LOWER SABIE - KRUGER NATIONAL PARK:
Lower Sabie Restcamp in Kruger Park is on the banks of the perennial Sabie River, which draws a wide variety of animals all year round.

- Large numbers of game are attracted to the plentiful water
- A wide variety of bird species will appeal to the avid bird watcher
- Accommodation, from luxury guesthouse to budget conscious camping
- An ideal family oriented camp with a wide range of activities
- Day and night game drives are available at Lower Sabie Restcamp in Kruger Park

A range of accommodation is available from a luxurious guesthouse to family cottages, huts, bungalows, safari tents and campsites at Lower Sabie Restcamp in Kruger Park. Lower Sabie’s accommodation caters to a variety of guest requirements.

A very recent innovation at Lower Sabie Restcamp in Kruger Park has been the addition of dreamily romantic, semi-luxury two-bedded tents, positioned so as to secure intimate privacy for each one. Each has its own small bathroom and kitchenette, and some have the added advantage of a river view. Three of the tents have been adapted for use by visitors with impaired mobility at Lower Sabie Restcamp in Kruger Park.

Visitors cannot but feel soothed by the view over the perennial Sabie River and the Lebombo Mountains beyond, which form the natural boundary of the Kruger National Park. Expansive green lawns shaded from the remorseless African sun by the majestic Sycamore Fig provide the setting for a breathtaking panorama. The Sycamore Fig Tree provides generously for the livelihood of many animals, birds and insects. Other trees in the area such as Marula, Natal Mahogany and Fever Tree flower at different times of the year ensures that the gifts of life are extended over many months.

Large numbers of game are attracted to the abundance of water, sweet grass and foliage in the vicinity of Lower Sabie Restcamp in Kruger Park, giving rise to a diversity of game, almost unequalled anywhere else in the Park. The area is also rich in Lion, Cheetah, Elephant, Hippopotamus, Rhino, herds of Buffalo up to 800 strong, and is known for its high density of Warthog.

Lower Sabie Restcamp in Kruger Park has everything you need for a successful bushveld holiday, including electric power, emergency road service, basic first aid assistance, fuel station (selling petrol and diesel), licensed restaurant, cafeteria (offering convenience food), laundromat, well-stocked shop (selling groceries, wine, beer and spirits, as well as a selection of clothing, books and curios), and picnic facilities for day visitors.

The recent addition of a swimming pool has proved to be a popular enjoyment of guests, especially the younger ones. Film shows on conservation and wildlife are shown on certain evenings at Lower Sabie Restcamp in Kruger Park.

ACCOMMODATION:
The Lower Sabie Camp proves the perfect romantic getaway, with its newly added semi-luxury two-bedded tents.

- The camp has electrical power and a restaurant
- All accommodation units are serviced daily
- Shaded from the sun by majestic African trees
- Romantic semi-luxury two bedded tents
- Accommodation units are supplied with bedding, towels and soap

Lower Sabie Camp graces the banks of the Sabie River, one of the few perennial rivers to flow through Kruger National Park. In this rest camp, the bounty and plenitude of nature are very evident, eloquently symbolized by the most conspicuous of its numerous trees, the mighty sycamore fig, which provides generously for the livelihood of many animals, birds and insects.

Accommodation available: seven-bed Keartland Guesthouse, four-bed Steenbok Guest Cottage, four-bed Moffett Guest Cottage, five-bed guest cottages, two- and three-bed bungalows (one three-bed bungalow adapted for disabled persons), one- to five-bed huts, as well as tent or caravan campsites with power points, communal ablutions and cooking facilities – maximum six people per site. There is a shop and a restaurant at the Camp.

Keartland Guest House:
If it is high-class luxury accommodation in Kruger National Park that tickles your fancy, then enjoy a stay at the 7-bedded Keartland guesthouse. With en-suite facilities, fully equipped air conditioning, DSTV, a carport and prime views over the Sabie River, you may want to book well in advance before arriving at your accommodation in Kruger National Park.

