Marloth Park, South Africa, offers a unique vacation experience where you can feel, see, hear and smell the greatness of eternity. Time stopped just there, leaving the most beautiful reflections on the waters of the Crocodile River as its southern border. Here, one can witness the biggest and fullest moon imaginable and inhale the smell of wooden fire or even a lion. But one thing is for sure: you become a link in the food chain of a huge and perfect universe. It's a place to check how big our footprints and impacts are.
Map of Kruger National Park, near Marloth Park.
Discovering Marloth Park
Marloth Park has a history of its own. It was made available for people traveling to Mozambique in 1965, as well as for citrus and tropical fruit farming. Grootdraai was used for cattle farming. It was proclaimed as a holiday township and Nature Reserve in 1988. Only 55% of the area was to be divided into 4000 stands. The Maroela area is not part of the final Park.
But the river did something generous and reason changed its course drastically, giving birth to Grootdraai en Verdwaal.
Accommodation and Living in Marloth Park
In Kruger, you get a lot more house in Marloth Park for the same money or less. Family houses are available for three people or more, ensuring you have your whole family under one roof. You can even take Oupa and Ouma with!
Read also: South African Getaway
Marloth Park offers a modern, safe home to stay in, allowing you to drive around after dark and keeping children busy, but still under your eyes. It's the best of two worlds.
Kruger Eden Lodge in Marloth Park.
Accommodation Options
- Kruger Eden Lodge: Offers free WiFi, free parking, and breakfast.
- Kruger Riverside Lodge: Provides free breakfast, free WiFi, and free parking.
- Grand Kruger Lodge and Spa: A spa lodge with free breakfast, free WiFi, and free parking.
Co-Ownership: An Affordable Option
Why not opt for co-ownership in Marloth Park? It works exactly like owning a share in a company in South Africa. Co-owners have the same vision for the property and under normal circumstances, property owners are not there all the time, making it a difficult choice.
Consider buying a place in co-ownership if you are concerned about the cost of property. Joint ownership makes sense safety wise and makes property affordable.
Regulations and Building
Marloth Park is a sensitive conservation area, therefore regulations exist to maintain its natural beauty. No domestic pets are allowed. Before erecting any structure on your stand, get permission from the council. The look and feel of the African bush must be maintained, so choose colors that blend in with the bush, like green, terracotta, grey, or brown. No wood or logs may be taken from the environment to build with. The maximum size for a house is 250 square meters, and outbuildings should not exceed 50 square meters. No fencing of any nature is allowed around the property, except for fencing of the main living area.
Read also: South African Safari Lodge
Navigating Marloth Park
In Marloth Park, you'll be driving on dirt roads. There is about 96km of road to cover.
Wildlife Encounters and Safety
Wildlife is what makes Marloth Park special, but it can become deadly if they are on the other side of the fence! Animals may react in anger or fear. Be aware of warthogs tusks, or the horns of a duiker or bushbuck. It's best to take pictures and enjoy from a safe distance.
Lions: Lions won’t just attack a man unless scared or in a corner. Pretend not to have seen it, and move away slowly.
Elephants: Elephants are strong and can uproot a Marula tree with a few pushes. Keep your engine running when there are small baby elephants with the herd.
Hippos: While they graze on grass at night, sometimes quite far away from their sanctuary, remember that their safety zone, the river, is putting it mildly! If you lit your camp fire at night, be aware of their feet. If a place is advertised for you to camp, it is the path and browsing places of the mighty hippo.
Rhinos: Rhinos are still wanted for their horns and face extinction. If anything gets in their way, they knock it down and gore it. If you cannot find a suitable tree to climb, shouting might help.
Read also: Unveiling Agulhas National Park
Zebras: A zebra doesn’t only bark like a dog, it can also bite! You know they also bite.
Baboons and Monkeys: Humans love watching baboons and apes. Never leave fruit or food outside, or where they can see it. They will wreck your house inside. DO NOT MESS WITH WILD ANIMALS!
Snakes: Don't touch dangerous and non-venomous snakes. Do not walk barefoot. Puff-adders camouflage between dry leaves and sticks, so look out. Snakes should be left alone. Clear small areas around windows and doors to keep snakes away.
Be aware of snakes like cobras.
Human Wildlife Confrontation
They forget about the vegetation and habitat in which these animals live, which is why confrontation is created. The animals, especially ostrich trample the earth to dust. The aloe is named after the late Dr. Bergaalwyn from Cape Town and chose it as their emblem. It flowers in the dry season, from May to August and grows to 1metre high.
Health and Safety Tips
The mosquito is a concern, as it transmits fever, vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, etc. For prevention, rather use Citronella soap. Sun starts setting.
