Popular tours and itineraries including The Waterberg

The Waterberg

About

Not so long ago, the Waterberg was rather unfashionable.  Now a UNESCO-protected biosphere, the 12,000-hectare wilderness has earned deserved popularity with weekending Johannesburgers, and welcomed a glut of ecotourism lodges.  Found in South Africa’s northernmost Limpopo Province, it offers an off-the-beaten track safari alternative to the commercialised likes of Kruger National Park.  Present and correct are the ‘Big Five’ (lion, leopard, black rhino, elephant, buffalo), as well as prized white rhino, with malaria the one happy absentee.  What about the landscape?  Wetlands and wide-open plains, peppered with rivers and spiky mountains.  Jaw-dropping views are a camera-summoning constant.

Highlights

Within the main biosphere, Marakele National Park and the private Welgevonden Game Reserve offer game-viewing; outside, nearby Mabula and Mabalingwe reserves also boast the Big Five.  Most lodges run twice-daily game drives, with additional nature walks.  Day-trippers can visit Marakele, but you’ll need to book accommodation to gain access to the reserves.  Beyond the wildlife, there are thousand-year-old Bushmen rock-art sites, Stone Age archaeological finds, astonishing cave networks, towns built around hot springs and excellent hiking, fishing and birdwatching, the latter along the Waterberg-Nylsvei Birding Route.

Getting There

Fly from Johannesburg to Polokwane – there are regular, daily services – and then take the N1 motorway south for two hours to Bela-Bela.  If you’re driving from Johannesburg, it takes 3.5 hours along the N1.

Best Time To Visit

The Waterberg’s warm climate makes it a year-round destination.  In terms of game-viewing, , summer’s dense green bush allows animals to hide more easily, and abundant water means they don’t need to head to rivers as often – making spotting them trickier than during dry winter (June-September) months.

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Definitely recommend Best of South Africa Travel

My husband and I booked our holiday in South Africa and Mauritius with Best of South Africa Travel. Ash was brilliant she organised all our hotels at our different destinations in South Africa and we were very impressed with the high standard of them all. Ash also booked tours for us, recommending different interesting tours we would not have known …

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