Original Source: yearinthewild.com
On my way north towards Mapungubwe, I spent three nights at Marakele National Park in the Waterberg region of South Africa, near the town of Thabazimbi. I first visited here in winter time, but this time I arrived in summer, and I enjoyed the contrast. This is the heartland of the bushveld habitat, and in winter it can seem a little dreary, but in summer, the land comes alive.
It’s a very diverse park, so although bushveld predominates, the park’s upper reaches on the Lenong Mountain is more typical of the Cape mountains, with flowering proteas and an endemic species of Ceder tree, named after the famous ethologist and naturalist Eugene Marais, who lived in the Waterberg and became famous for his studies on baboons and termites.
The more time you spend in the bushveld of South Africa, the more you fall in love with it. It’s not as immediately scenic as other habitats perhaps, but it’s the heartland of the country, and in many ways defines South Africa. Let’s face it: there is no more quintessential South African scene than a group of people braaing boerewors in bushveld country as the crimson sun sets through the dusty sky.
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