Two things come to my mind when I hear Marloth Park.
First, people who have never visited South Africa think about our streets as being filled with wild animals; lions roaming the streets, our pets being other wild animals. This is obviously not true, but when you go to Marloth Park, you get this experience. As I will show below.
Second, when you speak about Marloth Park, someone will always have a story about it. My father, for example, spoke about his experience and the stories linked to it; where they needed to run in the pitch black of night to other houses because they forgot their food, always thinking about what lurks in the bushes. We have a similar story, which I will share below.
But in the end, Marloth Park is one of those gems that few people will experience, an experience like none other. It is a place of magic, where wild animals will walk beside your house, where you can hear the growling of lions in the night, and where you are not sure about what is really going on.
Please join me on this virtual journey to a very special place, Marloth Park in Mpumalanga, South Africa.
A Stereotypical Image of Africa
As I mentioned above, people think that any town in Africa, including South Africa, is still wild, populated by wild animals. But this town exemplifies this stereotype.
Only some of the roads are tarred. The houses are in the middle of bushveld. Some of the houses are so hidden, you cannot see them.
And the horizon is always coloured in with its beautiful white clouds and blue sky. On the horizon there is always a storm brewing. It is just the perfect African scene, and soon sunset.
It is at this stage, stereotypical or not, that you realise that you are in the middle of the bush, the bushveld, and that you are no longer the apex predator, in fact, you are most likely the prey or even the victim of others.
From the killing machines of lions to the deadly bite of a mosquito.
Our Own Unique Marloth Park Story
The above section showed the beautiful horizon and landscape. But in the night, as soon as everything quieted down, the sky is illuminated by the stars.
As we sat outside, looking at the sky night, our keys safely inside the house where we stayed, we closed the door to keep the insects and bugs outside. Little did we know that silently, the latch of the door closed and we locked ourselves outside....
At first, we laughed at the situation, it couldn't be that bad, right? We tried again and again to open the door, but nothing. Then we started to panic a little bit. At least, the two males in our party. The two females giggled all the way.
We called the owners, but they did not answer their phones, we called the agency doing the booking, and they could not help. At some stage, we realised we might need to sleep there, outside... With wild animals around every corner.
The two males, me and another, decided we will do what we are technically not allowed to do, walk in the dead of night to look for help. We opened the gate, and in the pitch black night, we walked to the neighbors. It felt like kilometers on kilometers. I heard various noises, thinking that lions will be in the next bush.
But we arrived, we discussed our situation, and in time we went back.
As soon as we arrived back, the owners arrived, helping us back into our room. It was a funny moment, one that ended well, because I would not have made it if we slept on the porch....
Our Room (Which We Locked Ourselves Out Of)
The room we booked for the weekend was beautiful. We felt right at home, even though there was evidence of wild animals all around us... More on that below.
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Evidence Of Animals At Home
As we walked through the garden of the home we rented a room from, we saw evidence of animals entering the property.
The property has some fences, but mostly, there is nothing really separating you from the wild animals.
But is that not the very thing we came for? The spectacle of sorts? And yes, it is. But in the back of your mind, the alarm bells go off silently. You realise just where you are.
(Exactly where you are is at the edge of the Kruger National Park. Between your home and the Kruger is only a small fence, that does not protect you from the animals...)
Shopping With Some Wild Friends
Before our debacle with the keys, when we arrived we needed to visit the shop to buy some things. We entered the shop, still tired of our trip to Marloth Park, but our spirits were high. As we entered the shop, we heard some comotion, and as I turned around, our wild friend stood next to me, almost demanding attention in the form of food. It was hungry!
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The Mixing of Wild Animals and Humans
Throughout the visit, we were reminded of wild animals. Around every corner, there is something. If it is not giant spiders making their nest right next to your bedroom window, it is bucks, antelopes, wildebeests, and other creatures...
We did not even have to drive through the Kruger National park to see animals, they were everywhere. We took the car and drove through the streets of Marloth Park, seeing so many animals that call this their home, in some sense safer here than in the Kruger. There are less lions in the streets of Marloth Park...
But as we stumbled upon these animals, we found some Zebras...
Feeding Some Zebras
When you walk through the store, you are greeted with a big shelve that sells animal feed. You can feed the wild animals! But I am sure by now they are not really wild any longer. Either way, we bought a bag, and we had our opportunity now...
They are so friendly, used to people, that you can walk right up to them, stick your hand out, and allow them to eat. See also the video below!
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Another Sweet Story
One evening, the fiance and I went outside, beers and drinks in hand, but also loaded with the pellets (shown above right). We walked slowly, because my fiance spotted a mother and their baby. I am not sure what buck or deer species they were, but they saw us as well. But unlike the zebras, these two were very shy. My fiance tried to lure them in, slowly, deliberately, but we only managed to get them to come close enough for some photographs. Our guess was that they were wild animals from the Kruger that slipped through the gates.
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More Photographs of Animals and Human Structures: A Symbiotic Relationship (?)
I am not sure how I feel about the interaction between animals and humans. They become less wild, more used to humans, and this brings a host of problems. But I guess this way of living is better than modern cities and towns where all animal life is destroyed. Best of both worlds? I am not sure.
But here is some more photographs of animals, and one that symbolised the end of our stay in this beautiful place.
Three Last Photographs: The Sky, The Small, and the Lion(s)
As we drove out of Marloth Park, my fiance spotted some lions on the horizon. In fact, it was not even that far away. It was about 200 meters away. There they stood. Three lions. 200 meters between us and lions. A gate that does not protect you from wild life. 200 meters between life and death. (Okay, that last bit might be a bit dramatic, but it is possible.)
I end this virtual journey with three photographs.
The first is that of an eagle in the sky. We forget that in these places, the sky is also filled with wildlife.
Second, we also just think about these places as places filled with big animals. From lions, to elephants, to big bucks. But when you really look, you also see the small, the tiny, the ants, that keep these places alive and fertile.
And then lastly, I end with the lions. They are the stars of the show. People flock to them like paparazzi flock to celebrities. It is really sad. But then there are these rare moments, when we spotted perchance these magical animals. 200 meters away from us. Far away from the lenses and eyes of spectators.
Postscriptum, or Perhaps, the End?
In the end, we had so many stories, from the sad (we unfortunately saw a deceased zebra in the middle of the street, killed by nature or something else), to the cute to the strange. But that is what makes life so rich and beautiful, it is the stories we are allowed to take home, to enrich our lives.
In the end, our journey never ends, it just moves on to the next one.
I hope that you enjoyed this virtual adventure with me. For now, safe travels!
All of the musings and writings are my own, inspired by these stories. All of the photographs are my own, taken with my Nikon D300. (The video is also my own, taken with my iPhone.)