This E-Book Informs You About Your Holiday at Lituba Place. Visiting Lituba Place Will Hand You an Unforgettable Experience

This E-book informs you about your holiday at Lituba Place. Visiting Lituba Place will hand you an unforgettable experience.

By reading this E-book you’ll get perfectly prepared for your trip to South Africa. It contains all the information you’ll need about Lituba Place, Marloth Park, places to go and guest experiences.

I will also show you pictures of Lituba Place, the beautiful places you can visit and the activities you can do during your holiday.

I hope you will enjoy reading this E-book. If you have any questions, you may always contact me by e-mail, phone(What’sApp) or Facebook (Lituba Place). Contact numbers and a short Lituba Place movie you’ll find at the end of the E-book.

I wish you a pleasant stay at Lituba Place.

Stef van den Bosch

2 ©Stef van den Bosch

My name is Stef van den Bosch and in 2013 me and my family discovered Marloth Park. After our first visit to Marloth Park, we immediately wanted to go back. A few months later we were back stumbled upon Lituba Place and fell in love with the house and surroundings.

Me at Johnny’s Shebeen restaurant in Komatipoort (real Mozambiqan/Portugese food) We try to visit Lituba Place three times a year to check the house and enjoy Marloth Park and South Africa. It’s always nice to be with family and friends and share the same interest; the South African bush.

“Guys! Wake up! There are four giraffes in the garden!” We wake up, open the curtains and there they are. That makes Lituba Place special. You’ll never get bored.

3 ©Stef van den Bosch

Before you start………………………………………………………………………3 Lituba Place……………………………………………………………………………5 Marloth Park………………………………………………………………………….12 Places to go..…………………………………………………………………………..21 Guest experiences…………………………………………………………………..30 Practical tips…………………………………………………………………………..33 Important contacts………………………………………………………………….36

Thank you……………………………………………………………………………..37

4 ©Stef van den Bosch

Lituba Place is located at Kameelperd avenue, nearby the Bushcentre. Kameelperd is a good part of Marloth Park where a lot of animals pass by. It depends on where the animals are, but if you’re lucky you’ll see animals like: warthogs, kudu, impala, bushbuck, giraffes, zebras, wildebeast, genetcats, mongoose, ostrichs and many more. And I didn’t even mention all the different bird and reptile species out there.

Lituba Place has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a braai area and a splashpool.

Bedroom 1 (Master bedroom): Bedroom 1 has a double bed, a walk through closet and an own bathroom. The bathroom has two showers, a bath, two sinks and a toilet. The bedroom has doors which open to the splashpool. So when you wake up, you can open the doors and take a relaxing morning dip. One of the best ways to wake up!

5 ©Stef van den Bosch Bedroom 2: The second bedroom has two single beds, which also can be used as one double bed. It has doors which open to the splashpool. For example, your children can also wake up and take a direct jump into the pool.There are also two closets with enough space for all your clothes.

Bedroom 3: Has one double bed, a big closet and a large window with view on the bush. Bedroom 2 and 3 share one bathroom, with 2 showers, a bath, a sink and a toilet.

All bedrooms have airconditioning and ceiling fans, but please think about the enveironment when using them, don’t let them run all day or when you’re gone.

6 ©Stef van den Bosch The bathrooms: There are two bathrooms, which each have two showers, one bath, toilet and one or two sinks.

Bathroom 1 (attached to main bedroom):

7 ©Stef van den Bosch

Bathroom 2:

Kitchen & livingroom: The kitchen is wide, open and includes everything a kitchen needs. Oven, microwave, electric cookingplate, pots, pans, cutlery etc. Please keep the kitchen clean to prevent pests.

The livingroom is spacious with two couches and two chairs. There is a flatscreen with basic channels and a DVD player. Two rooffans to keep it cool in summer months. Lovely to watch a movie in the evening.

8 ©Stef van den Bosch

9 ©Stef van den Bosch Braai area: Lituba Place has a big braai area (or boma) with an outside kitchen. There are chairs at the braai area.

