SANParks.org Forums

Hello all
I am going to the Kruger in October '12 and require a wild card for myself and my partner, we are in the UK. I have emailed the wildcard link four times now and cannot get a reply.
~ How long does it take for the cards to get to the UK ?
~ Can it be emailed ?
~If I want it for October 2nd when is the best time to order given that it is valid for 12 months and we want to return to Kruger within that time therefore avoiding buying it again.

Advice please ... thanks

Charliemouse, I will try to answer.

At the moment Wild Card are saying allow 4 weeks for Wild Card delivery. I have heard of cards arriving in the Netherlands in that time but I would allow 6 weeks to be on the safe side (a Spanish forumite has been waiting for 6 weeks already...)

The actual card cannot be emailed as it is personalised. However, as soon as you pay you will get a confirmation email which will be accepted by all the parks.

And this is where it starts getting complicated. You can actually buy a Wild Card at the gates. You will not get the actual card, you will get a receipt that you can use as a Wild Card. You must then go online to update your details. Details given at the gates are not transferred and the actual card cannot be mailed until those details are updated.

In the near future Wild Card are going to put a limit on the time that the Confirmation email/Gate Receipt can be used to gain entry. This is why it is imperative that you update your details on line as soon as you can so that your actual card can reach you if you intend to use it again within the 12 months.

Hope this helps.

I would go with the way Sarah mentioned. Buy your wild card on entry. It doesn't take long and we have had no problem doing it that way. Use the confirmation letter while you're in the park and then register your details on return. Our card took a while to get to us as there was glitch in registering my details. I now just intend to renew it when I arrive in August.

Gemma

Hi, thank you so much for the replies. I did buy at the gate last time and the queue was quote long although this time our timings ate very diffetent. My only concern with buying at the gate is that we are quite tight for time to get to our first camp so I wanted to do as much as I could before we got there. Going by what you have both said I may just order in June and be safe rather than sorry I think. Thanks again, very much appreciated.

Please excuse typing errors Im using a phone !

Charliemouse, most gates ask you to buy the card at the Camp reception anyway, especially if they are busy. I'm sure if you ask they will let you do it that way.

Sara's right...........we have always bought at the camps..............very easy!!

Ok, thanks, that would be better I guess if we could buy at the first camp.

Hi, SARAF wrote: "In the near future Wild Card are going to put a limit on the time that the Confirmation email/Gate Receipt can be used to gain entry."

We are from UK and are actually in SA now. We are about to go to Addo (our 1st park), but will be in and around SA until September when we intend to visit Kruger. Can someone tell me what the time limit that the Gate Receipt can be used is please as this may well influence our decision to buy a Wild Card or not?

Thanks,

Ian

As not all the cards have been dispatched yet they have not enforced this ruling so you should be OK.

As a back up, if you have access to email then I would email the Wild Card membership office at wildcard@sanparks.org. Other contact options can be found here.

Hi Saraf,

thanks for the quick reply - I've emailed Sanparks this morning and will let the forum know the result....

Ian

Congrats to wildcard, we received ours in 4 weeks.

Just a small query
We renewed our wild card and made a printout of the renewal .. ( we have a plastic card) When we arrived at Bontebok the staff wanted to see our letter But when we asked for them to update the particulars on the card they told us no can do A new card would be send and the old card was now null and void..!! so must we carry the old paper around with us for a while .. I thought the card was permanent as long as you updated it before it expired .

That's what I thought too.

Please could you PM me your Card number and a contact email address and I'll see if someone can look into it.