Originally Posted by
johan rebel
There is no basis in fact for the assertion that game viewing along tarred roads is better than along gravel ones. Your anecdotal experiences proves nothing.
Which roads to drive depends on a whole host of factors. In most instances the road surface is only a minor consideration, if not completely irrelevant.
All the public roads in Addo are tarred or graded.
With some exceptions (i.e. designated 4x4 trails), all roads in SA national parks are suitable to normal sedans. Heavy rain may result in temporary closures, though.
Johan
I dont intend to provide anything that is of any value TO YOU. I try to tell others who plan their visits there are factors they should consider - their time, their safety, their cost if they rent a car. You, on the other hand, only care to show off your knowledge and rebut others who hold different opinions.
The point I want to make is, if one has a rental car, one needs to be mindful when ventures into the dirt road when the dirt road is literally like washboard. Viewing is not guaranteed venturing to the dirt road, but damage to the rental car is a REAL possibility. This is the point I want to get across.
If one can view the majority of animals from the paved roads, there is NO NEED to take UNDUE RISK to drive on the dirt road - if your car is stuck or damage - no matter what rare viewing you may get to see (and most of the time you dont get to see!) would NOT make up for the inconvenience / monetary loss you suffer when the rental car is damaged by the dirt road.
Your knowledge on Kruger is vast - we all know that. But your advice often is impractical - as never consider the time the visitor may have in making a trip, or the cost involved in case there is damage to the rental car.
We drove some pretty rutted roads in Addo - I am sure they are "graded" but they also have deep ruts and one could easily get the underneath of the car damaged if not careful.
The thing to remember is, you do not need a 4x4 to drive the SanParks roads, BUT if you are in a sedan, you need to pay attention to the ACTUAL road conditions when you are there. So you would not get into trouble for unnecessary risk. It can be Very Costly. Have you ever reminded people about this Real Risk, other than keep babbling the roads are fine?