An Incredibly Romantic Honeymoon at Marataba Safari Lodge

Article written by Britt Urbach, the Hills of Africa Travel Marketing Director

I’ve been to some of the most beautiful and romantic places on earth, including Italy, France, Tahiti, and the Caribbean. But I have to say that Africa is THE most romantic. That’s why for my honeymoon, I decided to go on a trip to South Africa.

We visited Cape Town, Madikwe Game Reserve, the Cape Winelands, and Marakele National Park during our trip to South Africa and we loved every single moment!

Here’s a look at what we experienced during our visit to Marataba Safari Lodge in Marakele National Park:

Marataba was one of our favorite properties that we stayed at during our African safari honeymoon!

The arrival into camp was lovely as we had the lodge manager greet us and escort us inside to the main area. The entrance was absolutely beautiful with a walkway surrounded by water and active masked weaver birds building their nests.

We arrived around 2pm and were asked if we wanted lunch before we checked in. We were quite hungry so we sat for lunch. There were several tables set up on the lawn and in the distance was a watering hold, which was busy with elephants and zebra! There were also some vervet monkeys playing in the trees around the tables, which was very exciting – they were very well behaved, too! This was such a lovely surprise for us when we arrived. We also saw lizards and king fisher birds, so already we felt like we were on safari and we had just gotten there!

Lunch was a three-course meal and you could choose between two items for each category. We each started with a delightful caprese salad and enjoyed a delectable calamari and pasta dish for our entrée. It was such a pleasant lunch and one I’ll always remember.

After lunch, we chatted with the manager and she escorted us to our gorgeous suite. The suites were beautiful and all detached so they felt very private! The roof was canvas, as well as part of the sides. Part of the structure was stone though (in the bathroom) so the combination of canvas and stone was perfect.

The doors were screen doors so you could always hear the sounds of nature, which we absolutely loved. This was one of my favorite things about the lodge. They were also very spacious and overall very beautiful. You also have a private deck that overlooks the Waterberg Mountains, so the view was exceptional.

After settling into our room we headed to the main lodge area for teatime. Here they served beverages as well as some light snacks. Our server during our stay was George and he was absolutely delightful and extremely friendly. He just made our day whenever we saw him!

At 4:30pm we headed out on our game drive with our guide, Johna, who was exceptional.

Within the first few minutes of our drive we came across a pile of dung, which was buzzing with dung beetles! Johna got out of the car and picked up some of the beetles and explained their behavior and interesting facts.

We continued on our journeys and came across two white rhino who we observed for quite some time. We also saw many birds, which Johna pointed out, including a bee-eater and a king fisher.

As we continued we saw eland, waterbuck, kudu, baby impala, warthog, giraffe, bat-eared fox, baby zebra, wildebeest, hyena, and baboon. As the sun began to set we stopped the vehicle for some delightful sundowners. We continued our journeys in the dark and saw shooting stars, nightjar birds, and Johna even found a bush baby, which was quite impressive!! Johna also told us a great deal about the stars, which we all really enjoyed.

Upon arrival back to the lodge, Johna escorted Mitch and I back to our room where lanterns lit our deck with a private table set up for us. He told us to phone reception when we were ready to eat. So, we went inside our room and saw that the bed was covered in rose petals and there was a bubble bath prepared and surrounded by candles and a bottle of champagne! It was truly stunning!

Dinner was wonderful and the temperature was perfect. While we were eating we could hear a lion roaring in the distance. It was really just a spectacular and special evening that we will never forget.

The following morning we went on our morning game drive in search of some lion but unfortunately didn’t see any. Instead, we saw giraffe, elephant, rhino, and zebra. We also saw a JUST born impala! Halfway through our game drive we stopped for some coffee. One of our fellow travelers had seen a mark in the sand and asked Johna what it was. After careful observation, Johna said it was a mark made from a leopard dragging its prey! It’s the small things like that, which truly made the drives interesting and unforgettable.

Upon arrival back to the lodge we enjoyed a wonderful breakfast. There is a small buffet with meats, cheeses, fruits, pastries, and breads that you can choose from. You then can order a hot breakfast from their menu, which included everything from French toast to omelets. I had a hot chocolate every morning and eggs and sausage!

After breakfast, we headed back to our room to take a one-hour nap. We then brought our books to the pool area and read for a bit before heading to another wonderful lunch on the lawn. Today’s menu included ostrich burgers, which were exceptional.

Once we were finished with lunch we headed back to our room to freshen up and relax on our patio. Before we knew it the clock struck 4pm and we were off to teatime.

At 4:30 we headed out on our game drive and saw lots of great sightings, including eland, kudu, giraffe, elephant, white rhino, and leopard!! Halfway through our drive our guide was informed that there were two cheetahs being released into the reserve and we were able to watch the release happen, which was a real treat!

Here’s a picture of Mitch, Johna, and me!

That evening we enjoyed sundowners with the sun setting behind the Waterberg Mountains and rhino in the backdrop.

We headed back to the lodge once the sun set and as we pulled into the driveway to the lodge there was a beautiful boma dinner set up! Lanterns and candles lit the entire area and chefs attended the meat stations. We sat with the travelers on our game drive (who we loved!) and enjoyed tasty split pea soup before getting up to serve ourselves at the buffet.

The buffet was exceptional and included salad, vegetables, and an assortment of meats, including chicken, kingklip fish, sausage, and beef. There was also rice and sadza. It was wonderful having a traditional African dinner to end our trip!