(Camping in) Kruger in December
Nov 22, 2016, 1:55 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Bali
Posts: 261
(Camping in) Kruger in December
It looks like my original plan to travel to Namibia and Etosha next month isn't going to work due to a change in school schedules for one of my kids.
Since we can't change all of our tickets, one last-minute-ish idea is to spend 4-6 days in Joburg and Kruger with one child only and then meet up with the other half of the family in Cape Town for the rest of the holiday.
I've checked the SANParks website and there is still lodging inside Kruger in mid-December, although it dries up the closer you get to Xmas.
The main question I have is whether it is still worth visiting Kruger given the pervasive drought. I would rent a car and drive from Joburg, and probably stick to the southern half of Kruger. Depending on which camps we choose, I might also bring along a tent and sleeping bags.
Also, is there a big difference between the northern and southern halves of Kruger in terms of animals, lodging and food options. My preference is to stick to the southern half as it means less driving to/from JNB, but I noticed that some of the recommended rest camps (mentioned on FT) are in the northern half of the park.
In the southern half, I am looking at Crocodile Bridge and Berg-en Dal for rest camps and probably the Protea on our first or last nights. Are there any other kid/family-friendly and/or camping-friendly rest camps (anywhere in the park) you would recommend?
Any other advice would be most welcomed.
Thanks!
Since we can't change all of our tickets, one last-minute-ish idea is to spend 4-6 days in Joburg and Kruger with one child only and then meet up with the other half of the family in Cape Town for the rest of the holiday.
I've checked the SANParks website and there is still lodging inside Kruger in mid-December, although it dries up the closer you get to Xmas.
The main question I have is whether it is still worth visiting Kruger given the pervasive drought. I would rent a car and drive from Joburg, and probably stick to the southern half of Kruger. Depending on which camps we choose, I might also bring along a tent and sleeping bags.
Also, is there a big difference between the northern and southern halves of Kruger in terms of animals, lodging and food options. My preference is to stick to the southern half as it means less driving to/from JNB, but I noticed that some of the recommended rest camps (mentioned on FT) are in the northern half of the park.
In the southern half, I am looking at Crocodile Bridge and Berg-en Dal for rest camps and probably the Protea on our first or last nights. Are there any other kid/family-friendly and/or camping-friendly rest camps (anywhere in the park) you would recommend?
Any other advice would be most welcomed.
Thanks!
Last edited by mileagerunner; Nov 22, 2016 at 2:01 am
Nov 23, 2016, 2:53 am
#2
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 1999
Location: Seat 1A, Juice pretty much everywhere, Mucci des Coins Exotiques
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I was there before in December, in the south at Skukuza, and thought it perfect. Skukuza is a larger camp with lots of facilities including golf and I think it would be good for kids. We stayed in a "hut" which was more like an old Holiday Inn room. I agree about the less driving point. Kruger is awfully big and the speed limits are naturally very slow.
I'll leave it to experts who know what's happening there at the moment to say what the animals are up to with the drought.
I'll leave it to experts who know what's happening there at the moment to say what the animals are up to with the drought.
Nov 23, 2016, 12:48 pm
#3
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Join Date: Oct 2000
Posts: 14,352
I avoid Kruger like the plague in December, and the southern half generally, because of the the large number of visitors and the traffic. Too many motorized morons. Others may not find this as annoying, though.
Animals numbers are generally higher in the southern and eastern parts.
As for the drought, there has been some rain recently, especially in the south. I've been right on the KNP boundary for the past couple of weeks. Plenty of overcast, windy and drizzly days, the bush is beginning to look lush and green. The herbivores have taken a real hammering, the buffalo especially have been clobbered. There is a dead one on just about every corner. The predators have never had it so good, which can make them a bit tricky to find. With food everywhere they don't have to move around much. If there's no carcass available all they have to do is push over the nearest buffalo. Even had a leopard kill an adult buffalo cow yesterday, which is unheard of. Admittedly the biggest leopard I have ever seen, but still.
