With its spectacular scenery and great diversity of flora and fauna, Marakele now rivals the Kruger National Park. After the neighbouring private game reserve joined forces and all fences were removed, the Greater Marakele area now boasts a range of approximately 75 000 hectares.

The Waterberg Biosphere is one of 500 UNESCO-recognised biosphere reserves on the planet, and is the only savannah biosphere reserve in the world!It is approximately 1.7 – 2.2 million hectares in size. The Marakele National Park is situated at the far western end of the range, and is home to Marataba.

The seemingly impenetrable Waterberg Mountain Range covers 14,500 square km – the equivalent of 80% of the Kruger National Park – and is one of Limpopo’s major mountain ranges.

The area surrounding the Waterberg Mountain Range is an immense storehouse of cultural, archaeological and biological diversity. It is a breathtakingly beautiful area that is well worth a visit for anyone who loves nature, history and cultural experiences.

As its Tswana name suggests, it has become a ‘place of sanctuary’ for an impressive variety of wildlife due to its location in the transitional zone between the dry Western and moist Eastern regions of South Africa.Dominating everything is an enormous rose-tinted mountain range called the Kransberg (cliff-mountains).