Personally, it’s one of my favorate cultures in South Africa. The braai culture. During my time in Cape Town & Marloth Park I really learned how the culture works: When you invite some (new) friends, you start up a braai and have drinks. A good way to have fun and getting to know each other.

For some delicious braai recipes check out Jan Braai on Facebook or Instagram. He shows how to make delicious braai meals.

Above you see a bushbaby eating banana at the braai area. Put down peaces of banana when it starts getting dark. They love it!

Also leftovers from the braai can be put at the drinking pool, sometimes animals of the bush like genetcats will come and eat.

10 ©Stef van den Bosch Splashpool: The splashpool is about 80cm (32 inch) deep. There is a filter and pomp, which runs automaticly. Please do not change the settings of the filter and pomp. There’s also a light in the pool. Nice when you’re sitting outside in the evening. You can switch it on/off above the pool filter on the wall.

Perfect when you’re just staying at home and enjoy all the animals who pass during the day.

In wintertime the pool will be a bit colder, 18-21 degrees Celcius (64-70 Fahrenheit). In summertime the pool will be about 24-28 degrees celcius (75 – 82 Fahrenheit). We do swim in wintertime, but it can be a bit cold.

11 ©Stef van den Bosch

Marloth Park is a wildlife sanctuary and holiday town. It’s well located because Kruger National Park, Swaziland, Mozambique, Nelspruit and Malelane, Panoramaroute are all within one hour drive. Marloth boasts four of the “Big Five” with the exception of the elephant. Buffalo, rhino and lion who are confined to Marloth's game reserve Lionspruit; the rest of the game such as kudu, zebra, ziraffe, blue wildebeast, impala, warthog, ostrich and other animals aren't restricted by fences and roam freely. So beware when you drive in Marloth Park, always keep to the speed limit. You don’t want to kill or hurt animals.

Bush Centre: The Bush Centre is a 5 minute drive from Lituba Place. Bush Centre is the biggest centre of Marloth Park and has eveything you’ll need. Stores such as a; grosery store, butcher, hardware store, bakery, souvenir store, liquire store, ATM, laundry, hairdresser, carwash, minigolf, icecream stand and a restaurant and bar. It’s lovely to go in the morning and be part of the local community.

12 ©Stef van den Bosch You can get a cup of fresh coffee and very good melktaart or quiche at Boskombuis. A very nice old couple runs the place.

Marlothi centre: Marlothi centre is a bit smaller compared to Bush centre. It has a grosery store, ATM, bakery, petrolstation, liquire store, carwash, restaurant and post office.

13 ©Stef van den Bosch Restaurants: Also for restaurants you don’t have to leave Marloth Park. There are good restaurants where you can get the best steak and prawns I’ve ever tasted. Jabula lodge, Phumula, Oasis (at Henk van Rooyen park), Watergat and Thin Shack are some of these places. Especially Jabula lodge is our favorite. Try the filet steak and have some fun with Leon and Dawn who run the place.

Henk van Rooyen park’s Oasis restaurant has a beautifull view on the Kruger National Park and Crocodile river. Most of the time there are hippo’s close by in the river. Take your binoculars with you and search for more!

Tip: Go to Henk van Rooyen for a breakfast or lunch to see animals, at nighttime you won’t see animals, but you can still hear lions, hyenas, hippo’s etc. also very exciting. Watergat at the Bush Centre is a nice place for an easy meal and go for a pool, darts and drink afterwards.

If you want to go outside Marloth Park I can recommedent Ngwenya Lodge, Stoep café or Tambarina. Ngwenya Lodge, on your way to Komatipoort / Crocodile Bridge, has also a beautifull view on the Kruger National park and very good meat, fun after a long dy at the Krugerpark. Stoep Café is in the centre of Komatipoort on the main street, whatch for the sign. Where you can see the real African life easely from the terrace. Also Tambarina (Mozambican/Portugese restaurant) in Komatipoort on the main street (blue building) is very nice with delicious fish, prawns, crab but also meat dishes. For the real Mozambican/Portugese experience.

