South Africa’s new Marataba Conservation Camps are just the place for budding conservationists to escape from the bustle of the world.
When travel begins again, you’ll want to make the most of your new-found freedom. Sure, you could return to your old haunts, touristy destinations where the cookie-cutter resorts all boast infinity pools that you’ll share with the masses. Alternatively, you could make for the wilds of South Africa, home to mesmerising wildlife, unforgettable landscapes, and one of the region’s most exciting new safari companies.
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Marataba Conservation Camps are a new hands-on safari experience for intrepid travellers just like you. Offering wilderness lovers the chance to travel with a purpose, the two new camps are located in a privately-managed section of the Marakele National Park, at the foothills of the Waterberg Massif in South Africa, a place of big skies, dramatic landscapes, iconic wildlife, and modern, hands-on conservation.
Designed to cater to adventurers in the post-covid era, Marataba offers four properties in the park, with the guests of each booked room benefiting from their own conservation guide and private safari vehicle. You’ll also be able to explore the bush on wild walks with a conservation guide, navigate epic mountains ranges and deep gorges on foot, ending with a swim under a waterfall, a picnic lunch or a night spent out in the wild fly camping.
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Of course, you’ll also have the chance to work for your supper, taking part in the daily conservation work that keeps the eco-system healthy, from tracking and monitor key species, and assisting in the compilation of ID kits by monitoring social behaviour, body condition and the geographical area of sightings, to setting up and monitoring camera traps and inspecting footage to discover what has been recorded.
Every full moon, there’s also the chance to join the full moon census, a wildlife count including night-time monitoring, census logging, and identification of white and black rhino, the notching of which is an important wildlife management intervention at Marataba.
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You’ll be rewarded for your efforts with sublime accommodation at the exclusive-use Founders Camp, home to four suites overlooking the Matlabas River, and the Explorers Camp, which has six tents and two allocated vehicles and conservation guides, allowing for two semi-exclusive bookings.
Funds from the camps go to support the on-going conservation efforts, with rates including a private conservation guide, safari vehicle, all meals and house drinks, and conservation and safari activities except specialist annual experiences and specialised itineraries. Marataba Conservation Camps are easily accessed from Johannesburg, either by road (3 hours) or private charter (45 minutes).
Think of it as your own Jane Goodall moment.
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