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They tried to organise something last year/this year. But the rain decided to make it's yearly appearence and was too unpredicatable to plan anything more than 4 hours in advance. It was just too wet for any kind of drive. To be honest at that time of year I'm in bed by 8:30pm - getting up at 4:30am everyday takes its toll.

They did have a special meal/celebration in the restaurant though.

@ batman: The camp does not have the means to organise bush braais.
Yes; we will organise a special drive on New Year's Eve (31 December). The drive will be advertised at reception (in camp) where bookings can be made. We had late summer rains the previous season (it only started raining on Christmas Eve) and it poured down for several days and like saraf said; we decided not to take bookings for a special drive.

Don't know what the weather will be doing this year!

All the best

Thanks Gamespotter.

I think I must give it a try, and hopefully instead of irritating firecrackers that one hears in the suburbs, I will hear lions roaring in the new year lol!!

Another peacefull night in paradise, would be my choice.

It was great to be such a peaceful place for the New Year for once. I just wish I could spend every New Years there.

This year i will spend new years eve in Sirheni and have a peaceful night.

Hello, me and two of my mates (we were 19 at the time) had the best new years eve in 2002/2003. We were at Letaba. At about 23:30 we were the only people awake in the camping site. Decided to go for a walk (with a bottle champagne) to see if we can find people who are still awake to enter the new year with. came across a few people still awake at 23:45 but they said they were on their way to bed. Walked back to camp with hanging shoulders.
When we got to the open space next to the shop (now swimming pool) we found a bus full of German tourists. Had the best time! Free biltong and booze and they were really interested in our opinions and how we see the future of our great land. Went back to camp when other the others started to get up to go game spotting.....

In the city or bush I allways sleep in the new year (to me it is just another day ). The animals doesn't know it's a new year so their movements doesn't change. I will never forgive myself if I miss a great sighting over celebrating new years.

But that is just my opinion.

Any night in a Sanparks camp whether bush or wilderness is an awesome experience. Listening to night sounds is what its all about. I do all my talking during the day but at night I listen.
I would love to be there over the new year if only to be out of suburbia; but on second thoughts i fear you will always get that one person in 20 who thinks he has to celebrate the incoming year as if he were in the city (Like the one guy who lights a cigarette in a packed lift.) That would just ruin the whole trip so I choose to rather stay at home and endure the insincere SMS,s.

I can assure you that our HSM is very proactive to take action against noise-makers, Tony T. Usually this camp quiets down after 20:00 and by 22:00 the camp has gone to sleep! I just don't know what happened during this school holiday, this camp was never as noisy as during this period; but then again there were small children everywhere. I pondered about this transformation of our small, quiet camp and came to the conclusion that there were probably much more children visiting in winter than in summer due to the lower malaria risk...
Anyway; this is what 31 Dec. was like for me: I took out drives (can't remember if I did sunset, night drive or both and I can't remember if saraf was on the vehicle or not?!?) and when I came back the camp was totally quiet and no lights from campers in the camping area were burning. Three of us sat in the darkness listening to owls calling until 23:45 and then we went to bed On the 1st I took out a sunrise (early morning drive) and we came across some guys dressed in white robes standing on the back of an open bakkie travelling towards a pride of lions...when they passed us again all were hunched up in the back as they were being escourted out of the Park by the traffic police. Don't know if they were reported or if they came across a section ranger or traffic officer (or all of the above because law enforcement was out in full force over that time). The change on the transgressors facial expressions was quite funny though!

Ciao!

Am too, but as I recall you weren't even aware of them until I let slip of what I had seen earlier.

Hey B,

Yip, you took the night drive last New Year's Eve. We were on it.

We were in one of the tents at the top, git back and camp was very quiet as you say. Just sat on our balcony listening to the leopard in the valley below. Will be there for a week over the same time this year, a few sunset/night drives booked. I leave the heavy drinking to Jo'burg life the other 51 weeks of the year. The thought of a nasty hangover in Kruger seems such a waste when you have waited all year to get there.

Cannot wait for our week over New Years

The wife and I decided to kick for touch.
This year no friends, no family, no god-children and definitely no unwanted "baggage" either.
Just us and 3 days of bliss n the park.
Of the times we have been to the park none have been over New Year.
What happens at midnight in the camps?
Could anyone with experience on the topic please inform/entertain us on the goings-on.
We just do'nt know what to expect.

Me and my husband were in Satara on the 31st of December 2009.
That day there were a special Night drive that you could have booked that would departure at 10 that evening and be back at 2 in the morning.
The tariff was a bit more than the normal one, but they took us to the picknick spot (cant remember the name) that ends at the top of the S100?
When we arrived, there was a table with lovely snacks and champangne preperred for us, we did the countdown to 2010 there!

This was one of the most memorable things I did in all the years going to the Kruger!
The drive itself was wonderfull!
We saw 20 hippos standing in the road ( something you will not normaly see during the day ), and a few meters from the Satara gate we got 2 lions in the road as well.
We stopped and realise that there were buffs at the left side of the lions.
We stood there for about 20 min when the lions went for it, and I saw my first kill on the first morning of 2010! What a sight!

I dont know if all the camps did this, and if this would be available again this year?
But believe me, it is worth the money!

It is surely something to consider!
Yes, it is expensive, but you definitly get what you pay for!
The snacks was good, chippies, biltong, crackers with cheese and then some bubbly just to hip hip hoeraa!
But the sight experiance was ooh soo good!

Just something funny quickly!
We were camping in Satara, and when we came back from the Night drive, we drove around in the camp for 1hour and 15 min!
We coulnt find our tent!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We drove around and around and around and eventualy George (my husband) spotted a Caravan that was close by our tent!
We were so tired when we woke up, and we had to pack up that same day to go Pretoriuskop.
So, went to bed at 4 in the morning, woke up at 8!
Already the blazing sun in December in the Kruger ( everyone knows that sun! ) is hanging high, had to pack up tent in that sun and drove to Pretoriuskop.
Luckly on our way we had that lovely lunch with pap and sauce and boerewors at Tsokwane!
And the thrill of the Night drive was still there, so it all made up for the tiredness!

I will definitly advice everyone that considers this Night drive to have an hour or more sleep before going on it, cause the next day is a loonnnggg day if you'r tired!

New year's in Kruger.
The animals don't give a fig.

2007/8, I went with SO & friends.
I tried to persuade them to put the clocks 3 hours forward but to no avail.
I went to bed at Croc Bridge at 21h00 and Mrs woke me at 23h55 and thrust a glass in my hand as I emerged from the tent, hopefully with my shorts on.
Happy happy all round, back to bed without waking properly.
4h15, 1/1 alarm goes.
I am toally awake in 5 nanoseconds.
Up to the loo accompanied by 'music of the night' as I pass all the tents.
4h30 'Goodwill' open the gate "Happy happy!"
I am the only person in the car.
Mine is the only car in the queue.
It doesn't get better than that. I saw 3 prides, hyena, rhino, eles & wild dog on my solitary ride. Later to LS, we saw some impala & a kudu.
Who cares about a point in time .......