Various parts of the Kruger National Park (KNP) are expected to receive more rain in the coming week and this has led to park management temporarily closing some of the remote camps and evacuate staff members to nearer safer camps until the situation improves.
In a press statement on Monday, KNP’s Acting General Manager in Commercial Operations Management Hein Grobler, four camps including Lower Sabie, Crocodile Bridge, Biyamiti and Talamati were also badly affected by the floods and are therefore currently not accessible. t.
“Guests arriving at Talamati today have been moved to Satara. Management is in constant communications with guests inside these camps about the situation. No threat or danger to lives has been experienced in the park and we will try our best to continue to keep all our guests in the affected camps safe”, Grobler said.
KNP Managing Executive, Oscar Mthimkhulu said that as a precautionary measure, gravel roads and remote camps have been temporarily closed including those used to evacuate guests from Lower Sabie, Biyamiti and Crocodile Bridge out of the KNP yesterday. Closures are necessary to ensure everybody’s safety during this time and we would like to advise guests to stick to the tar roads whilst driving inside the Park. A disaster management team is in motion and periodical updates will be released until the situation improves.”
He further reported that tar roads are open although the teams had to temporarily close some of them for a short period yesterday (route between Pretoriuskop and Skukuza as well as the one between Malelane and Skukuza) for guests’ safety; but these were reopened as soon as flash floods stopped. Skukuza Airport is operating but advises passengers to contact their lodges to get information before flying to Skukuza. The airport is currently processing passengers to and from the airport via Shelati Bridge; and all transfer companies, lodge representatives, car hire should pick up and drop off in the Skukuza Day Visitors Site which is adjacent to the train/bridge because the Sabie low level bridge is currently flooded.
The status of camps and roads in the Park is as follows:
- Gravel roads in the South remain closed
- All tar roads in the Park are open; except the main road between Skukuza and Lower Sabie
- Talamati Bush Camp is closed
- Balule is closed
- Biyamiti Bush Camp closed
- Sable Hide closed
- Shimuwini, Bateleur and Sirheni Bush Camps open
- All Rest Camps are operational except Crocodile Bridge and Lower Sabie
- All Entrance Gates except Crocodile Bridge are open
“Honorary Rangers and KNP roads teams continue to clear debris on the bridges and anywhere else when necessary. We advise guests to avoid all roads with ‘No Entry’ signs or blocked with other objects. We also urge visitors who would like to enquire or send communication related to the rainfall to please contact our Emergency Call Centre Numbers 013 735 0197/4325 or 076 801 9679; concluded Mthimkhulu.
