges and Marataba also stands out for its respect for the animals and its premium wine list. We had heard we would see fewer animals, but we saw the big five on the first two drives. It may be true that some of the animals, like the leopards, are more elusive and less habituated to the Land Cruisers, and it was nice to be an environment where there were fewer people. The lions on the other hand approached us and walked alongside the vehicle at times, and we had several long encounters with the same pride and could see different kinds of behaviours, such as a female reuniting with the pride after a separation, really special, as we weren’t limited to just a few minutes. We also had an elephant approach so closely it could have touched have touched me in the truck with its trunk. It was obvious that Manus was able to read the elephant’s behaviour and knew that it was safe. Very highly recommend!

We absolutely loved Marataba. Incredible location, very good food, impeccable service and excellent safari. Nienke was our guide and we had a very good time with her. Saw most of the animals and learnt many new info. Probably our best safari so far. Those mountains in the back of the game reserve make it incredibly beautiful. Highly recommended.

The most friendly and professional base for big game drives in a beautiful setting in wooded savannah with the Waterberg mountains as backdrop. Food and accomodation excellent, staff friendly and helpful and the bush rangers superb. Impala on the lodge lawn and elephants just down the track!

This was our first safari experience so my views are absolute and not relative. It was absolutely fantastic. Marataba firstly is very convenient to get it from Jo’burg. Easy drive on well maintained roads. The reserve is private, part of the Marakele National Park. On arrival we were massively impressed by how well the lodge blended into the environment whilst also being totally luxurious. The tents are basically luxury hotel rooms with a canvas roof- in theory this is a great blend though it was windy when we were there and I’d advise earplugs if you are a light sleeper as gets very flappy. But getting to the important bit. We had plenty of great interactions on our drives with elephants, rhinos (white and black), giraffe, water buffalo, wildebeasts and much more. Mbongeni our ranger/guide was charming and informative. He made every effort to make each drive fruitful and distinct and the ranger team were super-co-ordinated to ensure everyone got to see any animals that were found. In terms of big cats- we saw lions three of our four days- all up close, no cheetah and leopard and I would guess if that’s your priority there are better. The lodge staff were very professional and eager to help. A massive plus is the food- though the amount of it became slightly terrifying as I lurched from one snack, to high tea, to sundowners to dinner etc. I suspect this level of consumption was designed for people who were very active between meals but it was all too good to turn down. Highlight was the cakes but that’s a little like picking a favourite child- feels wrong and I loved it all. An observation as a now blooded safari goer - and one agreed by my 16 year old daughter and her friend- is that they would not have got as much out of it when younger and there is a lot of slow time looking for animals etc. great if you are looking to relax and enjoy view but younger folks may struggle unless they have developed a passion for nature and are chilled. Marataba has a kids club but that feels- whilst totally getting why and sure it’s awesome- to somewhat miss the point.