Wild Card and Internet Access in Kruger National Park

Fast Internet in Africa:

We discovered from Letaba Rest Camp Reception in central Kruger National Park that there was internet access in Kruger these days, but only to the south in Skukuza Camp next to the restuarant.

It was much closer to take a "game drive" back out to the town of Phalaborwa when we needed the internet, provided we allowed enough time to make it back before the gate closed.

Phalaborwa, is a mining town and one of the cleanest most modern towns we have found in Africa.

The tourist information office near the gate directed us to the Pick and Pay Shopping Mall accross the street from Woolworths in Phalaborwa. Inside the mall was a very up to date internet shop which rented pretty fast computers and access, but no wi fi.



Wild Card !

The South Africa National Parks International Wild Card (annual national park pass) has been quite useful to us: we bought our Wild Card park pass at Sure Travel Phalaborwa office inside the mall. We bought a couples pass, and it paid for itself in about a week at current exchange rates.

Malaria Test

Robert also got a malaria test at the National Laboratory in Phalborwa and found it was a bacterial infection.

Safari Supplies at Pick and Pay, Woolworths, Spar

We got some comfort food and supplies not found in the surprisingly very good rest camp stores within the park; and used the internet to upload pictures to our pages at www.traveljournals.net/rmalone, and our to this blog, www.malonetravels2.blogspot.com.

Camping outside the Park Gate

Two years ago we were traveling with Jerry and Nadxi, and we spent the night in our tents at a nice backpackers called Elephant Walk. This time we drove straight on into Letaba camp, but when we came back for a day on the internet we spent a night in Phalaborwa with in the Forever Resorts Safari Park which is just outside the Phalaborwa Gate to Kruger. It was more of a camping experience than staying at the backpackers, with warthogs running around when we arrived and strange calls in the night. The camp was newer and less worn than the older camps inside the park, but it did not have electric hotplates to cook on like you find in the large rest camps inside the park. The "Safari Park" did have a luxury showers and "scullery" for washing dishes and getting instant hot water, but no park store or restuarant.

Self Drive on a Budget in Kruger Nationa Park, Wild Card

Camping at Letaba in Kruger National Park


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.

Car Rental for Kruger Self Drive Safari

We had a rec on Thrifty from JP of Blue-Africa Safaris, the great guy who gave us a ride to Ngepi.

We used Expedia to check their rates, and according to Rob of Shoestrings Airport Lodge backpackers, the rate was great.

The car we got was a four door VW Polo Classic with a "nice boot," a trunk, not a hatchback, which is what we wanted. It also had a standard trans, which we prefer, and air conditioning.












The biggest problem with a passenger car for a self drive is its low clearance, and as we later saw, there were a few places in Kruger we could not go as a consequence.



However, there are miles and miles (kilomoters and kilometers ) of Kruger National Parke where we could, and did, go.