SANParks.org Forums

Ta, my dad will be pleased.

BB

Hi there, I would like to know, whether children are alowed in the park and if so, which is the minimum age.
If alowed, did anybody already travel with children here? Please let me know your experience. Thanx.

There is no age restriction on children when visiting Marakele. My daughter was just starting school when we first visited Marakele - then stayed in the tented camp that has since been closed. All subsequent visits we camped. Just remember that all the camps are unfenced and that there are no shops or swimmingpools.

We have been there lots of times with children of all ages. Once with about 40 children! They really enjoyed the stay!

And yes, the camps are not fenced, so keep an eye on your children, and warn them that the animals are not tame, and must not be approached!

Hi,

Bontle Camping Site (@ Marakele) sounds intriguing, you get to camp without fences and, from the various SAN Parks forum postings I've read, there are no Big 5 present but there are Rhinos ... OK.

Anyway, presumably its reasonably safe if you respect the usual rules with animals.

But what about that midnight visit to the ablutions ?

Come on, there must be some interesting stories out there ?

Regards,

T.

You need to be quite awake! (and have a good torch)

I once notest a strange sound coming from the other side of my car as I was returning from the ablutions at around 23:00. Luckily I stopped to check! It was a white rhino feeding next to my car on the other side! I spent a very quite three to four minutes next to my car before the rhino moved of.

Friends of ours was rudely awaken by the sound of rain hitting the side of their tent. They made a quick but stealthy exit to the other side, when they realised that it was in fact a rhino who saw no need to go to the ablution block, since the tent was nearer!

The rhino at the campsite aren't the problem. It's the damn Ostriches ! They have become campbirds and come begging for food and make a general nuisance of themselves. It's easy to chase a little White-eye or Starling away if they are begging for part of your morning rusk but an Ostrich is just a tad larger.

Agreed! They are worse than the vervets in some other parks, since they do not tend to run away when confronted!

Hi all,

Have just returned from 3 nights in our tent at the Bontle Camp at Marakele. Wow, what an amazing place, we were truely charmed.

We camped in a tent, drove in a sedan and were able to access the sand roads around Bontle as well as the tar road in the main section up to the view point without problem. Obviously it was not raining which made things easier.

I keep a website with pics for family overseas and have just posted some of Bontle / Marakele. Ignore the people ones and check what a beautiful place Marakele is.

http://www.chezwallis.com/gallery/view_ ... 6-Marakele

Jeremy.

Hi and welcome!

Some great photos Jeremy. But just for the record... I find baby rhinos cute too.

What a beautiful place Marakele is! Your photos make me want to go there.
Thanks for posting, Jeremy!

Wonderful pics, brings back great memories.

Please can we help this person....I received the following mail and I'm not too familiar with this park...

Hi all,

I'm planning to visit Marakele in late May. I'm considering booking accommodations for either Tlopi Tented Camp or Bontle Camping Site, but since I will be coming with a normal sedan car, I was wondering whether Tlopi is accessible with a normal sedan car (from reading previous messages in the forum, I understood that Bontle is accessible by sedan - correct me if I'm wrong).

Thanks,

Elad.

Bontle is definitely accessible by normal sedan. Thlopi also - you just won't be able to do the four-by-four route.