A very recent innovation at Lower Sabie Camp has been the addition of dreamily romantic semi-luxury two-bedded tents, positioned so as to secure intimate privacy for each one. Each has its own small bathroom and kitchenette, and some have the added advantage of a river view. Three of the tents have been adapted for use by visitors with impaired mobility, so they may enjoy their accommodation in Kruger National Park.

- Emergency Road Service*
- Petrol Station
- Laundromat
- DSTV (Limited Coverage)
- Picnic Facilities
* Please Note: ALL Emergency Road Services are from Skukuza

The closest entrance gate is Crocodile Bridge, 35km (21.7 miles) to the south, which can be reached from Johannesburg in less than 5 hours, but visitors may prefer to enter at Paul Kruger gate, 53km (33 miles) away and travel along the tarred road via Skukuza Rest Camp. The traveling time from Johannesburg to Paul Kruger is 5 hours.

The new Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport makes the Kruger National Park - South Africa more accessible than ever before. The airport is just 25km (15.5 miles) away from Nelspruit, and is well-equipped with car hire facilities. Skukuza Airport, however will continue to service chartered flights to Kruger National Park - South Africa.

HOW TO GET THERE:

Travel routes and times from JHB/PTA

CROCODILE BRIDGE GATE:
Take the N4 to Nelspruit, head through Nelspruit to Malelane and on to Komatipoort (about 110 kms).
Then turn left onto the R571 just after Komatipoort and head on to the gate.

Allow between 5 to 6 hours for the trip to the gate. Lower Sabie Main Rest Camp is 34 km away from the gate.
Allow about 2 hours for the drive to the camp; however if you want to enjoy the game viewing possibilities give yourself more time in the Kruger National Park - South Africa!

CLIMATE:
Kruger National Park - South Africa is in a summer rainfall area. Such precipitation is usually convectional and can result in heavy downpours. The summer months (October to April) are hot and often balmy. Winters are warm and mild, although visitors going on night-drives will require warm clothing.

VEGETATION:
Lower Sabie has many large riverine trees in camp and the sycamore fig tree is very prominent. The camp is situated in knob thorn/marula savannah on basalt soils. Other prominent trees include the leadwood and sausage trees. The grass is sweet thus attracting many grazing species. Immediately west is a zone of delagoa thorn thicket on ecca shale soil. Here prevalent trees include the delagoa thorn and the magic guarri. The grass is still sweet, but shorter.

ACTIVITIES:
The Lower Sabie Camp graces the banks of the Sabie River in the southern region of the Kruger National Park - South Africa.

- The waters of the Sabie River attract a multitude of wildlife species and is an excellent area in which to view big game.
- Dawn Game Drive, Morning Bush Walk, Sunset Game Drive
- Track Rhino, Elephant and Lion on foot
- The camp takes its name from the nearby Sabie River
- Outstanding birdwatching opportunities exist

On at least one morning during your safaris in Kruger National Park, you will most certainly want to rise early and set off for a picnic site, where you can hire one of the gas ‘skottels’ provided by the Park to prepare a hearty breakfast with food you have brought along with you.

The two most popular picnic sites in the Lower Sabie Camp area are Nkhulu, on the Sabie River between Skukuza and Lower Sabie Camp, in excellent Leopard territory, and Tshokwane to the north, in the shade of a massive Sausage Tree, so named because of the shape of its large seed pods, which can weigh anything up to 10 Kg. The Mlondozi picnic site in the Lebombo Mountains also offers an ideal place for a midday break.

PLEASE NOTE:
If you must walk around at night please do not do so without a torch.

KRUGER NATIONAL PARK:
The world-renowned Kruger National Park offers a wildlife experience that ranks with the best in Africa. Established in 1898 to protect the wildlife of the South African Lowveld, this national park of nearly 2 million hectares, SANParks - Kruger National Park is unrivalled in the diversity of its life forms and a world leader in advanced environmental management techniques and policies.

