Festive season 2022/23: Kruger National Park to enforce daily gate quotas!

South African National Parks (SANParks) has announced that daily quotas will once again apply at the entrance gates of Kruger National Park from 15 December 2022 until 10 January 2023. Three time slots have been introduced, of which day visitos can choose from. Visitors are urged to make pre-bookings for their visits prior to their arrival and there are three time slots which they can choose from as follows:

• Time slot 1: 05:30 to 07:30
• Time slot 2: 07:30 to 09:30
• Time slot 3: 09:30 onwards

Pre-booked day visitors will get preference over non-booked day visitors at the gate but must ensure that they arrive within their booked time slots. Arriving outside the booked time slot, will be regarded as non-booked and therefore will not receive preference and could be turned away. These bookings can be changed as well through SANParks Reservations offices if need be.
The three different time slots are aimed at improving the spread of vehicles and preventing unnecessary waiting periods at gates. The day visitor quota for Kruger National Park is a management tool to prevent overcrowding the roads and facilities.
SANParks has also made plans for increased visibility of both traffic officials and visitor management personnel to watch speeding, after-hours travelling and general behaviour on the roads. Day visitors are reminded not to bring liquor with them as the alcohol ban on public areas in Kruger National Park is a permanent rule which is always enforced. Visitors are advised to plan their trip carefully, allowing sufficient time to enjoy the bush and to get to your destination. Entrance Gate operating hours will be from 05:30 to 18:30 during December and January.

Visitors should also take note of the following important information:

• Visitors can book up to 80% of the day visitor quota per gate via SANParks Reservations offices.
• Day visitor pre-bookings are subject to a non-refundable booking fee of R50 per adult and R25 per child, which must be paid in advance and is meant to ensure their space because they would have been counted in the number that made the daily quota.
• Day visitors who have pre-booked will still be required to pay conservation fees or use a valid Wild Card to enter Kruger National Park. The conservation fee for residents of South Africa as well as for Zimbabwe and Mozambique nationals (passport required to prove this) is R115 per adult and R57 per child (between ages 2 - 11). For nationals of Eswatini and other SADC countries, the conservation fees are R230 per adult and R115 per child. For all other guests, the standard conservation fees of R460 for adults and R230 for children apply.
• Guests planning to use Wild Cards are requested to ensure the membership is valid before arrival.
• The number and profile of persons (adults and children) on the reservation and actual persons arriving should correspond.
• All guests (drivers and passengers) will be required to identify themselves upon admission (by producing a South African driver's license, identity document or passport); please ensure you are in possession of one of these documents and have them ready.
• Gate Quotas will be strictly applied and guests without pre-bookings could be denied entry if quotas are full.

Traffic accidents: The most dangerous roads in South Africa!

The South African Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) has released a list of South Africa's most dangerous roads. The list consists of 24 road sections where 15 or more road crashes have taken place over the past five years. These are the 24 accident hotspots in South Africa: the R573 Moloto Road in KwaMhlanga in Mpumalanga, the R71 near Mankweng in Limpopo, the N2 near Idutywa in the Eastern Cape, the N2 near Mount Ayliff in the Eastern Cape, the N1 near Naboomspruit in Limpopo, the R61 near Mbizana in the Eastern Cape, the N1 near Mokopane in Limpopo, the R30 between Stilfontein and Ventersdorp in the North West, the R61 near Umthatha in the Eastern Cape, the N2 near Pongola in KwaZulu-Natal, the R61 near Mzamba in the Eastern Cape, the N1 near Musina in Limpopo, the N2 near Mount Frere in Eastern Cape, the N4 near Middelburg in Mpumalanga, the N1 near Laingsburg in Western Cape, the N2 near Port Shepstone in KwaZulu-Natal, the N1 near Makhado in Limpopo, the N2 near Libode in the Eastern Cape, the R61 near Libode in Eastern Cape, the N4 near Nelspruit in Mpumalanga, France van Zyl drive near Parow in the Western Cape, the N3 near Harrismith in the Free State, the M35 near Folweni in KwaZulu-Natal and the N2 near Umthatha in Eastern Cape.

