Marnitz

Marnitz, Waterberg

Right on the N11, near a couple of towns with rather interesting names like Friendship and Registrasie, Marnitz lies north west of Polokwane. It is virtually on the border with Botswana, close to the Grobelersbrug border post - an ideal overnight spot if you are intent on crossing over.

Marnitz is also where you will find some of the largest baobabs in the country - Africa's weirdest but most iconic tree (travel further into the Limpopo to Musina and you will find a bloated rendition of the baobab that looks more like a hobgoblin).

This part of the world is known as the Koedoesrand bushveld, where baobabs (David Livingstone called them upside down carrots) dominate the skyline and small water lakes are the source of a prolific bird life. The area is given over to agriculture and game farms, and hectares of untouched nature are what attracts visitors here, not to mention the feeling of getting away from it all driving so far north promises.

Understandably Marnitz is hardly big enough to promise more than a passing glimpse of a town store. If you are headed in this direction it stands to reason that you will stock up on food and necessities before leaving 'civilisation', so to speak. Whilst you might be far from a supermarket, you are not far from nature at her best, and game viewing is prime here, not to mention the night sky and the inevitable silence that follows leaving the rat race far behind.

Consequently your stay at a safari lodge or game farm promises a lot more than simply an overnight stay before crossing the border into Botswana.