Last time we were in South Africa and Kruger National Park, we had heard about the Wild Card. It is similar to the National Park Pass used in the United States parks. It is good for one year and allows you to enter the parks for an unlimited number of times. The international traveler can only buy the all-park pass but according to my calculations, the pass has paid for itself after the sixth day. The entry fee to the park is $36 per couple per day. If we did not have the Wild Card, the cost of staying in the park would be no longer be budget travel, adding in the cost of the rent car and the camping fee of $17 per couple at the current exchange rate. We bought a pass at the mall in Phaloborwa and than proceeded to the gate.
We got a permit to enter the park and the girl at reception told us if we did not find a space to camp we would have to be out of the park by 5:30 p.m. We thanked her and drove on into the park. There was not much wildlife at that time of day along the stretch of road we were on. We stayed on the paved road because we needed to make time to get to Letaba, check out sites and if necessary, head back to Phaloborwa.
We got to Letaba, and went to reception . Everything was "fully booked" as it was last time except this time, there was no allowing for a small tent by the ablutions block without a reservation. The girl at reception told us there was nothing she could do and we would have to leave the park. Robert suggested I check and see if there was anything available.
Before I could check out that option, the people behind us in line approached us and said they had overheard our conversation. They had two campsites reserved, were using only one, would we like to have their other spot. Would we ever!!! Took their extra spot for the four days they had it reserved for. They suggested we go to reception early in the morning and see if there have been any cancelations at Letaba or any other campground.
We were able to extend our stay at Letaba and make reservations for other campgrounds by checking with reception on various days. The important thing is you must have a exit permit issued by the campground to leave the park. Without this, you are in trouble. Not sure what trouble entails but did not want to find out!
The campsite has two kitchens available for cooking and washing of dishes. The learning curve on the three double hotplates takes a little while, but Robert mastered it! For the early morning game drives one of the nicest things about these camps is the instant boiling water! Makes it quite easy to make a pot of coffee quickly!
In the restrooms, there are two bath tubs on the women's side. I guess it is great for bathing all those small children. They were always in use when I was in there and you could hear the happy sounds of children bathing. There are laundry facilities also but the ablution block we were using did not have a working dryer and one washer was out of commission but since we carry a clothesline with us, there was no problem with that.
There are also huts and rondevals available. There is a park store with a surprising amount of fresh veggies as well as canned goods and meats. That of course is the other ingredient in making a park like this work is cooking your own meals! There is a restaurant if you do wish to treat yourself at some point on the trip.
No comments:
Post a Comment