Truly the flagship of the South African national parks, Kruger is home to an impressive number of species: 336 trees, 49 fish, 34 amphibians, 114 reptiles, 507 birds and 147 mammals. Man's interaction with the Lowveld environment over many centuries - from bushman rock paintings to majestic archaeological sites like Masorini and Thulamela - is very evident in the Kruger National Park. These treasures represent the cultures, persons and events that played a role in the history of the Kruger National Park and are conserved along with the park's natural assets.

The Kruger National Park is the primary destination in South Africa for many international tourists. Each year more than half a million visitors are registered.

The National Park was opened in 1898 at the instigation of then-president Paul Kruger. After hunters had considerably decimated the originally rich game stock, all the land between the Sabie and the Crocodile Rivers was put under the protection of Nature Conservation to ensure the survival of the remaining animals. Only as recently as 1961 was the extended Kruger Park fenced in.

The park stretches from the Crocodile River in the south up to the Limpopo River, which is the international border in the north. Altogether it is 350 km long, 65 km wide and comprises an area of about 20,000 sq km.

A web of roads of 1863 kilometres leads through the National Park, 697 kms of them being tarred. For the visitor there are numerous differently equipped restcamps, most of them scenically positioned. Within the park boundaries, travel is only allowed between sunrise and sunset. After dark one has to stay in one of the fenced restcamps.

The best time for observing the animals is the dry winter season. Then the grass is low and bushes and trees don't have leaves, so that one can have an unobstructed view. Because it virtually doesn't rain in winter, the animals come to the waterholes to drink in the mornings and evenings and can easily be viewed from the car.

Overview of The Kruger National Park

Where nearly 2 million hectares of unrivalled diversity of life forms fuses with historical and archaeological sights – this is real Africa. The world-renowned Kruger National Park offers a wildlife experience that ranks with the best in Africa. Established in 1898 to protect the wildlife of the South African Lowveld, this national park of nearly 2 million hectares, SANParks - Kruger National Park is unrivalled in the diversity of its life forms and a world leader in advanced environmental management techniques and policies.

Truly the flagship of the South African national parks, Kruger is home to an impressive number of species: 336 trees, 49 fish, 34 amphibians, 114 reptiles, 507 birds and 147 mammals. Man's interaction with the Lowveld environment over many centuries - from bushman rock paintings to majestic archaeological sites like Masorini and Thulamela - is very evident in the Kruger National Park. These treasures represent the cultures, persons and events that played a role in the history of the Kruger National Park and are conserved along with the park's natural assets.

Vegetation and Climate

The Kruger National Park is generally flat to gently undulating, with average height of 260 metres (853 feet) above sea level, with its most mountainous areas being along the eastern boundary, formed by the Lebombo Mountains. Sixteen distinct landscapes provide a multitude of habitats for the Kruger Park's inhabitants. Located in the Southern Hemisphere, the Kruger Park has its share of rain and hot weather. During the summer months (September-April), the Park experiences sporadic rainfall in the form of quick thunder showers. April through August represent the winter months in Southern Africa which in turn means very little rain. As far as rainfall is concerned, the southern region receives the largest amount of rainfall while the central plains receive the least. The temperatures average from 30 C (86 F) in January (summer) to 23 C (73 F) in July (winter). Please be aware that the maximum temperature can reach 47 C (117 F) (January) and 35 C (95 F) (July).For your information, the average nightly temperature can range from 7-18 C (45-64 F) (January) and most certainly freezing in July. It is highly advisable to wear 'breathable' clothes to avoid heat exhaustion or stroke during the day, drink plenty of water and ensure that appropriate clothing is available in the often cold nights.

Vegetation Zones

The varying climatic conditions impact on the type of vegetation in the ecosystem that can survive and flourish in each vegetation zone. This of course affects the distribution and population densities of the various animals - each type favouring some or other ecosystem environment.

