SanDiego1K

We are thinking of combining a couple days on our own with several days in a high end luxe safari park in the Kruger area. I have some logistical questions about attempting this.

We have award flights booked from JNB into Nelspruit. However, it would be advantageous to return from Sabi Sands airport to JNB. Does anyone know what Federal charges for their regularly scheduled shuttle service between JNB to Sabi Sands?

If we fly into Nelspruit, we want to rent a car and drive up to the Kruger Gate, perhaps staying at the Protea Hotel there. This seems to be about a one hour drive. Is it safe to drive a car after dark? Is there an alternative, such as taxi?

If we spend two nights on our own before going to a luxe camp, is there any place to drop a rental car other than returning it to the Nelspruit airport?

If we have two nights before a luxe camp, are we better to stay at Protea Hotel for two nights, or should we spend one night there and one night at a Kruger Camp such as Berg en Dal?

johan rebel

FedAir operates so-called scheduled charter flights, as far as I know tickets are only available in conjuction with a booking at one of the lodges that use the airstrips FedAir serves. For the life of me I can't recall what I paid last time, but with tickets often sold as part of a package they may well vary depeding on which lodge you are staying at.

South African roads are pretty unsafe at any time of day or night, but personally I do not worry about it. I would hesitate to recommend driving at night, though, unless you have plenty of experience driving in the country. There is a plethora of companies offering transfer services, you should have no problems finding one to take you to your hotel.

Avis has an office at the Skukuza rest camp in Kruger, and I think you can still drop your vehicle off at Skukuza airport as well. That only works if you are flying FedAir from there, though. You can also drive to your lodge and have the rental company pick it up there.

I would definitely go for a Kruger camp, although not necessarily Berg en Dal. If you will be doing your own game drives it is better to start from a Kruger camp, from which you can head out in various directions, instead of entering at a gate with a whole bunch of other vehicles and then all drive down the same road.

Johan

SanDiego1K

Thank you, Johan. You are a consistent outstanding resource on Africa.

Can you please suggest an alternative to Berg-en-Dal, given my trip plans above?

Cheetah_SA

Fully support the idea of a camp rather than the Protea for the second night. It just wouldn't feel authentic if you don't experience one of those, erm... basic bungalows. They have hardly changed in decades - and they were dated before that! To me it's an essential part of the bush.

I am sure you are familiar with the SANParks web site. Your decision may be determined by what is available so check the look of the camps and availability on the site.

I am not an expert on the southern camps of Kruger. But I would suggest that if possible you avoid the largest ones - especially Skukuza which is a very large and charmless camp (actually a small town). On the other hand the smaller, more desirable camps don't have as many facilities and may require self-catering. As I understand it you have a whole day to drive to your camp after your stay at Kruger Gate and then half a day to get to your luxe camp in Sabie Sands - in time for the afternoon game drive, presumably. This gives you ample time to wander quite far into the park. Satara may be pushing it for the drive back but is certainly doable - we managed Olifants to Sabie Sands without any stress. This would expose you to some variations in terrain and vegetation rather than just the rather dense bush of southern Kruger. Lower Sabie is a main camp with all amenities that I have a soft spot for and there are some nicely situated bungalows on the river. You could do a long loop to Lower Sabie via the Satara area on the first day and a more direct route back to Kruger Gate along the Sabie River on the second.

BTW I like your idea of self-drive + luxe. I've done it many times and it really works for me. Most recently, last October a group of 4 of us drove through Kruger for 5 days and then spent 2 in Sabie Sands. Bliss!

SanDiego1K

Cheetah_SA, thanks for your encouragement.

Lower Sabie only has has huts available on the night we need. The huts have a communal toilet area. Acceptable?

Are linens provided in the camps?

gerdemb

Lower Sabie is our favorite camp in the south of Kruger. The communal toilets are fine and the showers are surprisingly hot. Linens, towels and shampoo are always provided even if you are staying in a hut with a communal toilet.

Have fun!

Cheers,
Ben

Cheetah_SA

Yes, all linens are provided. Including rather small, rough towels. And the toiletries are as basic as you can get. I was perversely delighted that they still put out a tiny bar of soap for each person - a bar that is so hard and incapable of creating lather that I do wonder what they make it from! That too hasn't changed in decades.

But, as I say, I get a nostalgic kick out of the fact that most of the Kruger camps are stuck in another, simpler and less sophisticated time. So although everything should be spotlessly clean, don't expect anything to be more than just serviceable. That runs to the food available too. But just relax and enjoy it for what it is - and your luxe camp will be all the more wonderful for the contrast!

SanDiego1K

Thank you, Ben, and I hope we see more posts from you. This really encouraged me to take the plunge.

Cheetah_SA, I've printed out your suggested route and look forward to it. I thnk it's a hoot that I've got a Lower Sabie hut for just 385 rand, pocket change compared to my luxe lodge. Our conservation fees of 408 rand are more than the hut rental.

johan rebel, thanks to you, I learned about Avis and the ability to do a one way drive. I've booked it, planning to drop it off at the Skukuza Rest Camp.

SanDiego1K

I've now read all the info that I got with my booking. Kudos to the South Africa National Park system for the wide range of info sent. It implies that Lower Sabie has both a restaurant and a grocery story. I hadn't expected that, and assumed I needed to do my grocery shopping at Skukuza. (We'll enter at Paul Kruger Gate.) What can you tell me about food offerings at Lower Sabie?

Also, should anyone else be interested in Lower Sabie, I found this info on game viewing routes.

gerdemb

Actually all of the rest camps have stores and restaurants. The camp stores are fairly decent with enough food to do simple self-catering. The restaurants OK and reasonably priced, but nothing fancy. Think one step up from a cafeteria. The Lower Sabie restaurant has a fantastic patio that looks over the river and you often spot animals.

