Marataba wilderness trail
Five nights in Marataba — two in a tented camp, three on trail. You carry what you need, walk through places inaccessible to most, and sleep under the stars.
Reserve a place- Dates
- 30 Jun – 5 Jul 2027
- Where
- Marataba, Marakele
- Nights
- 2 in camp, 3 on trail
- Moving
- On foot, packs carried
- Group
- Small, hand-picked
- From
- €1,500 · incl VAT
Three hours from Johannesburg, the bushveld meets the Kalahari sands — and sandstone mountains stand over all of it.
Where bushveld meets the Kalahari sands
Marataba sits at the northern edge of the Waterberg, and the terrain shifts constantly: open grassland folding into dense riverine forest, rocky ridgelines dropping into hidden valleys. It's this variety of habitats that makes the reserve so extraordinary.
Few places carry this much life
Elephant, lion, leopard, rhino and buffalo roam the plains and thickets, while the continent's largest colony of Cape vultures nests in the cliffs above. All of it is ours to explore on foot.
Where you’ll be
Three hours by road from Johannesburg — transfers are ours, both ways.
24.31° S · 27.52° E — Marakele, Waterberg
The trail
- 01A first night in the tented camp — a good meal, a briefing, the mountains going dark.
- 02Into the wild for four days, guided by two experienced trails guides, carrying only what you need.
- 03By day, moving quietly through grassland, forest and ridgeline — the smallest of creatures, and sometimes the largest, face to face.
- 04Nights on trail under the stars, without tents, at pristine spots chosen along the way.
- 05Back to camp: a hot shower, the coldest beer you'll ever taste, and time to let it all sink in.
A rough shape, not a timetable. The bush keeps the pace.
1 / 8
Trail life, shared
Every participant takes part in the essentials of trail life. That's not a chore — it's the point.
What's asked of you
- Carry your pack — 40–60 litres, with your share of the trail kit
- Gather wood, and cook over the fire
- Stand your watch under the stars
- Move quietly, in single file, at the guides' word
What you'll learn
- To read the land: tracks, birds, trees, weather
- To sleep in the open and trust the watch
- What you actually need — it fits in one pack
Two experienced trails guides walk with you, a comprehensive first-aid kit is carried at all times, and there is reliable radio contact for emergencies. Food, cutlery and all essential equipment are provided by The Long Way, divided over the trail participants.
‘He is young and he seems very self-conscious. If he continues down the path he knows we'll be watching him all the way down, and it seems he doesn't want to undergo that embarrassment.’
Willem · watching a young elephant bull, Marataba trail log
Camp & trail
Tented camp · 3 nights on trail, under the stars
Two nights bracket the trail in a comfortable tented camp. Between them you sleep in the open — no tents — at pristine locations chosen along the way, with a fire and a watch through the night. That's the point of this one: for three nights, nothing stands between you and the wild.
Your guides
Willem van Liemt
Founder · FGASA Lead Trails Guide
At seventeen I travelled to Africa for the first time, on a professional field-guide course. Once in the bush I knew I'd spend my life working with nature. Countless hours on foot and hundreds of big-game encounters later, I'm a FGASA-qualified Lead Trails Guide — and The Long Way is what I left my desk to build. On every trail, two experienced trails guides walk with the group. This is where I'm happiest: in the bush, on foot.
FGASA Lead Trails Guide · Tracking & Trailing Level 3
Advanced Rifle Handling · Advanced Birding
MSc Conservation · Dutch · English
Ian
Trails guide
Guiding this trail alongside Willem is Ian — calm, almost dreamy, and his calmness is infectious. He'll have called the buffalo in the thicket long before you've seen anything at all.
Willem reads every message that comes in himself, and chooses the people on every expedition personally. willem@thelongway.earth
What's included
Included
- 2 nights in tented camp
- 3 nights on trail
- All meals — on trail and in camp
- Concession fees
- Two experienced trails guides
- Road transfers Johannesburg ↔ Marataba
- €1 per walked kilometre to conservation — ±€40 on this trail
Not included
- International flights
Our pledge
By going the long way,
you contribute to conservation.
Every kilometre we walk gives back to the Waterberg — it's built into the price, and into the point.
€1 per kilometre walked · €0.10 per nautical mile sailed
What to pack
July is mid-winter in Marataba. The weather is mild, sunny and dry by day and properly cold at night. Rain is extremely rare.
Bring
- Sleeping bag, winter weight
- Thermal layers and fleece jacket
- Beanie
- Neutral-coloured clothing
- Hat and sunglasses
- Rain jacket or poncho
- Walking shoes, already worn in
- Backpack (40–60 L)
- Water bottles or Camelbak (2.5–3 L)
- Sunscreen, toothbrush and toothpaste
- Head torch
Optional, worth the weight
- Binoculars and camera
- Sleeping-bag liner and blow-up pillow
- Trail fold-up chair
- Flip-flops
- Backpack cover — protects from dew
- Quick-drying towel, face cloth and soap
- Journal and pen
The full list travels with you — Trip notes — PDF, 7 MB.
Before you go
- How heavy is my pack?
- You carry your own kit in a 40–60 litre pack, plus your share of the food and trail equipment. The group divides the load.
- Where do I sleep?
- Two nights in the tented camp; three nights in the open — no tents, at spots chosen along the way.
- How do I get there?
- Road transfers from Johannesburg are included, both ways — Marataba is about three hours' drive.
- What about food and equipment?
- All meals are included, on trail and in camp. Food, cutlery and essential equipment are provided and divided over the participants.
When discovery triumphs over destination, then you know you took the long way.
Reserve a place