14 ©Stef van den Bosch View from the deck at Ngwenya Lodge.

Wellnes & Spa: If you want to relax and find your inner peace there are some wellness and Spa possibilties in Marloth. For example at Grand Kruger Lodge or Lifestyle Lodge where you can get a full body massage. They also offer facials, foot treatments and hand treatments. Think about anti ageing facial, (parrafin) pedicure, (parrafin) manicure, Swedish full body or hot stone massage and way more. You can choose for 30,45 or 60 minutes massage. Facials 480 ZAR, foot treatments 200-240 ZAR, hand treatments 200-240 ZAR and massages between 300 and 640 ZAR. You have to plan treatment at the reception.

Wildlife: As you already know there’s a lot of wildlife in Marloth Park. From big to small and they are all important for the balance of nature. Respect them and threat them with care. Marloth Park is no zoo and these animals are used to people but still wild animals and can react unpredictable. Never feed them bread, candy, soda or alcohol etc. At Daisy’s Den or the hardware store you can buy bags of pellets (game food). You can throw these pellets in the garden and wait for wildlife to come and eat them.

15 ©Stef van den Bosch

What’s also possible is to put down cooked chickenlegs, beef, eggs, banana or lettuce for example.

Mongoose like eggs and banana, especially eggs. You can put down a raw egg and let them open them. It’s very funny to see.

Bush babies like banana. You can cut a banana on the feeding place or in the tree in the evening. There is also a chance that the fruitbat shows up and eats the banana as well.

16 ©Stef van den Bosch Ungulates like pellets, lucern and leaves from the trees. NEVER feed them bread, the bread will block their intestines from which they could die.

Genets & other small cats like cooked chicken or beef. Place it on a plate nearby the waterpool in the evening and wait till some of these arrive!

17 ©Stef van den Bosch

Birds like the waterpool and the bird food which you can buy at the hardware store.

Monkeys are very smart animals and fun to watch but NEVER feed baboons or other monkeys and always close the windows and doors when you leave the house or can’t pay attention to it. They will find a way in and trash the house and your belongings. Especially baboons can be very dangerous when feeling trapped.

18 ©Stef van den Bosch Uitkyk (Kranz): This is a observation post on Seekoei road. You have a beautifull view on the Kruger National Park and the Crocodile river. Always a surprise what you’ll see. I would advise to bring your binoculars and camera with you and search for animals. One drive along the river (especially around 4 PM) can surprise you with elephant, buffalo, giraffe, lions etc. Tip: Go in the morning or evening, then you have the biggest chance of seeing/hearing wildlife. It also nice to walk along the fence and search for more!

Lionspruit: Lionspruit is a small game reserve within Marloth park. A very good reserve if you haven’t got the time for a whole day safari. At the moment there are three lions which you can hear at Lituba Place (most of the time in the evening/night). They communicate with the Vurhami pride of +/- 15 lions with three males who roam at our side of the Kruger fence.

There are a few viewposts in Lionspruit where you can observate wild life and birds. Beware that there are lions, so watch out and only get out of the car where it’s legal. In total there are 56 mammals, 32 reptiles and 221 bird species. The entrance costs are 50 ZAR. It’s possible to bring your own food and drinks and have a braai in Lionspruit. You can’t buy food and drinks in Lionspruit itself.

19 ©Stef van den Bosch

20 ©Stef van den Bosch

Lituba Place is located that a two week holiday can be filled up with no problem. It’s possible to make daystrips to two other African countries as Swaziland and Mozambique. And think about Lituba’s backyard Kruger National Park (Crocodile Bridge Gate and Malelane Gate) and it’s wildlife. The Blyde River Canyon, Bourke’s Luck Pothholes, Gods Window and Pilgrims Rest are about 1,5u drive. Or go and watch a rugby match at Mbombela (Nelspruit) stadium. Book a fishing trip, bushwalk or just relax and stay at Lituba Place for a day.

