SANParks.org Forums

If you have a look Here there is a very good topic that gives great pics and info of all the camping sites.

Also have you had a read through Pretoriuskop Camp and Tsendze Rustic Camp

Sure you will find lots of great info and advice in there.

Good luck with finding the dogs.

Hi supertrooper
(I shmaak your name )

Not to burst your bubble, but I would not get my hopes up about seeing the dogs in July During that time they are denning, and the chances of seeing them are minimal. Nonetheless, I would ask the rangers at Pkop if they know of the locations of the wild dog dens, and perhaps they are visible from the road

Pkop has quite a few large dams on the H1-1 to Skuks, and they should attract plenty of game

The tropic of Capricorn Loop (S143) should be a winner in the Tzenze region In the open plains surrounding Tihongonyeni Waterhole, you could easily tick off zebra, blue wildebeest, elephant, giraffe, black-backed jackal, ostrich and possibly even eland, tsessebe and roan
Most other roads in the Tzenze region are less than awesome

Minimal's good enough
I know the locations, its just the matter of fact of getting there now but there's a chance that they might have moved.

We did the 4x4 route Pret/kop trail and it was bland, some parts were a bit dodgy but it was dead quiet there we did however get to see some good rare game close to the vehicle about 3 or 4 times for the entire trip.

I hope to be getting a new Kruger maps book at the Kruger store with some ticking space as mine is totally worn out with no space left !
Ive even ticked around the picture of the animals using the same book from like ages ago !

awesome so at least pret kop does offer SOME viewing its all good, i like to park off and just watch and listen ... its what its all about anyway, no need to play need for speed in the Kruger at all.

how about birding ? do you know if there's some special menu on bird watching around pret kop ? for the life of me i left my Kruger bible at home so don't remember if there are any specific species to be seen as Ive only recently dusted it off and started reading again from scratch, trying to remember all the tree names etc ... man its been 2 YEARS !!!! I'M HUNGRY

Hi Supertrooper.

From the camps you have booked you have given yourself the best chance to see doggies.

Any time of year I have seen them on the H7 from Satara to Orpen, but then you might have to sacrifice the much vaunted (and IMHO recently disappointing) S100.

The tar road from Croc Bridge to LS is also a good doggie road.

In Pkop, look out for the purple crested turaco. They are often seen around the camp in the trees around the shop. Migratory birds will be gone, but there are still enough residents to keep you occupied.

Is the scops owl still in the parking area at Satara? and at Afsaal?

Supertrooper

Below is the best I can provide - two phodies of our campsite at Pretoriuskop, right next to the Northeren fence.

Wild dogs : we have seen them in June and July around the Shabeni koppie (S10) and on the H1-1, about 10km from Pretoriuskop.

Len

Hi everyone

We are among those whose bookings at Sirheni (in April) were cancelled due to the flood damage to the camp. As this is for a special occasion and was booked ages ago, we were very lucky to get a replacement booking at Bataleur for the same 7 nights we originally had at Sirheni. We know and love Sirheni, but have never stayed at Bataleur.

I now understand that while unlikely, Sirheni might be open earlier than originally thought - though this is a very slight chance! If by some miracle both camps were up and running, I would appreciate it if those of you who know both could advise whether you think it would be worth splitting our stay between them, rather than just stay at one, i.e. do they offer very different experiences? Either way, we're not planning to do a huge amount of driving around in search of animals, but rather just want to enjoy the peace of the bush, the birds etc., so the camp and its immediate surroundings are what we would be most interested in.

Thanks in advance for any input!

Hi Anna

Since you will be spending your time within the camp and immediate surroundings, I would suggest you to stay at both camps, Sirheni is amazing and Bataleur has a charm of its own.

Sightings wise, I find Sirheni a better camp, but other people have had amazing sightings around Bataleur as well.

By splitting you'll also get a slight change of atmosphere, and therefore I would suggest split your booking if possible.

Many thanks for your reply - I get the impression that Bataleur has even more of a remote, quiet feel to it and that's what we're looking for, so I probably will split the booking if we do have the option.

Correct!