Groot Marico is a hamlet in the North West Province of South Africa. The economy relies heavily on agriculture, mining, and tourism. Groot Marico is named after the Marico River.
The topography comprises dry bushveld with a climate that is ideal for cattle, maize, citrus fruit, and tobacco. Open-pit quarries in the area extract marble, slate, and andalusite, with prospects of large-scale nickel mining on the banks of the Groot Marico river as well as the majority of the farms surrounding the hamlet having sparked a successful regional petition against such development.
In 2016 a new diamond prospecting application was initiated, bringing a new round of local community objections and petitioning.
The town was formed by the Voortrekkers in the 1850s and was only proclaimed in 1948.
The word “Marico” was made famous in South Africa by Herman Charles Bosman‘s writings of this area and later re-enactments of these tales by actor Patrick Mynhardt. Bosman described the area thus:
| “ | There is no other place I know that is so heavy with atmosphere, so strangely and darkly impregnated with that stuff of life that bears the authentic stamp of South Africa | ” |
At least part of Bosman’s musings may have been inspired by sips of the mampoer for which Groot Marico is infamous.
In 2010, the farms surrounding Groot Marico were among the last in South Africa to still be connected through party lines to a manual telephone exchange, which requires callers to ask an operator to connect them to other telephone lines by pushing jacks into slots.
Groot Marico is the smallest town in South Africa that hosts an annual arts festival as well as a mountain bike race.
Tours of the Marico area include the Mampoer Tour (mampoer, also known as witblits, is South Africa’s version of moonshine), which includes a visit to the Art Factory – a community art and crafts initiative – a guided nature outing along the Groot Marico River and a traditional farm lunch accompanied by the reading of one of Herman Charles Bosman’s Marico-based stories.
Afternoon tea includes traditional melktert (milk tart) and gemmerbier (ginger beer) at Ouma se Kombuis. Other tours to choose from are the Swartruggens Iron Age Tour, Anglo Boer War Tours, and a Traditional Village Tour.
For the more adventurous visitors swimming in the river, canoeing and hiking is a must.
For the avid birder (bird watching) (there are more than 430 species to look out for), tree identification and stargazing in the clear night sky.
Of course, a trip to the bushveld would not be complete without a game drive and these are available at many of the game farms in the area. Certainly, Marico District and the town of Groot Marico have everything to offer for a genuine South African cultural and bushveld experience.
Last but not least – Rajan’s predator camp, where lions tigers, leopards and a handful of predator cats can be seen close up.
Places of interest and overnight stays are available in the below-listed areas:
Lichtenburg, Madikwe, Mafikeng, Mmabatho, Ottosdal, Zeerust, Swartruggens,
