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Fantastic, crocodile, brekkie for R1.60 in 1978 must have been pretty expensive.
You could fill a supermarket trolley for R15.(So I was told)

That's the stuff I'm looking for, Krokodile!

When I was checking in for our first trip in 2003 the gate had no maps. The family in front kindly let me have a look at theirs - dated 1963. It got me from Paul Kruger gate to Satara so I guess not much has changed in the way of new/closed roads!

And it was a very well used map!

I suspect that there were not too many overseas visitors as long-haul air fares were unaffordable by most ordinary folk - whereas now we can get some great deals thanks to deregulation (in the UK at least) and competition among the airlines.
It is actually cheaper now for me to visit SA for 2 weeks (especially if those 2 weeks were spent in Kruger) than to have 2 weeks in a UK resort or to go to the Med, for example.

I cannot comment on what has changed as I have only been a visitor to Kruger since 2000 but some of the posts on this subject make me wish that I could have afforded it long ago - especially when it was only dirt roads and had less traffic. Thanks (sic) to those who have posted their reminiscences - you have made me very jealous!

While I agree W@H, on the hunters thing - hunting is not my 'bag' - it is hard to dismiss the fact that it is an important aspect of the SA wildlife industry - one that brings in millions of dollars and contributes in a much bigger way than eco-tourism (I think that the financial ratio is approximately 9:1 in favour of hunting) to the SA economy.
There are far more people employed in the hunting industry than in the eco-tourism one if you consider not only the employees needed for the hunt and hospitality, but also those involved in the proccessing and sale of the meat, the marketing of the skins, the taxidermists and those who arrange the hunting trips. I am sure there are others gainfully employed in the industry who I have forgotten about and not mentioned!

Like it or hate it - and I hate it - if it were not for hunting there would actually be fewer wildlife areas available for the animals because arable and livestock farming is, generally, more profitable and less hassle than eco-tourism.

Many farms now employ both means of income but keep the hunting lodges and areas well away from the eco-tourists in order not to offend their sensitivities.

I have witnessed the development of photography in Kruger
and it has added to the enjoyment and popularity of this
great place on our planet. I think photography has done a
lot for Kruger. Put it on the map of the world.

In 1967 i was the proud owner of a box camera (Kodak)
My dad had one with a fixed 50mm lens
And a 8 mm filmcamera
I still own the films

Then in the 80ties and 90ties tourists were walking
around with the 200 mm zoom. Animals were starting to get
in our reach.

Then we started with the bigger guns and dont forget the
Videocamera
And now everybody is going digital and computerwise.

Summery
I started with a few black and whites of people possing in front of cars and huts and now I am able to film every movement of beast and man and make portraits of beautiful animals.

I agree with that Bert - the advances in photography and cinematography have been instrumental in making wildlife areas across the world more attractive to tourists; there is nothing more satisfying than being able to 'shoot' an animal with a lens and to be able to proudly show off your photographic 'trophies' to your friends, whom I have found are far more interested in seeing wildlife pics than those of more traditional holidays, especially if I can tell them something interesting about the animals.

That's cool Bert! Suddenly, with only 2 weeks left in my twenties I feel like a young whippersnapper!

My first "proper" camera for wildlife I got in 1986 when I was 11. A fully manual Ricoh SLR with a 50mm, 80-200mm zoom and a x2 converter. I remember the pride I felt walking around camps in Kruger, the Kalahari & the Pilansberg with that around my neck and my dad needing a lot of persuading when I said I wanted to start shooting more expensive slide film .

As you say, I reckon photography advances do entice more people to become tourists in places further from their homes.

The days when picnic spots such as Tshokwane did not have skottelbraais. One huge wood fire and the attendants bringing one or two spade full of coals for you to braai your breakfast on. No problem in finding a spot to prepare that breakfast as the place where not as overrun as now. And the huge elephant bull at Tshokwane that came to visit! Also the huge kettles with boiling water to prepare coffee with in all the day visitors’ areas.

Coke was still sold in those small galss bottles. No screw caps on other cooldrink bottles, there was a bottle opener fixed to the counter and as small kid you wanted to open everyone's bottle.

Us galss (Angels) come in small packages




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15 days till Etosha
28 days till Kruger

Will have to second all of the above. Making breakfast using woodfire, beats the gas smell anytime.
Having ice-cold rooi or groen koeldrank (red or green cooldrink), Sparletta Rasberry or CremeSoda in the glass bottle. Or even Fanta Naartjie, used to struggle to find them this side of the Park's borders.

Do they still do the movies in the camps at night? Use to be big rush finishing the braai so we would be in time for the movies. Enjoyed them thoroughly.

You can not buy buffalo pies at Skukuza cafeteria today . Five years ago you could.

You cannot buy canned elephant meatballs at the shop in Skukuza today. 20 years ago you could

Yes..and they were the size of a cricket ball.

...so either it was a very big tin, or a normal one with one meatball in it?

I would go for a very big tin with one meatball