The Marataba Lodge has stunning views of the Waterberg mountains.
On safari in Limpopo, Rob McFarland learns it's best to keep cool in the face of outsized teenage defiance.
"GO, GO, GO!" screams the man sitting behind me in the jeep.
I look over my shoulder to see a three-tonne bull elephant approaching the back of our open-top jeep, trunk held up defiantly, ears flapping and head bobbing up and down.
A marakele lioness.Credit: Getty Images
I brace myself, expecting Philip, our guide, to floor the accelerator. Instead, he just tells the three of us in the jeep to keep perfectly still. "It's OK, boy," he calls out, his tone soothing but firm. "You're all right. Just move along."
The elephant continues to approach. To my horror, I find I'm completely frozen. I couldn't get out and run even if I wanted to. Philip starts banging the side of the jeep with his hand. The elephant stops. There's a stand-off. I hold my breath. Finally, it wheels around and in a cloud of dust disappears into the bush.
Encounters such as this are what make a safari. The surge of adrenalin that comes from confronting an angry bull elephant in the wild is unlike anything most people experience in day-to-day life.
"I can't believe I cried out, 'Go, go, go'," the man who'd been sitting behind me says when we get back to the lodge.
Philip replies: "It's just as well we didn't. Elephants can run at 40 kilometres an hour. He'd have come after us and we'd never have got away on that terrain."
The terrain is just one factor that differentiates Marataba Lodge from the dozens of high-end safari lodges dotted across South Africa. On a private 23,000-hectare concession in Marakele National Park, in the northernmost province of Limpopo, it has three habitats: dense thicket bush, Serengeti-like plains and a lush area surrounding the Matlabas River. The property also basks in the glory of one of the country's most stunning mountain ranges: the Waterbergs.
Another advantage of Marakele National Park is that it is malaria-free, so is suitable for young children and pregnant women, who are advised against taking anti-malarial medication.
Marataba is a relative newcomer to the safari scene but its varied landscape allows it to support a range of animals and birdlife. Fifteen years ago, the region was mostly farmland but a relocation program between 2000 and 2004 moved more than 5000 "units" of game into the park.
During our two-night stay we see an array of wildlife, from zebras to giraffes and wildebeest to gnus. We laugh at warthogs trotting comically across the plains, their tails held erect like aerials, and shiver at the primaeval sound of two male lions roaring at each other through the still night sky.
On our last morning, we stumble across the gory but compelling scene of four lion cubs feeding on a zebra. For 10 minutes we watch them tear at the carcass with blood-smeared faces, tails twitching back and forth. Soon after, we find their parents lying side by side in the shade of a nearby tree. Indifferent to our presence, they stare regally into the distance while we snap away.
Returning to the lodge after each game drive is a joy. There are hot towels ready for us when we jump off the jeep and refreshing drinks waiting on the lawn. The brick-and-timber property is spacious and airy with large windows to take advantage of the mountain views. There's a communal lounge, stylishly furnished with a combination of African antiques and striking modern fittings, a separate dining room, a small library and an outdoor pool.
Accommodation is in the form of 15 freestanding tented suites that have been cleverly hidden in the surrounding bush. Inside each is a comfortable double bed and en suite bathroom containing an egg-shaped tub. The rooms have airconditioning and underfloor heating and an outdoor raised wooden terrace that overlooks the bushveld.
Days start at 6am with a wake-up call and a tray of tea and biscuits before the first game drive departs at 6.30am. A cooked breakfast is served at 9.30am, with a buffet-style lunch of salads and fresh fruits at 1pm, afternoon tea at 4pm, snacks during the three-hour afternoon game drive and finally a three-course dinner. When it's time to turn in, a ranger accompanies me to my tent, presumably because after gorging myself all day the chances of me outrunning anything faster than an arthritic sloth are fairly remote.
A highlight of the afternoon game drives is stopping for a sundowner. On our final day we find a spot at the base of the Waterberg Mountains and, after Philip has checked the area is safe, we all hop out and enjoy a gin and tonic while the setting sun throws a colourful kaleidoscope of purples, oranges and reds across the mountainside.
It is during these chats with Philip that I realise just how safe we really are. When I hear hair-raising tales of him getting caught in a rampaging herd of 200 elephants or being charged repeatedly by a lioness while on foot, the temperamental teenage elephant we encountered earlier suddenly seems quite tame by comparison. Not that I'm taking any chances. I still make sure I'm the closest to the jeep and am primed to scream "Go, go, go!" just in case.
The writer was a guest of Qantas and South African Tourism.
Trip notes
Getting there
Qantas flies daily non-stop from Sydney to Johannesburg. 13 13 13, qantas.com.au.
Staying there
Marataba Lodge is about 300 kilometres north of Johannesburg. The lodge's tariff varies according to the season but starts at 3390 rand ($450) a person a night. Rates include accommodation, all meals, non-alcoholic drinks and two game drives a day. Transfers from Johannesburg are available. +27 4 4501 1111, hunterhotels.com.
More information
South African Tourism, 1800 238 643, southafrica.net.
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