Kruger National Park: Where nearly 2 million hectares of unrivalled diversity of life forms fuses with historical and archaeological sights - this is real Africa.

The world-renowned Kruger National Park offers a wildlife experience that ranks with the best in Africa. Established in 1898 to protect the wildlife of the South African Lowveld. Kruger National Park is unrivalled in the diversity of its life forms and a world leader in advanced environmental management techniques and policies.

Truly the flagship of the South African national parks, Kruger is home to an impressive number of species: 336 trees, 49 fish, 34 amphibians - , 114 reptiles, 507 birds and 147 mammals. Man's interaction with the Lowveld environment over many centuries - from bushman rock paintings to majestic archaeological sites like Masorini and Thulamela - is very evident in the Kruger National Park. These treasures represent the cultures, persons and events that played a role in the history of the Kruger National. And this, is Lituba’s backyard.

In other words the place to be , it’s beautifull. People never get bored of this place. It’s size is huge and it takes weeks to see it al.

Marloth Park is located on the south of the Kruger Park. The easiest entrances are Crocodile Bridge Gate or Malalane Gate. My favorite gate is Crocodile Bridge Gate, this one is the closest to Lituba Place and

21 ©Stef van den Bosch it’s famous for his big cats. So stay alert between Crododile Bridge, Lower Sabie and Skukuza!

If you are a whole day in the Kruger Park it’s possible to go from Crocodile Gate to Skukuza and back, or leave via Malelane Gate.

If you want to go to Kruger National Park you need to take your pasport with you. And if you want to book a accomodation inside the park, then it’s smart to visit www.sanparks.co.za and book there! You can also check availability at the gate’s and book.

22 ©Stef van den Bosch Panoramaroute: The Panoramaroute is a route mostly through the mountains of the Highveld. It starts (from south to north) at just above Durban to the Erasmus-pas. If you drive this route you’ll pass special places where you have a beautifull panoramic views, this is where the name cames from. At the end of the Drakensbergen you have the most beautifull views. For example God’s Window, where you can see up to Maputo (the capital of Mozambique) if the weather is clear enough.

You’ll pass banana, coffee, mango, citrus, marula plantations. In and around Sabie are also many fir tree plantations.

On the way thrill seekers can be made happy as well, because there are possibilities to bungee jump, raft or abseilling.

Nice places to go are Hazyview and Hoedspruit. With many touristic atractions! Tip: If you optimally want to enjoy the route it’s smart to go when the weather is clear.

If you are on the route I can advise you to go to:

- The Pinnacle: This is a rockformation which extending from almost 30 meters above the trees.

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- God’s Window: One of the hot spots of the Panoramaroute. Where you have a beautifull view on the Lowveld. But the weather must be clear, else it’s “closed” because of the clouds.

-Rainforest: This old rainforest is next to God’s Window, so if you visit God’s Window it’s easy to go to the rainforest. You go further up the mountain and go through some smaller paths into the forest. If you’re with older people I would advise to stay at God’s Window.

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-Three rondavels: A very beautifull view on the Blyde River Canyon. It’s nearly 2000 meters from sea level. That mades this canyon one of the biggest in the world and the second biggest in Africa. The biggest you can find in Namibia. The Fish River Canyon.

- Waterfalls: On the Panoramaroute are also 3 waterfalls to visit. These are the Lisbon, Berlin or Mac Mac falls. If you have the opportunity, it’s great to!

25 ©Stef van den Bosch - Bourke’s luck potholes Bourke’s Luck Potholes are a series of natural geological formations that seem nearer to art than nature. Formed by centuries of water flowing through the landscape, this natural attraction is made up of inter-connected pools, interlaced with sandstone outcrops.

- Pilgrims rest Pilgrims rest is a old gold seekers village which is in old original condition. A living museum, where you can have a perfect lunch or drink and take a walk through.