Game viewing in general excellent so far. More rain can be expected, so things may change. Radar images show that it is raining in central Kruger right now.
Crocodile Bridge is a really nice camp, one of my favorites. Other camps I like are Tamboti, Shingwedzi and Punda Maria.
Johan
Animals numbers are generally higher in the southern and eastern parts.
As for the drought, there has been some rain recently, especially in the south. I've been right on the KNP boundary for the past couple of weeks. Plenty of overcast, windy and drizzly days, the bush is beginning to look lush and green. The herbivores have taken a real hammering, the buffalo especially have been clobbered. There is a dead one on just about every corner. The predators have never had it so good, which can make them a bit tricky to find. With food everywhere they don't have to move around much. If there's no carcass available all they have to do is push over the nearest buffalo. Even had a leopard kill an adult buffalo cow yesterday, which is unheard of. Admittedly the biggest leopard I have ever seen, but still.
Game viewing in general excellent so far. More rain can be expected, so things may change. Radar images show that it is raining in central Kruger right now.
Crocodile Bridge is a really nice camp, one of my favorites. Other camps I like are Tamboti, Shingwedzi and Punda Maria.
Johan
Nov 25, 2016, 2:20 am
#4
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2000
Posts: 14,352
Update
I drove through the KNP from Orpen to Pafuri yesterday, i.e. roughly the northern 2/3rds.
It is a bit of a mosaic. Some parts are lush and verdant, in others the ground cover is almost nonexistent. Even in the dryer parts there has been at least some rain, there is water in pans and wallows. If more rain follows, the bush will soon look almost normal. The herbivores will need longer to recover, though, with the exception of all the dead ones. Resurrection strikes me as unlikely.
Game viewing exceptionally good. Saw cheetah, hyaenas, wild dogs (twice) and lions (five times) on the way up, plus all the usual stuff of course. In contrast to what one would expect, the lions are not hanging around the water holes, probably because there are so many dead and teetering prey animals around that they do not have to lie in wait at a drinking point.
Johan
It is a bit of a mosaic. Some parts are lush and verdant, in others the ground cover is almost nonexistent. Even in the dryer parts there has been at least some rain, there is water in pans and wallows. If more rain follows, the bush will soon look almost normal. The herbivores will need longer to recover, though, with the exception of all the dead ones. Resurrection strikes me as unlikely.
Game viewing exceptionally good. Saw cheetah, hyaenas, wild dogs (twice) and lions (five times) on the way up, plus all the usual stuff of course. In contrast to what one would expect, the lions are not hanging around the water holes, probably because there are so many dead and teetering prey animals around that they do not have to lie in wait at a drinking point.
Johan
Nov 25, 2016, 6:37 am
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Bali
Posts: 261
johan rebel, thanks for your timely insights. After I wrote my post, I read that there was some rain finally.
For the drive from JNB to Kruger, are there any must-visit stops in your opinion? Thinking we'll take our time along the Panorama Route and stop at Blyde River Canyon for a hike before hitting Kruger.
Thanks again
For the drive from JNB to Kruger, are there any must-visit stops in your opinion? Thinking we'll take our time along the Panorama Route and stop at Blyde River Canyon for a hike before hitting Kruger.
Thanks again
Nov 26, 2016, 2:02 am
#6
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Join Date: Oct 2000
Posts: 14,352
Update 2
The very northern part of the Kruger (the Limpopo and Luvuvhu valleys) was bone dry yesterday, now it's at 120 mm, and counting. That's about 30% of the annual mean in 10 hours. Finally petering off now.
It's about 25 years ago since I last did the Panorama Route properly, so I'm probably not the first person you should ask. I can say that it is very weather dependent, though.
Johan
It's about 25 years ago since I last did the Panorama Route properly, so I'm probably not the first person you should ask. I can say that it is very weather dependent, though.
