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Bontle campsite in Marakele National Park

8/4/2015

4 Comments

 
Picture
By Roxanne Reid
It’s the best time of day in one of the best campsites in Limpopo. The sun is setting and the brutal heat is starting to ease gently into a perfect evening. We’re at the Bontle campsite in Marakele National Park and life just couldn’t be better.

When we first visited Marakele National Park seven years ago, we stayed at the Tlopi tented camp in the eastern section with its mountains and valleys. Our safari tent looked out over a dam where elephant, kudu and giraffe came to drink as we sat on our wooden deck, sipping chilled white wine.

At the time, one of our game drives had taken us into the flatter Kwaggasvlakte section in the west, where we discovered the Bontle camp, its sites laid out in three lopsided circles under karee, leadwood, bush-willow and black monkey-thorn trees. It seemed to us to be just about flawless for anyone who loves camping. 
Marakele National Park
Many trees at Bontle are nude in winter, but provide welcome shade in the hotter summer months
We’d been dreaming about it all those years and now we were there at last. Setting up camp in 36-degree midday heat hadn’t been too much fun; we’d far rather have sat with our feet up in the dappled shade, watching animals come to the waterhole. But now all that was done and three blissful days lay ahead.

A pearlspotted owlet called insistently in the distance, and two African scops-owls were having a conversation through the treetops. Ostriches boomed in the distance, a deep sound that might baffle you into thinking they’re lions.
Marakele National Park
Even if your campsite isn't one of those nearest the waterhole, you can stroll down to the perimeter to see the action
At Bontle there are no fences, just some short poles planted in the ground a few metres apart to define the camp’s perimeter, and a sprinkling of signs telling you not to go further – and into the territory of the wild animals. 

This makes the camp feel like part of the surrounding bush and it’s impossible to resist its wilderness charm. In fact, Bontle is the ideal campsite for lazy people. Want to watch animals but can’t be bothered to go out on a game drive? No problem; just kick back at your campsite and the animals will come to you. 
Marakele National Park
A huge but unaggressive beast comes close while zebra and warthog drink at the waterhole behind it
When we arrived there was a white rhino mowing the grass and some warthog and impala drinking at the waterhole the campsite looks out on. Zebra were snorting nearby as they grazed, others giggling in the distance. Their racket revved up the zebras close by and one walked through the campsite just 5m from where I was standing. A second followed at a trot and a third at a gallop.
Marakele National Park
Obey the rules so we can all continue to enjoy the magic of an unfenced Bontle
This kind of closeness to wildlife, where there are no fences to act as a barrier between you and them, is very special. It’s one reason why the unfenced wilderness camps of the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, like Urikaruus, Grootkolk, Rooiputs and Polentswa, are so special – and so popular. And it puts Bontle high up on my list of favourite campsites in game reserves around the country. Even Tsendze rustic campsite in the north of Kruger National Park, fabulous as it is, doesn’t offer this one special touch (though mischievous elephants regularly try to flatten the fence!).
Marakele National Park
Burchell's zebra are a common sight at the waterhole or walking through the campsite
The next morning, even before we went out on a game drive, we had kudu, wildebeest and giraffe come to drink at the waterhole. Other visitors through the day were ostrich, jackals, zebra and lots of antelope. We saw vervet monkeys and baboons on the fringes of the camp but they didn’t pester the campers during the three days we were there. Long may that state of peace last – if campers don’t feed them or leave their rubbish lying around.
Marakele National Park
The subway that joins the two sections of Marakele under a road that cuts through the park
Of course we took game drives in the bush around Bontle and to the hide at Bollonoto dam. We even drove through the subway under the road that joins the two sections of the park. In the more mountainous eastern section, where Tlopi tented camp is, we enjoyed some of the 4x4 tracks and saw a breeding herd of 30 elephants.

But coming back to our campsite at Bontle was always the highlight of our day, grabbing a cool drink and relaxing in comfort while the animals came and went from the amphitheatre around the waterhole.

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You might also enjoy:
15 things to do in Marakele National Park
The leopard man of Limpopo  

Copyright © Roxanne Reid - No words or photographs on this site may be used without permission from roxannereid.co.za
Why to stay at Bontle Campsite in Marakele National Park #SouthAfrica #safari #travel
Why to stay at Bontle Campsite in Marakele National Park, Limpopo #SouthAfrica #safari
4 Comments
Lori link
15/4/2015 05:19:10 pm

what a live you have.

Reply
Roxanne link
16/4/2015 10:38:19 am

We are very lucky to travel as much as we do, Lori. And not for a moment do we forget HOW lucky.

Reply
Vira
18/1/2016 09:47:25 pm

How close to the main gate of Marakele is the Bontle camp? Thank you!

Reply
Roxanne link
19/1/2016 11:46:07 am

It's not far at all, Vira, maybe 2 or 3 km.

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    About 

    I'm an independent travel writer and book editor with a passion for Africa - anything from African travel, people, safari and wildlife to adventure, heritage, road-tripping and slow travel.
    My travel buddy and husband Keith is the primary photographer for this blog.
    We're happiest in the middle of nowhere, meeting the locals, trying something new, or simply watching the grass grow.
    Use this website to discover new places to go, revisit places you've loved, or take a virtual tour of destinations you only dream about.

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