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Not sure whether this question has been asked before but here goes. A few years back Paynter and Nussey's Portrait of a National Park didn't even mention Balule with the roads around it as a new camp was supposed to be opened nearby. Haven't got the book with me but I know the new camp's name would've started with an N.

What happened to that? Anyone knows?

We love Balule. We battle to get a hut, it is usually fully book so you have to book in far in advance for Balule. Yes that is a small camp but it is worthwhile to go there. It is quite an experience being so close to nature. The piece and tranquillity that you feel there is good. There is also a lot of animals there. I believe that if you have been there once you will not miss the opportunity to go there again. I personally think that is also one of the best camps that there is.

Elsa Hattingh

GP

It would have been a new camp for campers/caravaners. The suggested name was Ngotsomond (Ngotso Mouth) as it would have been situated next to where the Ngotso enters the Olifants River (slightly west of Balule). When excavations started for the new buildings, some very important artefacts of previous inhabitants were found. If I remember correctly, the site was "taken over" by the department of archeology of Pretoria University for further "studies". It seems the idea of a new camp at this site was "frozen" because of the very important findings. I raised this matter somewhere on the forum before, but no Kruger official replied to my inquiry.

GP and Stoffel are correct - that's a fact .

The result was that Balule was saved and a separate caravan camp was established right next to Balule in 1991 .

Ngotsomond is now an archaological site (not accessable to public yet).

Is Balule visible from the S92? I have this pic



taken along the S92 and wondered?

Yes arks your are 100% right, that is two of the six windowless bungalows at Balule. Great camp if the weather plays its part, if not you are really up against the elements.

Hi there

Can some Forum members please advise me on the following:

I have stayed in all types of parks accom. and particulary enjoy camping. BUT...
I am planning at staying in the huts in Bulule, in mid December and my concern is - will the Huts be too Hot and uncomfortable in the mid Summer heat? Has anyone got some pertinent information and feedback as to this time of year.

Camping there in December is a challenge but well worth it ... will the huts be any better or worse?

Thanks

I camped there in Dec 7yrs ago and yes it was hot but not unbearable. We took a few mid day cold showers but had a very pleasant stay.

Hi Fizzpop,
i stayed in december 2005 in Balule in hut No. 6. This hut is the closest to the fence. Yes, it is hot, but not this bad i thought before. I could sleep very well.
So book the hut and enjoy your days and nights in this lovely place.

Nikon12’s excellent story about the fence around Balule, brought back some wonderful memories of the first time we stayed over in this rustic little camp about 7 years ago. One such memory has attained legendary status in our family.

My wife and I had a bungalow and so did my daughter, her husband and the eldest of my grandchildren (then the only one). We shared a wood fire that afternoon as the sun set over the KNP. As always we cooked too much food on the embers and before retiring my wife wrapped the remaining food in some tinfoil and put it on a drawer that stood next to the bed on her side.

Man, does it get dark there!

We really enjoyed the starry display in a moonless night sky, but a long, hot day topped by a great feast and a few glasses of Cabernet Sauvignon each soon made us retire. I don’t like a light on in a room when I sleep, so, the paraffin lamp was blown out and we said our goodnights and I must have been in lalaland within two minutes. The next moment I got rudely awakened by a sharp elbow urgently jabbing me in the ribs. You know you have opened your eyes, but you see nothing! It is the closest to being blind you will ever experience!

“What!” I wanted to know, “is bothering you?” My wife has lots of the city girl left in her, even after years of bush trips with me…

“There is someone … something in the room!”


So we thrashed around in the dark for a few minutes to find the torch that one of us had kicked over. Despairingly we listened to it roll and come to rest somewhere out of reach. Somehow we got hold of matches and relit the lantern. Well, by that time the intruder was long gone, of course, so back to bed. And off with the light, but not before my SO had retrieved the torch and slipped it into bed with us. Again, no effort on my part to return to zzzzzzzzz….

Then all hell broke loose!

Hysterically screaming wife was wildly thrashing around and then started assaulting me! My SO was hitting the stuffing out of me with the torch!

When I fell asleep my dearest wife sat up in the dark and ambushed our visitor, who turned out to be a small mouse that used the bed covers to scale the furniture in order to get to the tantalising leftovers on the drawer. Fortunately for the mouse, she missed it (but not me!). The mouse scurried somewhere to temporary safety while I tried to calm my poor wife. Needless to say, the lamp burned for the rest of the night. And the story was only good for a laugh some years later!



The only "wilder" experience I have had in the KNP was in the Sable sleep-over hide, but that is another story...

We will be spending two nights in Balule in July- this will be our first visit there- any hints or suggestions or just general info on the camp? We will be staying in the huts, not camping.

Hi Carolynn,

a look on Balule Satellite Camp in the Camps & Roads section.http://www.sanparks.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=1475.

It is a wonderful quiet camp. No electricity. Don´t forget your torch. Also no shop or restaurant. Buy your goodies in Olifants.

Regular visitor at the fence hyenas. Nearest hut to the fence is No. 6.

Feel free to ask me, if you need more hints.

Hi All,

I need some advice .... again

I am booked 3nts Tamboti / 1nt Letaba (Tent) / 3nts Shingwedzi .....

After reading through all the threads on Letaba and the loo's not being up to scratch, I am beginning to wonder if I should change the Letaba booking to Balule.

My only problem here is that I will be bringing all my food with me from JHB and so I would still have food for another 3nts with me and Balule doesn't have individual fridges. I know there is a communal fridge but what if that is full - what do you all do when staying at Balule and would you recommend I change my night from Letaba to Balule?

Hi Schnooks,

What we do is to vacuum pack and freeze our meat, and keep it in a separate cooler box. Then only open it when you need meat a couple of hours before you want to braai.
Then daily, top the cooler up with a couple of bags of ice, and remove any water that might be in the cooler.
Also, keep the cooler in the shade.

Camped a week like this last year and all was fine.

The freezers are big enough at Balule, so you would probably be able to keep stuff cool.

Hope it helps?!

Cheers

In all earnest... I wont count on buying all my food from Olifants. Rather then shop @ Satara.