Cheers,
Ben

Cheetah_SA

Ben, that's not quite true. Only the larger ones have a store and a restaurant. Many of the smaller camps have neither. The web site is very good in listing what is available at each. I do agree with your assessment of what is on offer.

SanDiego1K, also worth noting that the picnic spot at Tshokwane, which will probably be on your route, has a shop and tea room with food available.

Do be very careful to obey the speed limits - there is very active speed trapping in Kruger, especially on the tar roads near the gates and around Skukuza.

johan rebel

I must confess that I didn't look at the link, but (with apologies for sounding immodest), I know Kruger's public roads like the back of my hand. Out of Lower Sabie, I prefer to drive the routes least traveled, especially when heading out early morning, which I would recommend you do. The choice of route will also depend on the time of year. When are you going to be there?

Johan

SanDiego1K

Johan, I'd love to get your suggestions.

We will be in Kruger in late November.

Day 1: drive thru Kruger Gate in morning. (This is our first day after arrival, so I've no idea if it will be an extremely early start or mid morning, thanks to jet lag from the 11 hour time difference.) We have all day to arrive at Lower Sabie.

Day 2: drive from Lower Sabie to Skukuza. Need to arrive at Skukuza by mid day/early afternoon.

We then go on to Ulusaba. As I said, grit with luxury. We're being told that no transfer company will pick up at Skukuza. We've also read that the rare guest drives to Ulusaba. For Johan or anyone, is it difficult to learn what the route is and then to follow it?

I have a detailed map of Kruger ordered and it should arrive any day.

SanDiego1K

Mad google skills helped with finding the self drive trip to Ulusaba. I'll post it here just in case someone else wants to mix Kruger on your own with this lodge.

Recommended route from Kruger National Park (Kruger Gate)
Please note that the drive will take approximately 11⁄2 hours (± 35km)
Follow the R536 to Hazyview. After approximately 8kms there will be a signpost for Newington Gate where you will need to turn right onto a gravel road. Follow the gravel road for 9km until you find the next Newington Gate sign. Turn right and follow the road for another 3km to Newington Gate which is where you will enter the Sabi Sand Reserve. From Newington Gate follow all signposts for 17kms to Ulusaba.

GPS coordinates: 24° 47’ 20.97” S, 31° 21’ 21.14” E

johan rebel

OK, here's what I would do:

Day 1.

It depends a bit on when you start and the weather, but I would probably take the direct route to Lower Sabie (H11 - H4-1), check in, and have breakfast/lunch at the restaurant. If it is a hot day I would then wait until 3h30 or 4 p.m. before heading south on the H4-2, S28 and then back to camp along the H4-2 again. If time allows, you could loop back along the S25, S108 and H5 to the H4-2

Day 2

- Leave Lower Sabie as soon as the gate opens in the morning (yep, that's at 4.30 a.m.!)

- Turn left/east onto the H4-1 towards Crocodile Bridge.

- Turn left again, crossing the Sabie River north onto the H10.

- Follow the H10 for almost its entire length towards Tshokwane.

- 2 km before Tshokwane, turn right/north onto the Orpen Dam Loop.

- Bypass the dam, continue north along the S35 Lindanda Road for its entire length.

- At the T-junction turn left/west onto the S37 Trichardt Road.

- Follow the Trichardt for 12 km to the H1-3 tar road.

- Cross the H1-3 west onto the S33 Vutomi Road.

- At the T-junction at the end turn right/north onto the S36 Nhlanguleni Road.

- Stop at the Nhlanguleni picnic site for a leg-stretch, toilet break and drinks (these are for sale, but bring your own snacks). This picnic spot is much nicer than the human zoo that goes by the name Tshokwane.

- Continue north along the S36, then turn right/east onto the S125 N'waswitsontso Road.

- At the end turn right/south onto the H1-3 tar road, all the way to Skukuza. You pass the Tshokwane zoo en route, where you will find public toilets, a curio shop and café.

I would do this in about nine hours, but YMMV.

This suggestion is based on the assumption that the rainy season has actually started on time, so that there is water in the veld and the game spread out. If it is bone dry, that changes things.

I've also planned the route to minimize the amount of traffic which you are likely to encounter. Overcrowding is the bane of southern Kruger. I've driven this very route and only met the first oncoming vehicle after 3h50, but that's probably a world record. Once again, YMMV.

Scenically, you will find this route is very varied. Wide open areas along the H10, Nkumbe Mountain lookout, the cliffs at N'wamuriva, the mixed bushveld along the Lindanda and Trichardt, Delagoa Thorn thickets along the Vutomi and N'waswitsontso and mixed broad-leaved bushveld on granite along the S36. The tar down to Skukuza passes through a variety of habitats and runs along the Sand River for some distance.

An alternative route would be H4-1, S82, H4-2, H5, S108, S25, S119, S118, H3, S112, S114, H1-1 (southwest), S65, S1 (west), S4, S4, H11. Very different!

If it going to be a hot and sunny day, I urge you to leave as early as possible. It makes a tremendous difference. Should it be rainy, I still recommend an early start, if only because you will need to drive at a lower speed to not miss anything. It is a misconception that one does not see game when it rains. You can see anything and everything, even in torrential rain. Take it from me.

One caveat: although I'm in the habit of planning my game drives meticulously, it is imperative to play it by ear. You should change your route at the drop of a hat, if circumstances so dictate.

Huh? Really? Of course they will pick up at Skukuza, or anywhere else in the entire KNP for that matter. I speak from experience.

Johan