In case of an emergency, motorists may call the following numbers. On the N3 the emergency number is 0800 63 4357, on the N4 the emergency number is 0800 87 2264, on the the N1 the emergency number is 0800 029 999 and the Sanral emergency number is 0800 0800 487.

Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park: A new Interpretation Centre for the for the ǂKhomani Cultural Landscape World Heritage Site has been opened at Twee Rivieren Rest Camp!

A new Interpretation Centre for the or the ǂKhomani Cultural Landscape World Heritage Site has been opened at Twee Rivieren Rest Camp in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. The centre is currently open to the public from 07:00 until 18:00 every day.
Twee Rivieren is largest rest camp in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park and its administrative headquarters. The camp is situated on the banks of the dry Nossob riverbed. Activities and facilities are diverse, as are the animals and plants found both within the camp and in the surrounding areas. Besides the new Interpretation Centre, Twee Rivieren Rest Camp has a reception, shop, fuel, restaurant, information centre and swimming pool. This is the only camp with 24 hrs electricity and cell phone reception in Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park.

South Africa: South African Airways defers resumption of flights between Johannesburg <> Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)!

South African Airways (SAA) has announced that the launch of its new service to Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) in South Africa's Eastern Cape had been deffered. According to the airline, flights between OR Tambo International Airport (JNB) in Johannesburg and Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport (PLZ) in Gqeberha, which was to commence today (12 December 2022), will now be deferred to the new year 2023. The deferral of the restart of this route is due to the regulatory approval process that has taken much longer than anticipated. We'll keep you posted!

"Whilst the airline is disappointed that we could not achieve flying the Ggeberha route in time to meet the December peak season demand, the restart of this route remains a critical part of SAA’s network growth plan and SAA will continue to work to achieve this." (SAA Chief Commercial Officer, Tebogo Tsimane)

online flight booking on TravelComments.com >>

South Africa: Seasonal rainfall & temperature outlook (December 2022 - April 2023)!

The South African Weather Service (SAWS) has released the Seasonal Climate Watch for the period December 2022 to April 2023. According to the multi-model rainfall forecast, above-normal rainfall is expected for most parts of South Africa from December 2022 all the way to April 2023. Minimum temperatures are still expected to be mostly above-normal countrywide, however, maximum temperatures are expected to be below-normal over most of South Africa during December 2022 to April 2023.

 

Zimbabwe: Gonarezhou National Park introduces game drives in open-sided 4×4 game drive vehicles!

The management of Gonarezhou National Park in Zimbabwe has announced that, for the first time, game drives in custom-built open-sided 4×4 game drive vehicles will be offered in the National Park to assist those without access to offroad vehicles for game viewing. The new service will be available from 17 December 2022. Over this festive season, two vehicles will be available daily at the main gate (Chipinda Pools), offering drives into Gonarezhou National Park. 

Each vehicle can accommodate a maximum of 9 people but will need a minimum of 6 people on the vehicle to depart. The departure times are 07:00 for a morning drive (duration +/- 3 hours), 15:00 for an evening drive (duration +/- 3 hours) and 08:00 for a full day (including cliffs) returning approx. 17:00. The management of Gonarezhou National Park is encouraging visitors to make a booking in advance, but where people arrive on time, walk-ins are also allowed.

Gonarezhou National Park, Zimbabwe's second largest National Park, is located in the south-eastern part of the country and is managed by the Gonarezhou Conservation Trust (GTC), an innovative new model for protected area management drawn up between the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZPWMA) and the Frankfurt Zoological Society (FZS).

Mozambique launches new eVisa system!

Mozambican President Philipe Jacinto Nyusi has launched Mozambique's new online entry visa application system, eVisa, on 05 December 2022. The new system is live at evisa.gov.mz. According to President Nyusi, eVisa will "simplify the procedure of obtaining a visa" and "boost" the tourism sector in Mozambique.
In order to apply for an online visa, the applicant has to register with Mozambique's new eVisa system. Once registered, the necessary documentation for the type of visa required (tourist, business, humanitarian or other) needs to be uploaded to the system at evisa.gov.mz. If the application is approved by the Mozambican authorities, a provisional visa is issued, which is to be presented upon entry into Mozambique, at which time the respective payment is made and the effective visa issued.

screenshot evisa.gov.mz (07 December 2022)