Lower Sabie Rest Camp - Kruger National Park - Campsite Review

 Lower Sabie Rest Camp - Kruger National Park - Campsite Review

• Lower Sabie Campsite
• Kriger National Park 
• Mpumalanga Province
• South Africa
• SanParks

Date Visited - January 2022

Lower Sabie is one of the popular camps in the Kruger National Park. Nice campsites, some with shade. All are paved and have a braai, electricity as well as a tap (nearby). Be aware that some of the campsites are small and it's first come first served. So, look around if you have a big rig! The ablutions were clean neat and tidy. The rest camp has a big shop as well as a restaurant. The restaurant has a lovely deck overlooking the Sabie River. Unfortunately, none of the campsite have a river view. The rest camp does also have a swimming pool.

The rest camp is also near the Sunset Dam, a popular place for birdwatching as well as viewing the many animals that come down to drink.

 See our review here:  

Pretoriuskop Rest Camp - Kruger National Park - Campsite review

 Pretoriuskop Rest Camp - Kruger National Park - Campsite review

• Pretoriuskop Rset Camp
• Kruger National Park
• Mpumalanga Province
• South Africa
• SanParks

Date visited: January 2023

Pretoriuskop is situated in the Kruger National Park in South Africa. The camping sites are ok (some are along the boundary fence - nice!) and the ablutions were really nice and clean. There is electric power, water and a braai. The rest camp also has a shop, a restaurant as well as a lovely swimming pool. There are some nice drives near the camp and we were lucky with our game viewing (also see our Kruger vlog on our YouTube channel!). All in all, a nice composite.

 See our review here: 

Punda Maria - Kruger National Park - Campsite Review

 Punda Maria - Kruger National Park - Campsite Review

• Punda Maria
• Kruger National Park
• SanParks
• Limpopo Province
• South Africa

Visited:  May 2022

Punda Maria in the far northern section of the Kruger National Park is a lovely campsite. Nice ablutions and the campsite hide overlooking a waterhole.

Nish shop and there is also a fuel station.

The campsite also has a lovely swimming pool for the hot summer days.

Some sites have electricity (need to book those) and all sites have a braai.

See our review here:  

 

Shingwedzi Campsite - Campsite Review

• Shingwedzi Campsite
• Kruger National Park
• South Africa

Date Visited : April 2021

This campsite is situated within the Kruger National Park, in South Africa. Its quiet a big campsite and the ablutions are a long way from some of the campsites (depending on where you set up camp). All the sites ahve electric power points. There is a nice swimming pool. When you book you book either sites along the fence or "inside" sites. We had a site along the fence (paid for it) - but did not see any animals from our site. There are camp kitchens where you can cook on gas and get hot water as well as wash your dishes.

What we liked about this campsite:

• Situated within Kruger
• Lovely drive across the river
• Nice clean ablutions
• The swimming pool

What we did not like about ths campsite:

• Nothing

See our video here :

Punda Maria Campsite - Campsite Review

 Punda Maria Campsite - Campsite Review

• Punda Maria
• Kruger National Park
• Campsites with and without electricity

Date Visited: April 2021

This campsite, situated within the Kruger National Park, is in the very Northern section of the Kruger. It has sites with and sites without electricity. There is a lovely hide/viewing deck overlooking a waterhole (when  the renovations are complete the waterhole will be refilled) and you can see a variety of game at from the hide.

The camp does have a swimming pool (lovely and clean) and there is a shop as well as a restaurant. In addition, the camp has a fuel station where you can fill up on diesel and petrol. There are a number of self drive routes near the camp and we found these to be very usefull for late afternoon drives.

