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There is definitely a Spar and a Pick n Pay....both big supermarkets with all the things you will need.

Out of the actual airport you will take a right turn until you come to the R40 where you will also turn right towards Phalaborwa and Hoedspruit (that is actually going away from the Orpen Gate, but not far out of your way)
The Pick n Pay centre is actually on the R40 on the right, or you can go a bit further turn left into Hoedspuit where the Spar centre is on your right.

Then you go back down the R40 signposted White River and Klasserie, to a T Junction where you turn left, and then pretty soon you will see the Orpen turning which is 40kms from the gate.

Easy peasy.

Thanks for all your help. So kind.

Yip that pick n pay is A OK its actually a quaint little shopping mall
Glad to hear your going to enter at Orpen its a lovely gate to enter at, just also be aware when driving the Hoedspruit to Orpen road still be on the lookout for animals crossing the roads their Hippos, buck and on the Orpen road itself, cows and goats ok

I would like to ask about the amenities. What I actually mean is do they have ice machines or do they have ice trays for frigerators in rooms or do they sell bags in say the gift shop / stores in the campsites. Especially Satara and Orpen ? And can we buy coolers in the park or should we buy them in Phalaborwa...just something to store foods and beverages when you are in the park so that you can snack on while on safari ?

What kinds of foods and stuff besides alcohol should I buy in Phalaborwa before heading into Kruger ?

Trying to plan is very difficult for these things.

Thanks for everyones help

Larry

Hi Larry,
we always enter at Phalaborwa.
First we stock up at the Spar which is on the road to the park gate.
We buy a cooler there and stock up on food and drinks.
There is also an alcohol store right next door.
It is much cheaper to do your initial shop there than in the park and of course a full range of groceries is available.
If you are going to braai, then you can also get some charcoal or briquettes and a braai grill etc at Spar.
We snack on rusks, rusks and rusks
If you haven't tried rusks you must!
We ALWAYS take travel mugs so that we can make a cup of coffee, grab the rusks and other snacks and head off on a game drive early.
Other snacks can be biltong (plenty in Spar or park shops), dried fruit, cracker biscuits and cheese etc.
The park shops have lots of snack foods.

The camp shops sell bags of ice.
Some have an big ice and bag dispenser machine outside the shop.
Some you have to get out of a freezer in the shop itself.
Some fridges in the chalets have an ice tray but it is not a guarantee so buy one at Spar too.

Hi Larry

Buy meat at Spar/pick n pay or a butchery in phalaborwa its wayyyyy cheaper than inside the park, buy a cooler outside the park, buy alcohol outside also wayyyy cheaper than inside and stock up on food

snacks I always take with

chips
sweets varietys (lol)
biltong
droe wors
bacon kips and cream cheese
cream crackers and sliced cheese (maybe im a mouse but i love cheese) lol
plenty of coldrink and drinking water

hope you have a great trip

What are rusks? I used to give my kids rusks to suck on when they being weaned. They were about 3' long and roundish - about the size of my thumb. Is this what you mean by rusks, and if so I hope they have more variety in taste than baby rusks. Please enlighten this Aussie person (me), as we're always looking for an alternative to sandwiches when we're out driving. Can't wait til August 13th when we arrive at Kruger.

You are in for a treat - rusks are the same principal as the ones you mention for babies but waaaay different. Some of the shops in Kruger sell home made ones - DELICIOUS - and you will find many varieties in the shops both inside and outside KNP. They are an absolute essential for most Kruger visitors together with the early morning coffee or tea.

[threedogs:We snack on rusks, rusks and rusks ]
I am fascinated by these too!! I would also like to know what these are in a bit more details please?
[impyim:I used to give my kids rusks to suck on when they being weaned] don't know what these are either!
Are they sweet, do they look like weetabix or shredded wheat??
Do you recommend any particular brand? As the "Aussie person" I would also like to ditch the sandwiches instead of something a bit more exciting!

Hi suebfly & elephantears -
I'm becoming more enlightened - but still need more info.

elephantears- the rusks I bought for my babies were a bit sweetened - not terribly and I can't remember if there were savoury ones also - it was a long time ago. They were a bit like really compacted bread, but dried out like toast. They lasted the babies for ages (esp. if they didn't have any teeth - they could just sort of such/chew on them)

Suebfly - do the rusks come in a variety of flavour e.g. savoury (if so what), sweet ???. Do you know their main ingredient. Are they hard or what? Do you dunk them in your tea/coffee like you can biscuits (terrible habit).
Do they fill you up enough to replace sandwishes.
As you can see I have no idea.

O.K. let me try - they are described as "hard, dried biscuits" which is enough to put you off forever but do not let that happen. They are always sweet and usually replace biscuits and not sandwiches. They are most often eaten in the morning by dunking in coffee/tea (as you would do with a digestive biscuit) They make an excellet replacement for cereal - quick ,easy and no bowls required. Definately habit forming. The most common flavour is plain - often made with buttermilk. Then they come with things added such as - raisins. muesli. orange etc. So for convenience they can definately replace the usual breakfast cereal and make a great filling snack at tea time but are not considered a meal for lunch or supper. Hope this helps a bit

on reading the description of what you gave the baby I would say they are very similar - just an adult version that is a lot more tasty. Some are very hard and definately need to be softened by dunking in coffee others are not so hard and are eaten like a biscuit. There are many commercial brands and also lots of people have their own recipes and I have definately tasted some of the best homemade ones bought at the shops in Kruger. Unfortunately cant remember which shops

Thanks for all the info. I've got the hang of them now. It sounds like a great idea - not having to hang around having breakfast in camp if we don't want to and also a midmorning snack if needed. I'll look for them when we do our shopping in Malalane (maybe a market there), and I'll also keep my eye open for the shops in the camps.
Thanks again.

Recipe for rusks here

[elephantears- the rusks I bought for my babies were a bit sweetened - not terribly and I can't remember if there were savoury ones also - it was a long time ago. They were a bit like really compacted bread, but dried out like toast. They lasted the babies for ages (esp. if they didn't have any teeth - they could just sort of such/chew on them]
Impyim thank you for the explanation.
Suebfly [O.K. let me try - they are described as "hard, dried biscuits" which is enough to put you off forever but do not let that happen]
Sounds like dry toast!!
But I am going to try as many as I can find!
Many thanks for your reply.