Camps, Kruger National Park

Punda Maria, in the extreme north of the Kruger National Park at the foot of the Dimbo Mountain, is a small and simple hutted camp with a restaurant, shops, a filling station and a nature trail. From the camp there are wide views over the Mopane plain. The camp was originally built in 1919 for the forestry authorities but has been modernized.The sandveld round Punda Maria is an offshoot of the Kalahari basin. To the north of Punda Maria, on the Luvuvhu River, the dry savanna gives place to gallery forests of tropical aspect. This area, less frequented by tourists, will appeal particularly to bird-watchers: there are excellent opportunities for observation on S 99, a circular route (25km/15mi) which begins near the camp. At Klopperfontein, 20km/12.5mi northeast of the camp, are a number of giant baobab trees on the edge of a waterhole. Big game can often be seen here. 23km/14mi beyond this the road comes to the Luvuvhu River (picnic area). There is a bridge from which crocodiles and hippopotamuses can be observed. From here a track runs east along the river to the Pafuri picnic area, with good views of the banks of the river.

The Shingwedzi camp, 73km/45mi southeast of Punda Maria, is the largest of the three camps in the northern part of the park. Its amenities include a restaurant, a cafeteria, a swimming pool, a shop and video shows.There are good viewpoints for observing game on the road from Punda Maria to Shingwedzi. A few mi north of the camp elephants, buffaloes and baboons are frequently seen and, more rarely, wild dogs and leopards. 10km/6mi north of Shingwedzi S 56 goes off the road on the left, following the Mphongolo River, and in 30km/19mi rejoins the road at the Babalala rest area. Another track runs southeast from Shingwedzi to the Kanniedood Dam, where there is a game observation point.

The modern and very luxurious Mopani camp, with accommodation in different categories, has a restaurant, a cafeteria, a filling station, a shop, a swimming pool and an information center.There is an excellent game observation point at the Nshawu Dam, 17km/10.5mi east of Mopani, where herds of elephants gather, particularly after rain.Mopani Rest Camp is the newest of all the rest camps and commands a spectacular view over the Pioneer Dam.

This excellently equipped camp lies in a wide bend on the Letaba River. The information center, which will advise visitors about the animals (particularly elephants) to be seen in the area, has a collection of elephant tusks. Those of a bull elephant known as Shawu, 3.17m/10ft 5in. long, are believed to be the longest ever found in southern Africa.In the savanna country round Letaba live many species of antelopes and cheetahs. At shady waterholes elephants, buffaloes, zebras and gazelles can be observed. The most beautiful tracks round Letaba are S 46 and S 93 and 44, which run southeast along the Letaba River. The Engelhard Dam to the east and the Mingerhout Dam are also good places for observing game.The Letaba rest camp is situated midway between the southern and northern boundaries of the Kruger National Park.

The Olifants camp, with its magnificent old trees, is one of the finest in the National Park. From the camp itself, situated 100m/330ft above the Olifants River, there are excellent views. If you are lucky enough to get one of the comfortable huts overlooking the river you will be able, with the help of field-glasses, to see game along its banks. The sunrises and sunsets here are spectacular. The camp also has an aquarium, with tanks in which visitors can see the various species of fish which live in the reserve.10km/6mi west of the camp is the Nwamanzi Lookout, one of the best game observation points in the National Park.

Satara is a modern camp situated in a part of the Kruger National Park where large numbers of big game can be seen. Within the camp is a small pond on which birds can usually be observed at close quarters. The abundance of game round Satara is due to the large numbers of waterholes in the area.At the Nsemani Dam, 9km/5.5mi west of Satara, hippopotamuses and waterbucks can frequently be seen, as well as the occasional pride of lions. 16km/10mi east on S 100 is the Gudzani Dam, where large herds of buffaloes and herds of three or four hundred zebras can be seen. Giraffes are frequently also to be observed. 25km/15mi northwest of Satara, on the banks of the Timbavati River, is the popular picnic area of Marcoela.On the road south from Satara a track goes off on the right, 15km/9mi from the camp, to the nearby Nkayapan waterhole, which, particularly in winter, attracts many animals. The road continues, passing bizarrely shaped baobab trees, to the Kumana Dam (on the east side of the road), which is regularly visited by storks.Satara Rest Camp is situated near the center of the park in the middle of a flat plain of tall- treed Savannah.

The Orpen Rest Camp, at the Kruger National Park's Orpen Gate, is a small camp offering only very simple accommodation (no electricity, no restaurant). Orpen Camp has ten comfortable thatched cottages with 2 beds each and two with 3 beds. In addition, there are 3 larger more luxurious guest cottages, accommodating a maximum of 6 people. There is also a grocery shop.Just outside the fence of Orpen Camp is a small waterhole where game can be seen at just about any time of day. Mostly it is Impala and Baboon that forage round the stony area, but often in the evenings elephants come to drink. Rabelais Dam is 7km /4.3mil from the rest camp.Orpen Camp offers game drives, game walks, and night drives. From time to time wildlife videos are also shown.

From Skukuza a road runs along the Sabie River to the Lower Sabie camp. Big game can almost always be seen in the bush flanking the road, and it is often necessary to brake to avoid giraffes, antelopes, elephants or zebras crossing the road. With its extensive areas of grass and its many trees, the Lower Sabie camp is a pleasant place to stay. The Sabie River, which is dammed at this point, is home to many water birds, and monkeys, elephants, rhinos and buffaloes are frequently also to be seen here.

The Crocodile Bridge is a rest camp with 20 bungalows, a small shop and a parking area for mobile homes. The grassland in the surrounding area attracts zebras, wildebeests, impalas, kudus, gazelles and large herds of buffaloes. In winter the Crocodile River dries up, leaving only small pools, but these are still an important source of water for animals. If you find a good observation point near one of these waterholes you will not have to wait long to see big game. 6km/4mi from the camp there is an observation point from which to watch the hippopotamuses which like to wallow in the mud on the banks of the river.

In the southwest of the National Park, 9km/5.5mi from the Numbi Gate, is the Pretoriuskop camp, the oldest in the park and one of the three largest, with accommodation for 400 visitors, a swimming pool, a restaurant, a shop, a post office and a camping site. Within this area, enclosed by picturesque granite hills, grow 67 different species of trees and 21 species of shrubs, including the coral tree, which produces its blood-red flowers in August and September. Around Pretoriuskop visitors can sometimes see rare species of animals at close quarters, including wild dogs, cheetahs, leopards and rare species of antelope.

The very comfortable Berg-en-Dal camp has magnificent views of the hilly surrounding country. In addition to a restaurant, a shop, a swimming pool, an information center and a filling station it has facilities for conferences of up to 200 people. A short nature trail runs through the camp, from which there are also organized night tours of the surrounding area.Berg-en-Dal Camp is situated on the banks of the Matjulu spruit, in the south western corner of the Kruger National Park, 60km/37mi southeast of Pretoriuskop Camp.