26 ©Stef van den Bosch Swaziland: Swaziland is a country inside South-Africa. In total there are two countries inside South Africa. Lesotho as well. Swaziland has a rich culture, stunning landscapes, art and amazing wildlife. There’s a lot of things to do such as: game reserves, casino’s, glass and candle factory, Maguga dam, Swazi cultural villages etcetera.

We normaly go with a friend of ours who takes care of the visum. If you’re not from South Africa I would advise you to go with a tour, they know all the places and help you at the border. For example at the border. For more information you can check: http://www.thekingdomofswaziland.com.

Maputo: With-in a 1,5 hour drive from Lituba Place lies Maputo, the capital of Mozambique. A city with old Portugese influence. A lot of Portugese people left Mozambique during the civil war. Now you see that their houses are inhabited by Mozambicans. And build it into shops. There are many things to visit such as: Fish market, train station,

27 ©Stef van den Bosch municipal market, Portugese fort, the busy streets, the beach, the famous Polana hotel and many more. For overseas people I would advise to go with a tour. You can check: www.lonelyplanet.com/mozambique/maputo/

Komatipoort: Komatipoort is a small town close to Marloth Park. This village is next to the border of Mozambique and you will find a lot of Mozambicans in town preparing to go to Mozambique. Most of them take a lot home to their families. Especially before christmas it’s busy. A real South African place.

There is a shopping area and Shoprite mall with stores as: Spar supermarket, Vodacom, clothes stores, hardware and some fast food restaurants such as Wimpy’s, Debonais pizza, Burger King etc.

Chimp eden park: Situated within the beautiful 1,000 hectare Umhloti Nature Reserve, 15 kilometres outside Nelspruit, the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) South Africa Chimpanzee Sanctuary is home to chimps that have been misplaced from their natural habitats in Africa. This is the first and only chimpanzee sanctuary in South Africa. Within 1 hour drive from Lituba Place.

28 ©Stef van den Bosch Nelspruit Botanical gardens: The character of the garden is shaped by the two main rivers that cut across it, namely the Crocodile and Nels River. The garden plays a critical role in conservation of rare and endangered species and played a pivotal role in establishing the cycad gene bank. Within 1 hour drive from Lituba Place.

Because the house is rented out regularly, we would like to share the experiences of the guests with you. This give you an impression of how people enjoyed Lituba Place.

The average score of 5 reviews:

Simcard: When I’m in South Africa I always buy a simcard from the Vodacom store. Most of the time directly at the airport. I do this because I always can contact home, friends or search on Google for activities etc. Staff from the Vodacom store will put in the simcard and help you install it. You can put internet, call minutes and SMS on the simcard seperatly. This starts allready from a few Rands. Your What’sApp number doesn’t have to change, so you still have your old What’sApp number and history. You can choose that when installing the simcard. The costs for a simcard are like 10USD and with 1 GB internet, calling and SMS 25 USD in total.

Malaria & vaccinations: The eastern part of South Africa, Kruger Park and Marloth Park for example are areas where Malaria is active. Mostly from September till June. If you are visiting between this months I advise to take anti malaria pills. Think also about vaccinations as Hepatitis A and DTP. Yellow fever does not accur in South Africa. Keep in mind that you don’t stop in a country where Yellow fever is active, for example with your flight. For 100% security please advise health service in your country.

Car renting: I always rent a car at Woodford (Johannesburg). Woodford has a wide choice of cars, mostly not that pricy and always pays back the deposit. You can make a reservation for a car before you go on holiday, but it doesn’t give you a 100% chance you really get that car. If they give you another car, then it’s one in the same category. If you want to make a reservation before, try woodford.co.za. The South African website can be cheaper sometimes. Make sure your creditcard limit is high enough for renting a car. Another good car rental is Hertz or Avis. I also recommend a car with high ground clearence or 4x4. Marloth Park and the KNP has a lot of dirt roads and in the Kruger it’s also nice to have an higher view. Also B-roads can have a lot of pothholes, higher cars with bigger tires don’t damage that easely.

