SANParks.org Forums

I'm with Gav - tents over caravan definitely!

I am going to KTP in April and have been told by a number of people that taking a trailer is not a good idea. We are camping at Mata-Mata and Nossob and spending 1 night at Grootkolk (pity but the park is FULL). Please can someone advise me about the state of the roads and whether I can take an ordinary trailer. Thanks.

Sim

I have seen Venter trailers in KTP - but I don't think its too easy, the roads are just too corrugated! Maybe for the well-being of your trailer you should consider leaving it at home!

Hi Sim
We have used our venter trailer on both our camping trips to KTP. We stayed at Nossob and Mata Mata. Family also use their venter trailer when they visit KTP. We have had no problems and the roads were in a shocking state but we drove at snails pace when we towed the trailer from camp to camp and we also made sure our trailer tyres were deflated.

Thanks Joubie and Jo! I appreciate your input!

This is the key, drive slowly with it and deflate your tyres a bit more than what is recommended. At the slow speeds a tyre that is deflated quite a bit is no problem - it may just save your trailer. We drove with our Double Cabs at 0.8 bar pressure and we had a nice "soft" ride with no issues.

Sim,

Welcome to the forum hope you will have a great time here.

Reagrding the trailer, as mentioned by the other forumites you should not experience any problems if you drive slowly. As a matter of fact the roads are currently being graded and is in a good condition. Its due to speeding and the rains that the roads were bad at a stage.

If there is anything else please do not hesitate to contact us.

KG

My SO and I are avid visitors to Kruger National Park and try to fit in a visit from JHB at least once a month and end the year with a two week trip in December.

We have decided to travel to Etosha and Kgalagadi, with a short stop in Augrabies, over December and we are very excited about it. The problem is that with the exception of Augrabies, we have never been to the other two and have no idea what to expect.

Our main concern is that we use a caravan (not 4 x 4 model) and we do not know whether it will be possible to travel from camp to camp towing our caravan, because all we have seen so far from the pictures, are gravel roads. We also need to know which are the best camps to stay over in and also if the camp sites have electricity, or if we should make arrangements accordingly.

In general we need a lot of information and it feels a bit stupid asking these questions, because I always laugh at similar requests from first time visitors to Kruger. The truth is that we know nothing about Etosha (although not a SANPARK) and Kgalagadi and the conditions and we really need help.

Many thanks.

PM me and i will answer any questions you have on Etosha.

@Bundi,


In December the temperatures can soar up to 40 degrees plus. I have noted guests driving with their non-off road caravans in the park without any problems, what the road conditions will be during that time of year I cannot say although due to fact that there is not a lot of visitors then the park is fairly quiet and the roads in good condition.
There are only three camps you could camp at with a caravan, they are Twee Rivieren,. Mata-Mata and Nossob.

I hope this helps, if there are more questions you are welcome to send me an email jank@sanparks.org

KG

Is the road from TR to Nossub suitable for my Iveco motorhome?
I see we may have to divert via Auchterlonie as the main road is closed.
Do motorhomes use this route?
We will be there in August but can leave the Iveco in Upington.
Thanks

Welcome to the forum Ricker.

The road is often corrugated so everything gets shaken up.
There is also a bit of loose sand in places.
You should be able to manage if you let the tyres down to 1.4 bars or so, but the advice to caravanners it to camp at Twee Rivieren, but a motorhome could well be different.

Has anyone else tried it?

The Iveco itself is not the problem as you do not need a 4x4 in Kgalagadi. The problem is that the construction of a motorhome is pretty much similar to a standard road caravan and I am of the opinion (although I have no experience) that with all the shaking etc on the corrugated roads, something will give and could cause major and costly repairs. But this is just my opinion.

Thanks to BB and Blackie for your responses.
The Iveco is a sturdy vehicle built on a bus/truck C channel chassis, and thus a lot stronger than a normal caravan. Lowering tyre pressures will definitely assist.
With a motorhome you can at least hear inside the van if there is a problem!
The long rear overhang is the main problem with grounding if there are ridges and dips across the road. This should not be a problem though if the roads are graded reasonably.
We had little problem with corrugations in KNP, even with the tyres at 3.8 bar!
Are they worse than KNP?
Has anyone seen motorhomes in Kgalagadi?
Thanks Ricker

Hi R

Yes, the roads are much worse in the Kgalagadi due to the sandy/desert-like conditions. There are few pictures of roads on some of the Kgalagadi trip reports - you could get an idea of the conditions.

I cannot remember that I've seen any of those motorhomes during my trips but Jannie will surely provide an answer shortly.