Johan
Dec 5, 2016, 3:42 am
#7
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Join Date: Oct 2000
Posts: 14,352
Update 3
Drove from Pafuri to Olifants on Friday. Torrential rain during the preceding night in a wide area around Mopani, somewhat less towards Letaba and only a little near Shingwedzi.
The veld around Mopani was sopping wet, trees and shrubs standing in lakes of water.
The bush in the entire northern half of Kruger is starting to look lush and green.
Johan
The veld around Mopani was sopping wet, trees and shrubs standing in lakes of water.
The bush in the entire northern half of Kruger is starting to look lush and green.
Johan
Dec 5, 2016, 10:56 pm
#8
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Bali
Posts: 261
thanks for the update
if driving a 2WD rental car, does the recent rain make it more challenging to drive on the unsealed roads in the northern half of Kruger? just wondering if those lakes of water you mentioned will be around for a while (and whether I should rent an SUV instead). cheers!
if driving a 2WD rental car, does the recent rain make it more challenging to drive on the unsealed roads in the northern half of Kruger? just wondering if those lakes of water you mentioned will be around for a while (and whether I should rent an SUV instead). cheers!
Dec 6, 2016, 1:00 am
#9
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Join Date: Oct 2000
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A 2WD drive will be just fine. I do recommend a SUV though, the improved visibility makes all the difference when spotting game, especially in summer when the bush is thick.
For several days I drove up and down a 1˝ km access road that for most of its length resembled a river. This road was not even graveled, just compacted soil, yet I did just fine in 2WD.
The section rangers close the unsealed roads to traffic when they are too wet. Not because vehicles might get stuck, but to avoid road damage. Although I get the impression that there is a degree of randomness to the process, after a genuine deluge or heavy rain that persists for a few days, you may find that every single gravel road has been closed, restricting you to the few tar roads in the area.
How long gravel roads stay closed also varies. After 121 mm the other week, the roads along the Luvuvhu River were closed for only a day, but when they opened them again they forgot to remove the sign and the branch across the road at the one end.
In the more undulating western half of Kruger the gravel roads often cross dongas (ephemeral streams) without culverts or causeways. These tricky spots may keep such roads closed for several days, even though the road is otherwise dry and fine again.
As for those lakes of water: most of the northern part of Kruger is dominated by Mopane trees and shrubs. These invariably grow on soils with a high clay content, which soils are good at water retention. In such areas the large natural pans etc, once filled up, will hold water all summer, and often even through the following winter. Smaller ones dry up much sooner. Shallow depressions that only fill up after torrential rain can be dry again within a week if it is warm and sunny.
Johan
For several days I drove up and down a 1˝ km access road that for most of its length resembled a river. This road was not even graveled, just compacted soil, yet I did just fine in 2WD.
The section rangers close the unsealed roads to traffic when they are too wet. Not because vehicles might get stuck, but to avoid road damage. Although I get the impression that there is a degree of randomness to the process, after a genuine deluge or heavy rain that persists for a few days, you may find that every single gravel road has been closed, restricting you to the few tar roads in the area.
How long gravel roads stay closed also varies. After 121 mm the other week, the roads along the Luvuvhu River were closed for only a day, but when they opened them again they forgot to remove the sign and the branch across the road at the one end.
In the more undulating western half of Kruger the gravel roads often cross dongas (ephemeral streams) without culverts or causeways. These tricky spots may keep such roads closed for several days, even though the road is otherwise dry and fine again.
As for those lakes of water: most of the northern part of Kruger is dominated by Mopane trees and shrubs. These invariably grow on soils with a high clay content, which soils are good at water retention. In such areas the large natural pans etc, once filled up, will hold water all summer, and often even through the following winter. Smaller ones dry up much sooner. Shallow depressions that only fill up after torrential rain can be dry again within a week if it is warm and sunny.
Johan