Marakele with family: a wonderful discovery at the park's doorstep

I wanted to share a great discovery in the Marakele area because, in the end, this park doesn’t get talked about much compared to Kruger, even though it’s really worth the detour.

We discovered Cypiro Leopard Lodge, right next to Marakele National Park in the Waterberg. It’s a small property with just a few villas and suites, so it’s nothing like the big, crowded lodges. What we loved most was the feeling of being truly at the end of the world—lots of space, silence, and almost no one around.

And yet, it’s only about 3 hours from Johannesburg. Once you leave Joburg, the road is pretty straightforward, and you quickly find yourself in a much wilder Africa.

Marakele National Park was a huge surprise for us. There are plenty of animals, the Big Five are present, but best of all, very few people. At times, we drove for quite a while without seeing another car. It’s such a change from parks where you sometimes end up with 15 cars around one animal.

The landscapes are also stunning, with the Waterberg mountains, plains, and beautiful views from some of the trails.

We also learned on-site that Marakele is known for its very large Cape vulture colony—around 800 breeding pairs. When you climb into the mountains and see them soaring above, it’s pretty impressive.

The entire Waterberg region is actually a UNESCO-recognized biosphere reserve, and you quickly understand why once you’re there.

As for Cypiro, it’s a lodge that was recently taken over by French owners—really nice and approachable. The place is quite exclusive since there are very few accommodations. The villas and suites each have their own private pool, a wood-fired hot bath (like a KolKol), a braai, and an outdoor fireplace.

Evenings are especially lovely, especially with the peace and quiet all around.

Another thing we found really convenient: you can organize your stay however you like.

You can come self-catering and cook for yourself. There’s a supermarket in the nearby small town, practically on the way in, so you can do your shopping before arriving without making a big detour.

Or you can ask them to organize everything with breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. Their chef, Ernest, cooks really well, and it lets you completely unwind for a few days.

We liked being able to alternate: some quiet meals on our own and others prepared for us.

That’s actually one of the things we appreciated here—it’s not an ultra-formal lodge where everything is scheduled at fixed times. You can head out early to Marakele, come back for lunch, enjoy the pool, go back out in the late afternoon, then have a braai or a relaxed dinner in the evening.

In terms of price, we also found the value for money really good for this level of accommodation and especially for the very private feel of the place. Sometimes it feels like you’re in a much more expensive lodge.

If you’re looking for lots of activity and dozens of people around you, this probably isn’t the right spot.

But for peace, wildlife, nature, wide-open spaces, and that feeling of being a little alone in the world, we absolutely loved it.

I’ll add a few photos with this post—it’ll probably be more telling! 😊

And if anyone knows Marakele or the Waterberg well, I’d love to hear about other spots to discover in the area.