History of the Kruger National Park

The first explorer to set foot in the region was the Dutchman François de Cuiper who led a Dutch East India Company expedition to explore. However, the expedition was attacked and driven by local tribes-people near Gomondwane. Only around 1838 Voortrekker expeditions led by Lous Trichardt and Hans van Rensburg were able to successfully establish forward outposts. Hundreds of Europeans and farmers came to the Lowveld lured by rumours of gold and the great quantity of valuable commodities such as ivory and skins.

This caused the number of game to dramatically decrease due to hunting and trading of animal skins and horns. President Paul Kruger was told about the rapid destruction of wildlife in the area by hunters, after which he succeeded to persuade the Transvaal parliament to establish a protected area for the wildlife in the Lowveld region. The "Sabie Game Reserve”, bordered by the Crocodile River in the south, the Sabie River in the north, the Lebombo Mountains in the east and the Drakensberg Mountains in the west, which is now the southern part of the Kruger National Park, was established in 1898.

These reserves would eventually expand into today's Kruger National Park. The Anglo-Boer War stopped any further development of the reserve, but the British, after winning the war, proceeded with the plan to develop the Sabie Game Reserve and gave the task to major James Stevenson-Hamilton in 1902 to protect the animals against hunters, ivory poachers and cattle farmers. The Park was opened to the public in 1927 for visitors to view animals and plant life in an area where they are protected. After the Anglo-Boer War, James Stevenson-Hamilton was appointed as the first park warden. He spent the next 40 years protecting what the war had destroyed. His actions are no doubt an ever-living contribution to the Kruger National Park's current existence. In addition to his animal conservation, James Stevenson Hamilton was also responsible for acquiring another 10 000 hex acres for the reserve.

After World War I, the Kruger National Park was protected by the government of South Africa and remains under the watchful eye of the government even today. The very first ranger in the reserve was Paul Bester who made his residence in a rustic rondavel (hut) which is now the site of the headquarters camp, Skukuza. Documents concerning the History of the Kruger National Park can be viewed at the Skukuza Library. Half a million years ago, the first San stone age hunters roamed the plains in search of game. The modern day bush men have left fascinating rock paintings all over the Republic of South Africa, and Kruger National Park contains over one hundred sites of these paintings. The Kruger National Park is a living memorial to President Paul Kruger and those who have upheld his vision of a protected wilderness reserve which will forever remind us of that which we are so dangerously close to loosing.

A Short Natural and Cultural History·

There are almost 254 known cultural heritage sites in the Kruger National Park, including nearly 130 recorded rock art sites.

There is ample evidence that prehistoric man – Homo erectus roamed the area between 500 000 and 100 000 years ago.

Cultural artefacts of Stone Age man have been found for the period 100 000 to 30 000 years ago.

More than 300 archaeological sites of Stone Age man have been found.

Evidence of Bushman Folk (San) and Iron Age people from about 1500 years ago is also in great evidence.

There are also many historical tales of the presence of Nguni people and European explorers and settlers in the Kruger area.

There are significant archaeological ruins at Thulamela and Masorini.

There are numerous examples of San Art scattered throughout the park.

The park was first proclaimed in 1898 as the Sabie Game Reserve by the then president of the Transvaal Republic, Paul Kruger. He first proposed the need to protect the animals of the Lowveld in 1884, but his revolutionary vision took another 12 years to be realised when the area between the Sabie and Crocodile Rivers was set aside for restricted hunting.

The Scottish born James Stevenson-Hamilton (born in 1867) was appointed the park’s first warden on 1 July 1902.

On 31 May 1926 the National Parks Act was proclaimed and with it the merging of the Sabie and Shingwedzi Game Reserves into the Kruger National Park. The first motorists entered the park in 1927 for a fee of one pound.

Many accounts of the park’s early days can be found in the Stevenson-Hamilton Memorial Library.