Kruger National Park: Day Visitors and entrance gates

Day Visitors

In recent years, there has been a steady increase in the accommodation available outside the park near the entrance gates. This has resulted in more and more people sleeping outside the park boundaries and making day trips into the park every morning – a process greatly facilitated by the advent of the new Wild Cards. One thing to bear in mind is distance. Often, day visitors pack in too many kilometres and zoom about the place without making the most of the sightings they do come across. It is better to work out shorter routes in densely populated areas of the park.

A number of gates now offer guided walks and drives from the gate for day visitors, so consult the ‘Gate facilities’ table on page 216 and contact the gate directly for more information on times and availability.

Kruger Gate

The proximity of this gate to the Sabie River makes this a popular choice for day visitors. Good sightings are possible as soon as you enter the gate and it is a short drive to the lush and scenic H4–1 (Skukuza–Lower Sabie Road), which follows the course of the Sabie River eastwards.In addition, the Nkuhlu Picnic Site (toilets, gas cookers for hire, chairs and tables, small shop and takeaway) makes an ideal midday stopover. Unfortunately, this route can become very busy and you’ll have plenty of company at any sightings. Another prime route from this gate runs north towards the Tshokwane Picnic Site (toilets, gas cookers for hire, chairs and tables, small shop and takeaway). There are special day-visitor facilities at Skukuza, with a pool, small shop, toilets and kitchenette. Gas cookers can be hired. For more routes see ‘Best drives’ in Skukuza (page 68).

Phabeni and Numbi Gates

These are both relatively close to White River, a popular tourism node outside the park. From either gate it is worth navigating a circular route along the Doispane and Napi roads, using Skukuza Rest Camp (or Skukuza’s day visitor facility), which has everything you could need including a restaurant, takeaway, shop, toilets and so on, as your midday stopover. For more routes, see the ‘Best drives’ in Pretoriuskop (page 55) and Skukuza (page 68).

Malelane and Crocodile Bridge Gates

A popular option for day visitors to the south of the park is to enter at one of these camps and exit at the other, having followed the densely populated Crocodile River Road. Unfortunately, the far bank of the Crocodile River falls outside the park and is heavily farmed so you never really feel that you’ve found a true wilderness. The game is usually very good, however, which certainly mitigates these feelings somewhat. For more routes, see the ‘Best drives’ in Crocodile Bridge (page 35) and Malelane (page 45).

Orpen Gate

This gate is very close to prime predator viewing country, and does not have any of the ‘edge’ effect (i.e. unsightly farmed areas, fences and so on) sometimes associated with other gates. It’s excellent for lion, hyena and leopard along the Timbavati River and its tributaries. Wild dog are often present and you are almost guaranteed elephant sightings. The best route is to follow the H7 (Satara Road) into Satara, which has all the facilities you could want for a midday stopover. For more detailed routes in the area, see the ‘Best drives’ in Orpen (page 76) and Satara (page 80).

Phalaborwa Gate

Situated as close as it is to the centre of Ba-phalaborwa, this is a very popular day-visitors’ area. Unfortunately, good game sightings near the gate can be a little infrequent, although the H9 to Letaba is an attractive drive, passing the Masorini Archaeological Site and various interesting granite koppies that rise up from the surroundings. Furthermore, once you reach the area around Letaba Camp animal sightings certainly improve dramatically, and you are likely to see lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and others. The Letaba Camp makes an ideal stopover, with one of the most scenically sited restaurants in the park overlooking the Letaba River. For more routes, see the ‘Best drives’ in Letaba Camp (page 103).

Punda Maria and Pafuri Gates

These gates are not widely used by day visitors, as the north is not overly renowned for quick sightings. That said, Punda Maria is close enough to Thohoyandou to make it a viable access point for visitors coming from there. For detailed routes, see the ‘Best drives’ in Punda Maria Camp (page 134).

 

For more practical information and activities

• Sleepover hides
• The walking trails
• The 4×4 routes

This is an extract from the Kruger Park Guide by Cameron Ewart-Smith and Sunbird Publishers. Want the whole guidebook? Buy the Getaway Guide to Kruger National Park here.