This is one route option:

But we prefer to keep on the N1 and enter the Kruger at the Pafuri gate:

What we liked about Punda Maria:

• The hide/viewing deck
• The restaurant
• The easy access to lovely short drives
• The Northern Kruger (Crooks Corner)
• The swimming pool

What we did not like about Punda Maria:

• The fact that when it's busy the staff do not check if those that have booked sites without electricity are in fact not using the electricity plugpoints. When you arrive in the busy season, it's unlikely that you will get a plugpointy even if you have booked and paid for one!
• The ablutions were very old and in need of updating. (this may have been done by now)

See our video here:

TSENDZE RUSTIC CAMPSITE - Campsite Review

 Tsendze Rustic Campsite - Campsite review

• Tsendze Rustic Campsite
• Kruger National Park
• South Africa

Date Visited : March 2021

This campsite is situated within the Kruger National Park, in South Africa. It's a fantastic campsite. It's termed a rustic campsite because there is no electricity, no shop and there are no chalets. It's just an amazing campsite. The campsite is fenced, but when you leave or return you have to open and close the gate yourself. There are ablutions, a section where you can cook on gas powered cookers as well as a dish washing section.

You have various routes from Johannesburg, as depicted below :

And the campsite is situated near a river (but unfortunately you cannot see the river from the campsite):

What we like about this campsite:

• Situated within the Kruger National Park
• Rustic (no noise from shops, chalets etc)
• No power (so its generally quieter)
• Lovely ablutions (hot water form gas)
• Plenty of trees
• Owels frequent the trees and you can view a few of these
• The froendle manager and his wife
• Just the pure bush feel

What we did not like about this campsite:

• Absolutly nothing

See our video here : 

Hazyview and Kruger- October 2016

Dullstroom, Hazyview, Kruger Park - October 2016


So, we had decided to take a few days out and visit the Hazyview area in Mpumalanga.
It was just to be a long week-end and I took off Friday and Monday.

We decided to leave early on the Friday, so as to arrive in Dullstroom in time for breakfast.

Just prior to entering Dullstroom you pass through a village of Belfast. We noticed that some of the homes had no roofs. Then just outside of town, all the trees were snapped in half and the trunks had no branches or leaves.

 It was an hairy sight. Turns out they had had a tornado the day before. It was the second one, they had one in Feb 2016 as well.
I found some stuff on You Tube, but it does not show the trees snapped in half, which was an amazing sight.

Tornado Belfast 26/10/2016 - YouTube

Dullstroom is a small dorp/town.
http://dullstroom.co.za/

Their website advises :
Culture is abundant here with true culinary experiences.  Numerous excellent restaurants, coffee shops, craft-beer brewery and a world-renowned whisky bar and eclectic pubs all form part of this relaxed village.  Dullstroom supports a significant arts community – and is an escape for artists, writers and musicians.  Come out and play in this unique African jewel.

 We stopped off at a charming little restaurant called Charlie C's and had a superb breakfast.

After breakfast we took a pleasurably walk around a few shops. Found a outrageously expensive chocolate shop (so did not purchase anything there) and made our way over to the clock shop.
This is really an interesting shop with over 5000 clocks on display.
I was looking for the works for a small clock that I have (but where the mechanism has broken).
The lady assistant went out of her way to assist me with what I required and eventually found the correct mechanism somewhere in their factory.

From Dullstroom we made our way along the R540 to Lydenburg. This road was ok, but from Lydenburg to Pilgrim's Rest the R36 was not in a good condition at all.
It was sad to see how dry the entire area was and how the drought had impacted the trees and especially the bush.

Pilgrim's Rest
http://www.pilgrims-rest.co.za/
We made it to Pilgrim's rest and there we found The Stables Deli and Cafe. It gets its name because it used to be the sables for the Royal Hotel and this is the place where the guests would stable their horses when they stayed overnight.
Had a very cold beer, as it was extremely hot in the valley. 

We did not hang around too long and after a few beers made our way over to Hazyview and Waterberry Hill, where we had a reservation.

Hazyview
http://www.hazyviewinfo.co.za/
Hazyview has really grown in the last few years and there are now a few shopping centers/malls in town. So, you are able to get everything that you need at these malls.

