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I also stayed in tent number 2 at Punda two weeks ago.
They are just fantastic.
And so private, you forget there is other people around you.
Will put up some pics as soon as I've sorted out all my photos.

Have to agree with Bert.
Punda is very special, can't wait to go back there and spent some more time there.
Had some excellent sightings on the Mahonie Loop and also at Klopperfontein.
Magical place.

All roads are open and ready for action. The Thulamila road is as dusty as a musketeer's throat before a castle.

The whole area is pretty dry! Even the Nyala loop was dry. I'll post some recent pics soon.

Roads of interest are: Mahonie loop - Sharpe's grysbok, nyala, eles and buff.

Klopperfontein road is somewhat sinkplaterig and very dusty. We drove the tar road around down to Pafuri and was surprised at the beauty of that road the first few km's between babalala and Klopperfontein dam.

The nyala loop is excellent for Meve's starling.

Don't forget to make a pitstop at those toilets on the en of it.

Pafuri road along the Levuvu is lovely as always. Check out for those massive amount of crocs in the river and take your time on this road.

The road towards Pafuri gate is Mopani shrub, but it is worthwhile to go check out the new gate at Pafuri. Pics to follow soon.

See if you can get a skelm peek at the Pafuri camp on the northern side of the Levubu. First road right after crossing the bridge. We could'nt enter as there were some heavy vehicles busy there.

Enjoy!!

Was surprised at how busy it was! Fully booked. We found a site in the middle of the camp.

Lots of game in the area - for that, see the Recent Sightings thread. Excellent birding inside the camp.

HUGE PLUSPOINT: The new birdhide in the camp. Whoever thought of that needs sommer 10 kudus! We saw some brilliant stuff there. Pics to follow.

The kids found the swimmingpool a bit cold - but used it anyway.

Nyala drive must be one of the most scenic routes in the entire park. Extremely dry though. Crook's Corner is a desert. Pic to follow.

I'm not crazy about Punda as a camp - it's too busy for such a small camp, but the area is absolutely brilliant.

I think Punda is one of the nicest camps in the Park - though I do try to avoid SA holidays at all costs!

Fabulous scenery, excellent drives (up to Parfuri, Mahonie loop) and excellent morning walks. If there is a choice ask to walk from the Mahonie loop up to the Luvuvhu river - the scenery there is stunning.

Excellent restaurant with some of the nicest staff in the Park.







full size images on www.pbase.com/richardharris

Early October 2005:

Punda Maria camp was really quiet.
About 6 camp sites were occupied.
If you are planning on camping at Punda take a 50m+ elec lead if you wish to camp at a spot of your choice and need electricity !
The camping area is not perfectly level.
A very short person designed the ablution area - the eves of the thatch area caused a few bumps on my 6ft+ SO's head if he forgot to duck when walking under them.
(I of course at 5ft2in fitted under fine )
Tall people also need to duck under the eves of the bird hide.

The bird hide is wonderful - as is camping along the fence.

Some of the camping area beyond the pool is visible in this pic.
If you are looking for peace and quiet don't camp too close to the pool.
Even during our stay it was in use all the time and youngsters tend to be very noisy when enjoying a swim!

The water was really refreshing and we made good use of it to cool off during the heat of the day.
(Thanks to a fellow forumite for the hint to pack a swimming cozzie!)

I have to agree with JB. We stayed in no 2 and it was very nice. No 3 also seemed equally good. Only thing is that these are probably the only two where you could you see the other's stoep. But it was in winter and not a lot of leafcover on the trees. Once there's been some rain the trees should make a nice screen.
If I remember correctly Bert stayed in no 1, maybe he could give some comment on that unit.

# 1 was superb.
But 3 had the best position.
Try for either 1 to 3.
Certain free view over the valley to the distant hills

Does anyone know if safari tent no. 4 has a view of the valley?

On this map it seems that no. 3 and 4 are closest to the fence, and I am thinking about asking for one of them for my stay in PM in May.

We stayed in Safari Tent 5 - quite a walk up a boardwalk to get to the tent, and number 6 was even further up the hill. The view was, unfortunately of tents 1-3 although now the rains have come, I am sure they feel a little more secluded.

I reluctantly got into the pool at Punda, expecting it to be freezing cold, like some unheated suburban Highveld pool. It wasn't, and it was an absolute joy to sit in there with the Purple Crested Turaco's flitting overhead. The camp was fairly busy, but there was nobody else around the pool area, which made it even better.

Nothing to be seen at the bird hide, due to lack of water. How effective can it be when people can camp right next to it though?

On this page you'll find one of tent #7. Scroll down to about 3/4 of the page.

New Accommodation Options At Punda Maria

From Kruger Times Volume 3 Issue 3 27April-11May 2006

Punda Maria, in the far north of the Kruger National Park (KNP), has been undergoing a series of upgrades over the last few years.
The latest additions to the camp are two new fully-equipped self-catering family houses, which opened in the rest camp at the beginning of April.

The houses offer a home away from home for a family of six.
All rooms are tastefully decorated in rich earthy tones to echo the bush atmosphere. A fully-equipped kitchen and braai facilities give a choice of dining options, while the living room adds to the sense of a home, rather than simply accommodation.

One of the main priorities while building these houses was to make them accessible to handicapped people. Punda also offers accommodation in the form of seven luxurious safari tents, equipped with every creature comfort.
All the tents have a beautiful room that sleeps two, a bathroom with an open air shower and a combined kitchen and braai area.

Private viewing decks extend off each unit and the tent sites allow guests complete solitude and serenity, when not bird watching or driving through the Kruger.
A rock pool in the camp offers the option of a cooling dip before relaxing around the campfire.
Despite the upgrades, Punda still retains its feeling of isolation and being truly in the heart of the bush.

Comment:
The tent we stayed in during February must have been one without the open air shower or I had to have imagined the roof and walls

Hi All

Please see the response from Kruger:

Hope that helps!

Well I am sorry, but I cannot agree with the clearing around the waterhole if its done unnaturally. Sorry if it sounds like an ecology lesson.

I have two problems with this waterhole @ Punda then. the other is unnaturally filling it up with water from the camp. Kruger closed down many unnatural waterholes and windmills. My question is, is this specific waterhole natural or not? If it is, then let nature take its cause with the growth of vegetation etc.

I think it is natural if you were to look at these pictures


, but is now being made unnatural at a rate of knots. And eventually this will have a negative effect on the area around the waterhole.

If this waterhole looked like this in 2005 and is now overgrown then nature had a cause with it. Why go and disturb it's cause now?

Take for instance clearing next to tar roads... thats perfectly fine, cause rain catchment on the tar road runs down unto the adjacent veld and cause an exceptional unnatural high growth of vegetation.

I have seem some spectacular stuff here anyhow.





Mega tick - Grey-headed Parrots

Sorry WTM, this time a disagree with you
If you are talking about the waterhole opposite the hide is should be filled with water.
Otherwise the whole setup is losing its function imo.

Then its just a hide above the fence made with great care and lots of money