33 ©Stef van den Bosch Getting to Marloth Park: If you're coming from the Gauteng direction, just keep driving the N12 and N4, up to Nelspruit, Malelane and Marloth Park. The drive will be about 4,5 hours (without stops). Further past Witbank you can choose between Beneden waterval or Boven waterval. Boven waterval gives you a beautiful scenery through the mountains, but costs 30 minutes more compared to Beneden waterval. The recommended route to enter Marloth Park is by Gate 2. Keep driving the N4 till you see the sign Tenbosch / Marloth Park (recommended route). The road to Gate 1 isn't yet asphalted, but is drivable. Gate 2 E2 and Gate 1 J8 on the map. Lituba Place is C8.

34 ©Stef van den Bosch On arrival: The caretakers are Don and Trish Raine. They live in Marloth Park. They will hand you the keys and show the house. They will also help you check out. When you're about half an hour drive of Marloth Park (like Malelane) you can phone Don or Trish. If something isn’t right, or you want to give them a compliment please give them a call, they are very friendly people! Trish: 0027 72 0941592 Don: 0027 83 459 2071

Be aware: Marloth Park, situated in the Wild Frontier of South Africa, is relatively safe. But still there are wild animals around who feel safer to roam around when human activity is getting quiet. For that reason it’s not allowed to walk through the bush on food or bike after 19:00u till 05:00u. The police or security companies will enforce these laws with a fine.Walking around the house ins’t a problem of course. Also because the house is build in the bush, there can be some insects in the roof or animals like gecko’s. This can not be helped, that’s the bush. So if you find very small poo, it’s from a gecko.

Some rules: Pets aren’t allowed inside Marloth Park, they can spread deseases or be a threat to wildlife, or wildlife to them.

Don’t leave trash outside, next to garbage bins or anywhere else in the park. It harms animals, plants and can poison the water. People of Marloth Park need to clean up the garbage after you.

Don’t hold party’s or play loud music! Marloth Park isn’t meant for that and most people come for the peace, quiet and to enjoy sounds of the bush. Sound travels far within the bush. It’s not allowed to hold a party at Lituba Place or stay with more then six people. When caught doing so Field Security or the police will be allerted and remove guests from the house.

Only make fire on the braai (nowhere else!), and keep it low. The bush is always dry and the smallest spark can set a bushfire.

The caretakers: Trish: 0027 72 0941592 Don: 0027 83 459 2071

Doctor Komatipoort: Mel Stronkhorst 0027 13 793 7306 Rissik Medical Centre, 71 Rissik Street, Komatipoort, 1340

Snake catcher: John Webb: 0027 (0)797785359

Need help?! Field Security or red button: 0027 (0) 828281043

Marloth Park Honory Rangers: 0027 (0) 828025894

If you want to make daytrips, call Gavin Adcock (0027 72 3568474). He orginazes day, morning and night trips to Krugerpark, but also day trips to Maputo (Mozambique), Swaziland, Panoramaroute and way more. Website:http://www.sasekileafrica.co.za

Would you like to go tigerfishing? It’s more than only fishing, a whole adventure itself. Be aware of the other animals . Call Craig McLean or Komati River Lodge at 0027 791866423.

Address Lituba Place: Kameelperd Avenue 1482 1340 Marloth Park (South Africa)

Thank you for reading my E-book. I hope you have enjoyed reading it. I wish you all a pleasant stay at Lituba Place!

If you have questions, suggestions or tips, please contact me! I love to hear new ideas or feedback. I also lived in Cape Town, so if you’re traveling further and you have questions I am here to help you.

Don’t forget to like us on facebook and follow the last news! www.facebook.com/litubaplace

Contact information: Name: Stef van den Bosch English website: www.lituba.co.za Dutch website: www.litubaplace.nl Movie: 2 minute Lituba video (paper version? Youtube -> Lituba place) E-mail: [email protected] Phone: +0031 6 46592862

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