Marakele - March 2016

We have not been away for a while and decided to go to Marakele National Park which is near Thabazimbi. We also decided to camp.

The new luxury item was an ice making machine and it was really lovely to have an unlimited supply of ice in the hot weather.

We have been to Marakele before and it appears that some of the rhinos have been relocated.

It had been very dry and the grass was just beginning to sprout from the rain which had fallen about a week before.

We missed the rhinos coming into the camp at night but a few ostriches and warthogs were regular visitors. On one night the wildebeest also visited and they chatted to each other the whole night as they grazed around us.

The most exciting animal sighting was seeing two elephants. We have never seen elephants in this park before. The bush in the area where they were was so dense that they disappeared within a few metres of the road when they wandered off. The smallest unusual animal that we saw was a terrapin that would fit into the palm of your hand.

The most evil camp visitor to our camp was a hornbill which either mistook my windscreen wiper blade for a worm or decided to wind me up. Fortunately these birds are not known to mimic human voices or talk.

The 4x4 route had been affected by the rain and was very corrugated. We reached a point where there was a danger of being stuck in a hole and we decided to turn back. We only attempted this route once.

It was so hot during the day that we would return to camp before midday and remain there until after three in the afternoon before going out in the vehicle to see what we could see again.

The camping site which we acquired was one that we have used before and we were glad to see that the showers and toilets were all working beautifully.

The complete route. On the way there we took a number of sand roads through very scenic areas that also had quite a lot of game.

Where we went in Marakele.

Another map showing where we went. (Some of the routes had closed since we were there last.)

Our campsite with our tent where we kept the ice maker and some (actually a lot) of the stuff that came out the 4x4.

Parked in the shade.

Campsite visitor enjoying the little grass that had sprouted.

Beastly fowl pecking away at my windscreen wiper.

Tame bird at the top of the hill. Identified by Otto Nel as a Buff-streaked Chat.

Female and male Klipspringers.

That little hole spelled the turn around point for us. I do not build roads but use them carefully.

A baby terrapin that would fit into the palm of your hand.

Eland in the distance.

One of the two local fowls that visited quite often but they just looked around. We were however careful of them.

Relaxing at the campsite during the hottest part of the day.

Baby wildebeest.

Two jackals looking at a kudu.

An example of how to stand on tiptoes.

Beautiful view from the top.

That lovely posing bird. (Identified as a Buff-streaked Chat by Otto Nel.)

Three stages of a protea flowers age.

The Indian lying down on his back with his head on the right.

You can just see the 4x4 tent erected in the left top corner.

Two giraffes sizing each other up.

Yippee - the first elephant we have ever seen in Marakele. I always thought that the droppings we have seen were imported from Kruger.

He is very close and I am banking on the fact that he can not jump over the ditch between us.

Two rhinos on the hillside.

Tall gentleman.

The hill that I always think looks like a comical bird's head facing left.

Father and mother with the children.

Marakele is worth a visit and we will go back again sometime.