Fire at Lower Sabie Rest Camp in Kruger National Park: Shop and restaurant affected

Update 21 April 2026: Lower Sabie Rest Camp Remains Open After Fire

Following the fire incident on 21 April 2026 at Lower Sabie Rest Camp in Kruger National Park, SANParks has confirmed that accommodation has not been affected and the camp remains fully operational for overnight guests.

Visitors with upcoming bookings are advised to stock up on essentials such as wood, ice, and other supplies before arrival, or purchase them at nearby camps including Skukuza, Crocodile Bridge, Satara, Tshokwane, and Nkuhlu.

Guided game drives and bush walks continue as normal.

While the restaurant was not damaged by the fire, it remains temporarily closed due to power cuts caused by the incident. Temporary food, beverage, and retail services will be introduced as soon as possible.

Guests are urged to avoid the affected area while investigations into the cause of the fire continue.

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Visitors planning to stay at Lower Sabie Rest Camp in South Africa’s iconic Kruger National Park should take note of an important update from South African National Parks (SANParks) following a fire incident reported early this morning, 21 April 2026.

According to SANParks, a fire broke out at Lower Sabie Rest Camp, affecting the camp’s shop and restaurant facilities. Fortunately, the camp’s ranger team and staff responded swiftly and successfully contained the fire before it could spread to nearby accommodation units or other infrastructure.

No injuries or fatalities have been reported.

At this stage, the exact cause of the fire remains under investigation, and SANParks has indicated that further updates will be shared once more information becomes available.

For guest safety, the restaurant and reception area are currently inaccessible. Travellers with upcoming reservations at Lower Sabie Rest Camp are advised to expect temporary disruptions to normal camp services and should remain in contact with SANParks for operational updates.

Lower Sabie is one of the most popular rest camps in Kruger National Park , especially for safari travellers seeking excellent game viewing along the Sabie River. The temporary closure of key visitor facilities may affect check-ins, dining arrangements, and general guest services over the coming days.

Visitors travelling to the southern section of Kruger National Park  should monitor official SANParks communication channels for the latest developments before departure.

Further updates will follow as soon as SANParks releases additional information.

 

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Kruger National Park: Lower Sabie Rest Camp is currently without power supply! [update]

update (30 Juni 2024): Power has been restored at Lower Sabie Rest Camp in Kruger National Park.

South African National Parks (SANParks) just informed the public that Lower Sabie Rest Camp in Kruger National Park is currently without power suppy. This is due to a couple of Eskom* poles that burned. The fire is suspected to have erupted sometime between last night (26 June 2024) and early this morning, with the cause not yet known.
The matter has been reported to Eskom in the early hours this morning. According to SANParks, no positive feedback has been received sofar from Eskom and Eskom is not on sight to deal with the issue yet. Generator power has not been able to sustain Lower Sabie Rest Camp including restaurant facilities since the outage. We'll keep you posted!

*Eskom is a South African state owned electricity public utility.

Kruger National Park: Two Rest Camps currently have no power suppy from Eskom! [update #2]

update (06 June 2024): SANParks just announced that Eskom power has been fully restored at Lower Sabie Rest Camp. Power was disrupted due to the storm that took down several power lines. The water shortage issue has since been resolved too, and the pumps are fully operational with Eskom power. 

update (05 June 2024): SANParks just announced that Eskom power has been restored at Crocodile Bridge Rest Camp. Lower Sabie Rest Camp is still relying on generators for power supply.

South African National Parks (SANParks) has announced that the Lower Sabie Rest Camp and the Crocodile Bridge Rest Camp in Kruger National Park currently have no power supply from Eskom* since last night (03 June 2024). These two camps’ power supply was affected by the storm from last night. The issue was escalated to Eskom as of this morning. Eskom indicated that they are currently inundated since the whole area was hard hit by the storm. SANParks is currently using its own generators, but they cannot power up the whole camp at one go. We'll keep you posted!

*Eskom is a South African state owned electricity public utility.

South African National Parks: Removal of bat houses in Kruger National Park!

South African National Parks (SANParks) has announced that, following consultation with internal divisions such as tourism operations, scientific and conservation services, it has started a project to remove all bat houses in Kruger National Park. The operation aims to minimise the number of bats that roost inside the National Park's Rest Camps. According to SANParks, the removal of bat houses is starting at Lower Sabie Rest Camp, which is mainly affected by bat influx.
The bat houses provided alternative accommodation for bats and in most cases the bats move onto nearby structures when the bat houses fill up. This is a long-term process as it can be affected by weather conditions such as rainfall events.
Over the years, Lower Sabie Rest Camp has experienced an unpleasant odor of bat droppings and bat noise in some of its buildings including guest accommodation, which led to visitor complaints. SANParks hopes to delicately manage the situation to the satisfaction of both nature and the guests.
SANParks is aware that it is a complicated matter to keep bats out of buildings as they originate from the surrounding natural bush. However various other mechanisms will be explored after the bat houses removal to deter bats from taking up residence in the tourist accommodation units. We'll keep you posted!

also read: Kruger National Park: Project to minimise bat infestation at rest camps to be rolled out! >>

Kruger National Park: Fuel station taken out by lightning strike!

South African National Parks (SANParks) has confirmed that the filling station at Lower Sabie Rest Camp in Kruger National Park has burnt down after it was struck by lightning on 13 November 2021. The fire was contained by the Kruger National Park's firefighting team. No injuries were reported but the filling station was completely gutted. According to a social media update by Kruger National Park's spokesperson, Isaac Phaahla, guests can refuel their vehicles either at Skukuza Rest Camp or Crocodile Bridge Rest Camp until further notice. We'll keep you posted!

LIGHTNING TAKES OUT LOWER SABIE FUEL STATION : KRUGER PARK. RSA pic.twitter.com/UV9yQmKH1v

— REZA (@crimeairnetwork) November 13, 2021

Kruger National Park: Mlondozi picnic spot closed until further notice! [update]

update (24 September 2019): Mlondozi picnic spot in Kruger National Park spot is open again - it was closed for maintenance!

South African National Parks (SANParks) has announced that the Mlondozi picnic spot in Kruger National Park is currently closed until further notice. The popular spot, which overs a birds-eye view of Mlondozi Dam, is located off the S29, approximately 15 km north of Lower Sabie Rest Camp in Kruger National Park'S Nkayeni Region (between Sabie and Olifants Rivers).

Kruger National Park: Muslim prayer and ablution facilities available at selected camps and picnic sites!

South African National Parks (SANParks) has launched prayer and ablution (wudu) facilities for for both male and female Muslim guests at at Skukuza Rest Camp, Lower Sabie Rest Camp, Satara Rest Camp, Afsaal Picnic Site and Tshokwane Picnic Site in Kruger National Park.

• Skukuza Rest Camp - located just off the walkway between the Clock Tower and Museum.
• Lower Sabie Rest Camp - located adjacent to the ablutions in the parking area.
• Satara Rest Camp - located inside the day visitors’ area.
• Afsaal Picnic Site - located adjacent to ablutions. (between the building and tar road)
• Tshokwane Picnic Site - located on the extreme right of the picnic site, if you are facing the retail area – behind the ablutions