Waterberry Hill
http://www.waterberryhill.co.za
Waterberry hill is set on top of a hill and the name waterberry comes from indigenous trees of the same name.
This is a very nice resort and the chalet that we had had everything that we needed (EXCEPT for an air conditioner). It was really extremely hot the weekend that we were there. The chalet did, however, have a ceiling fan in each bedroom, the kitchen and the lounge. I had also taken along 2 fans as well.
There was a nice braai, which we used on two evenings.
The pool was good.

We had decided to do two things whilst in the area. one, drive around and visit some of the attractions and two, visit the Kruger park.


Barberton
http://barberton.co.za/
Our first day, Saturday, we decided to take a leisurely drive across to Barbeton. This is a 143km drive from the resort. I had had a look at the Barberton website and it sounded interesting. Well, what a let down, really.

The town was not looking good, the only tea room was out in the open and called the Victorian Tea Garden and Restaurant. I don't think that the tea room had had a coat of paint since Victorian times. But, the cool-drink was good.

They do have a very comprehensive information center and I was able to obtain a few maps etc. The lady operating the Information center was extremely helpful and knowledgeable.

From Barbeton we made our way back to Mbombelo and then back to the resort.

On the Sunday we decided to visit the Kruger Park, entering through the Phabeni gate and exiting through the Numbi gate.

Kruger National Park
https://www.sanparks.org/parks/kruger/

The entry was painless and ZAR 210.00 for 3 adults for the day was a great price, I thought.
The park is really looking dreadful. The drought has had a devastating impact on the vegetation and there is almost no grass left for grazing. Its amazing that the antelope all look so healthy. One disturbing sighting was two hippo lying in a very small pool of mud. It was mud, because the water in the dam had dried up. 

We had a very good day, sighting wise and did see 4 of the big five as well as many antelope, zebra and giraffe.
However, as far as zebra and wildebeest go, we were only able to see 2 wildebeest and about 4 zebra. A few buffalo were also sighted an 2 occasions.
We were lucky enough to see Hyena as well.
Elephant were only seen on their own (one at a time, no heard's).
Its extremely dry !!

But, as I said, we were lucky with the animal sightings :

Zebra :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zebra
Zebras (/ˈzɛbrə/ zeb-rə or /ˈziːbrə/ zee-brə)^[1] are several species of African equids(horse family) united by their distinctive black and white striped coats. Their stripes come in different patterns, unique to each individual. They are generally social animals that live in small harems to large herds.

Hyena:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyena
Hyenas or hyaenas (from Greek ὕαινα hýaina^[1]) are any feliform carnivoranmammals of the family Hyaenidae /haɪˈɛnᵻdiː/. With only four extant species, it is the fifth-smallest biological family in the Carnivora, and one of the smallest in the class Mammalia.^[2] Despite their low diversity, hyenas are unique and vital components of most African ecosystems.^[3]

Leopard:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopard
The leopard is distinguished by its well-camouflaged fur, opportunistic hunting behaviour, broad diet, and strength (which it uses to move heavy carcasses into trees), as well as its ability to adapt to various habitats ranging from rainforest to steppe, including arid and montane areas, and its ability to run at speeds of up to 58 kilometres per hour (36 mph).^[5]

Giraffe:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giraffe
The giraffe's chief distinguishing characteristics are its extremely long neck and legs, its horn-like ossicones, and its distinctive coat patterns. It is classified under the family Giraffidae, along with its closest extant relative, the okapi. Each of the four species is distinguished by its coat patterns and genetics. Its scattered range extends from Chad in the north to South Africa in the south, and from Niger in the west to Somalia in the east.

