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Balule was called Olifants up to that time .

You are it Ndloti

Balule is a shortening of Rimbalule, the Tshonga name for the Olifants River.

You stay with IT, Ndloti, but strictly speaking you are only half right. Balule originally was called OLIFANTSRIVIER. It was one of the few places where you could get out and a ranger would take you in a group to the waters edge to see the hippos. The original camp had 6 huts of 3 beds in each, making a full camp of only 18 persons. I think the name had to change when Total Petroleum Co., who were given the sole right to petrol sales in Kruger, sponsored the building of Olifants.

I have vague memories from my toddler years which must have been just before Olifants opened in the early 60's of such a place where a ranger took you to the waters edge (I don't think I am thinking of Hippo Pools as the place I recall had tall trees and green corrugated iron ablution facilities)

ndloti, there was a place near Balule where you could see hippos with a Ranger just like we can near Croc Bridge. Cannot forget it as my Mom refused to get out of the safety of the car.

Chip, my book mentions two Olifants Camp before the present one. There was Olifants (Pontoon) Camp which is now Balule and there was (Olifants) Gorge Camp or just Gorge.

Enjoying this - thanks guys

I have a very old , motheaten Automobile Association map of South Africa , on which which appears the name " Sabie Camp " . When was this changed to Lower Sabie ?
Oh , and Phalaborwa was still named as Malopene .

Gorge was slightly downstream from where the Olifants Wilderness trails camp is .

I copied the picture from a thread on Gorge on this forum , it was dated 1965 . .

Very interesting topic I have learned so much from just reading the last 3 pages will make time to go through some of them! the history of the park is amazing and I am glad that people wrote books from their experiences since the start of KNP! So blessed to have this park to visit

Anna-MarieSA . Have a look here for history ,

viewforum.php?f=131

will visit those topics had a look at the postcards and photos amazing

Hi okie, I remember those old AA maps of Kruger. I used to have some but unfortunately they have disappeared I only remember Lower Sabie as such and find it interesting that my books of reference don't mention an earlier name viz. Sabie camp. I know in very early times, Skukuza was named Sabie Bridge. Regarding the name change of Malopene to Phalaborwa, both names refer to different places. Before mining took off in the area where Phalaborwa is, there was no town there. The road S131 went from Letaba to a small gate camp called Malopene, that sold petrol and had accommodation for 15 beds. I went to Malopene once in the very early 1950's. When you left the park through Malopene, the first town you came to was Leydsdorp, about 80 Kms from the gate. When the town of Phalaborwa was proclaimed, I think in late 1950's or early 1960's, the Parks Board decided to close Malopene and changed the route of the S131, by making a turn southwards about 10 Kms from Malopene and the road, as can be seen on maps of today, comes out at the start of the H9 and the then new Phalaborwa gate, opened in about 1960.

ndloti and Chip

okie - cannot find any reference of Lower Sabie ever called Sabie.

Chip, Skukuza was called something else before it was called Sabie Bridge - now there is a question for the future but at the moment we wait for ndloti.

Hi Ndloti, you are IT and so, how about a question to tickle the grey matter.

I have been planning to search , but I fall asleep absorbing the wonderful history in from either my newest book aquisition The KNP - A History (By Dr S Joubert) or Goue Jare or my long trusted Neem Uit Die Verlede (both by Dr U de V Pienaar,)

An easy one - Satara was formerly known as ....