South Africa does have something of a reputation for crime. However, if you take reasonable precautions, it’s very unlikely you’ll experience anything in our region. Avoid driving on the highways at night, be aware of your surroundings, and avoid visiting areas not frequented by tourists. Of course, in the cities you’ll need to practice the same kinds of safety as any large city to protect yourself from scammers and pickpockets. When coming across lions, do not get out from your car.
Power and Utilities
You don’t need ESCOM, or do you? In Marloth Park, you may feel the need to scale down and use less electricity. Consider a gas system in case of black outs. Use a spot light and little paraffin lamps. Instead of buying an electrical geyser, rather go for gas. You can go solar with 12 volt adapters.
Kruger National Park
Kruger National Park is the primary attraction in the immediate area. It’s entirely possible to self-drive, but game drives led by professional guides are available, as well as other activities in the park. Self-driving gives you the most flexibility, of course, and is certainly the cheapest option. The professional safari guides can drive in places the public isn’t allowed and know the best places to look if you want to see specific animals. They’re also very knowledgeable about the animals, which certainly makes the visit more interesting.
The southern region of Kruger is home to Skukuza airport and the Skukuza rest camp. This is the biggest camp in Kruger with a great number of activities and facilities, therefore making it a great base. Up in the northern part of Kruger, game viewing is considered slightly less, but it’s quieter in general and makes for a very relaxing stay.
Best time to visit Kruger National park
Kruger is an interesting place, as there isn’t really a bad time to go. Each season offers a unique experience, and different pros and cons. The South Africa winter months are considered a great time to visit Kruger. This is by far the driest time of the year, which means the vegetation and the bush is less dense, and therefore it’s easier to spot animals. The low rainfall at this time of year means many rivers and waterholes are low or even dry, meaning the few that do have water are likely to have more animals at them. The temperature in the winter is warm during the day, but can be very chilly though the night.
This is the South African spring and early summer months, which marks the start of the rainy season. The rivers may still be quite low, but flash rainfall is likely to mean the bush will be very green and quite thick. This makes it harder to spot animals. Daytime temperatures can push up to 40c and nighttime is cooler, but definitely not cold.
Whilst the rest of South Africa is warming up and experiencing long and sunny days, Kruger is experiencing heavy rains. However, the landscape comes alive with stunning colours, from the vivid green of the bush to the deep blue of the rivers and lakes. Prices are lowest for lodges and camps at this time.
How Long to Spend in Kruger
Having three or four days for safari in Kruger National Park (or longer), really means you can make the most of the drives but also enjoy some much needed downtime. You’ll be surprised how much wildlife you see just from your poolside or your lodge/tent too! The animals are most active early morning and late in the evening, so sunrise and sunset drives are popular. However, this means early rises (in the summer months, this can be as early as 2.45am!) and late returns. As you can imagine, this can become quite exhausting.
The northern portion of Kruger offers the epic Blyde River Canyon drive.
Getting to Kruger
The most expensive and most convenient way is to fly into Kruger. The main air route between these is from Johannesburg. The least expensive (and slowest way) is to drive from Johannesburg. The road conditions aren’t excellent and there are often a lot of dangerous crashes or incidents. However, it does of course afford you a lot of flexibility if you drive yourself.
Kruger Park Entrance Fees
International visitors: R535 per adult per day, and R267 per child per day.
Kruger is a national park, run by government organisation SANparks. Animals are completely wild and run freely in Kruger. A private game reserve is located on land owned privately, and often have fenced boundaries. The private reserves have all the same animals, but they’ve been brought into the area.
Safaris in Kruger
For most overseas travellers to Kruger, it is most likely you’ll want a guided game drive. This means not only do you not have to worry about the driving part, and can fully focus your energy on spotting wildlife, but you’ll also enjoy the benefit of an experienced and highly knowledgeable guide. Of course, some people will still prefer to pick up their own hire car and self drive Kruger National Park.
In a private game reserves, all drives are guided, but in Kruger NP it’s both self-driving and guided drives.
Here’s where things get a little complicated. You can fly to Johannesburg and drive about six hours to our house. You can also take a shuttle bus. The closest airport to us is Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport in Nelspruit/Mbombela (airport code MQP). It’s a small airport about ninety minutes from our house.
Do I Need A Car? Renting Your Own Maximizes Flexibility. I would recommend renting a car at the Kruger Airport (MQP). It’s not necessary to get a 4WD vehicle-a sedan will be fine, even driving through Kruger National Park. However, if your budget allows for it, consider getting a vehicle with higher clearance (such as an SUV). This will save you some headache on the roughest dirt roads and you’ll be more comfortable.
Final Thoughts
Marloth Park offers an unforgettable experience, blending the comforts of home with the raw beauty of the African bush. Whether you're seeking adventure in Kruger National Park or relaxation by the pool, Marloth Park provides a unique and memorable getaway.
Remember to respect the wildlife, follow safety guidelines, and embrace the tranquility of this remarkable destination.
Kruger & Marloth Park
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