Kudu :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kudu

The kudu are two species of antelope of the genus Tragelaphus:

• Lesser kudu, Tragelaphus imberbis, of eastern Africa
• Greater kudu, Tragelaphus strepsiceros, of eastern and southern Africa

Like many other antelope, male kudus can be found in bachelor groups, but they are more likely to be solitary. Their dominance displays tend not to last long and are generally fairly peaceful, consisting of one male making himself look big by making his hair stand on end. When males do have a face-off, they will lock their horns in a competition to determine the stronger puller; kudus' necks enlarge during the mating season for this reason.

Elephant :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elephant
Elephants are large mammals of the family Elephantidae and the order Proboscidea. Two species are traditionally recognised, the African elephant(Loxodonta africana) and the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus), although some evidence suggests that African bush elephants and African forest elephants are separate species (L. africana and L. cyclotis respectively). Elephants are scattered throughout sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia.

Impala :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impala
The impala (pronounced /ɪmˈpɑːlə,-ˈpalə/) (Aepyceros melampus) is a medium-sized antelope in eastern and southern Africa. The sole member of the genus Aepyceros, it was first described by German zoologist Martin Hinrich Carl Lichtenstein in 1812. Two subspecies are recognised – the common impala, and the larger and darker black-faced impala. The impala reaches 70–92 centimetres (28–36 inches) at the shoulder and weighs 40–76 kilograms (88–168 pounds). It features a glossy, reddish brown coat. The male's slender, lyre-shaped horns are 45–92 centimetres (18–36 in) long.

Cheetah :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheetah
The cheetah (pronounced /ˈtʃiːtə/) (Acinonyx jubatus), also known as the hunting leopard^{[citation needed]}, is a big cat that occurs mainly in eastern and southern Africa and a few parts of Iran. The only extant member of the genus Acinonyx, the cheetah was first described by Johann Christian Daniel von Schreber in 1775. The cheetah is characterised by a slender body, deep chest, spotted coat, a small rounded head, black tear-like streaks on the face, long thin legs and a long spotted tail. Its lightly built, slender form is in sharp contrast with the robust build of the other big cats. The cheetah reaches nearly 70 to 90 cm (28 to 35 in) at the shoulder, and weighs 21–72 kg (46–159 lb). Though taller than the leopard, it is notably smaller than the lion. Basically yellowish tan or rufous to greyish white, the coat is uniformly covered with nearly 2,000 solid black spots.

Southern Ground Hornbill :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_ground_hornbill
The southern ground hornbill (Bucorvus leadbeateri; formerly known as Bucorvus cafer), is one of two species of ground hornbill and is the largest species of hornbill. 
This is a large bird, at 90 to 129 centimetres (35.4 to 50.8 in) long. Females weigh 2.2 to 4.6 kilograms (4.9 to 10.1 lb), while the larger males weigh 3.5 to 6.2 kilograms (7.7 to 13.7 lb).
The southern ground hornbill is characterized by black coloration and vivid red patches of bare skin on the face and throat (yellow in juvenile birds), which are generally believed to keep dust out of the birds eyes while they forage during the dry season. The white tips of the wings (primary feathers) seen in flight are another diagnostic characteristic. The beak is black and straight and presents a casque, more developed in males. Female southern ground hornbills are smaller and have violet-blue skin on their throats. Juveniles to six years old lack the prominent red pouch, but have a duller patch of grey in its place.

Some birds seen in the park :

We exited the park at Numbi gate and the litter was disgusting. Mounds lying next to the road and it appears nothing being done about it.

On the Monday it was time to leave Waterberry Hill. 
We were in no rush and were taking the "normal" route home. Thats via White River, Mombelo and along the N4 and N12 back to Johannesburg.

Millys
http://millys.co.za/
We stopped off at Millys for some lunch. It was quiet windy, and the small lake looked very choppy. Anyway, the lunch was good.

We arrived back home at about 3pm.

A good trip !


Trip Details :

Total Km's :             1,380 Km
Fuel Cost :      ZAR 1,732,59
Total Fuel :                  138,80 L
L 100 Km's :                  10,06
Cost per Km :  ZAR          1,26