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I recently discovered these little roads around Palaborwa Gate. Has anyone travelled them. They are brilliant. It is only for High rise vehicles though.

Are these new roads Scipio?
The only ones I see on my map are the S131 and S51 to Sable Dam and the ruins.

We saw the new signs at the end of October but the roads were not yet open. Hope to give them a try next week

Elsa, these roads are not on a map yet. There is a lot of k's to travel. I am mapping them with the GPS at the mo. Freda, you can take them, they are really nice.

I saw a concrete "plinth" road sign under construction along the H14 in Sept , are these the roads being referred to ?

I am convinced you see more of the "small special" game on quieter roads , also that one saw more early morning specials when there were less cars .

Yes Ndloti, thinking on your posts these are perfect for you. You dont need a 4x4 as well but, a sedan wont suffice.

DEEDEE, you must try them, lekker stuff to sit underneath the tree looking over the Letaba with a cold one.

We saw a massive amount of the smaller things to offer. Really good stuff.

Im also very curious about these roads There is nothing better than travelling sand roads (besides S28 and S100 ) and seeing maybe one car in an hour and having every sighting to yourself

Scipio , I am still not sure exactly where these these roads are . It sounds to me as if they may be part of the Nonokani eco trail , as you describe views of the river , in which case one is required to pay as one of a limited amount of daily users ?
(If available to all , perhaps best kept a secret , otherwise there may be many recoveries of rental cars required judging that the roads are a bit rough .)

Ndloti, They are around Nononkani, just to the north. Not part of the Nononkani (My fave adventure trail)

DEEDEE, If you come through Phalaborwa you are welcome to make a pitstop @ my house with the pack.

As soon as I see some sedans on these roads I will take the shovel off the landy & dig a few holes.

Buffalo kill late this avvie on one. Lone vehicle & no humdrum. I just love these roads.

I drove the one that takes you to the viewpoint over Letaba river on Sunday morning on the way out of the KNP . The solitude is most impressive . Saw a brand new giraffe still with umbilical cord .
Saw only two other high ground clearance vehicles . Sedan cars will get in trouble after more heavy rain .
Scipio , I think keep your spade ready .

One can get a map of these roads at the Phalaborwa Gate. The roads are called Category D roads. According to the map, the total distance is 54km.

I did a few of them. They have a different atmosphere about them. It is like driving on a farm road. You can’t be in a hurry, because the going is slow. There are lots of speed humps to prevent the roads from water damage during downpours. I did them in a Corsa Utility, which handled the roads perfectly well. I won’t do it when the roads are wet.

The sightings were not good, but I did them during the hot hours of the day. Birding is good though. I will definitely do it again, but if you have to travel between camps, I won’t recommend them.

Skopsie, big game tend to be shy on these roads but, we did get a HUGE herd of Buffalo, & some nice ellie there. I know of a litter of AWC Saw them twice already. Pangolin

2 Black Rhino on one of the loops(Wont say where ) Also Bird, reptiles & other small stuff abound. These little roads are great & the view over the Letaba (Old road to Mahlangeni) is cool.

Best is, you just tend to have solitude at a sighting. We sat in between the herd og Buff. for hours, seeing them interact.

Road between H9 & H 14

View over Letaba river , not far from Shimuwini .

I have traveled most of these roads in the vicinity of Phalaborwa gate and am as excited as Scipio.

I have not seen much but the solitude and roads remind me of days gone bye.

Dont be in a hurry but they are all well worth while.