Letaba Rest Camp, Kruger National Park

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Letaba_entrance

Almost exactly in the middle of the Kruger National Park, on the southern bank of the broad and mostly sandy Letaba River, you will find the Letaba Rest Camp – a tranquil retreat beneath large, shady trees.

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Sunrise between Phalaborwa Gate and Letaba Rest Camp

Letaba welcomed its first guests back in 1929, and remains very popular with visitors to this day. Hutted accommodation and camping is available for overnight guests, the restaurant offers sweeping views of the river and a spacious and shady picnic area, complete with swimming pool, is available to day visitors. Bushbuck, squirrels and a variety of birds have made themselves right at home among the accommodation units and provide endless entertainment to visitors lounging along the riverfront throughout the day.

Letaba

Letaba bungalow

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Bushbuck at home among the huts

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Day visitor picnic site

The Elephant Hall is a unique educational facility with exhibits dedicated to every facet of the elephant’s ecology. Also on display is the ivory of several of the Kruger National Park’s famous big tuskers that have sadly departed to heavenly pastures.

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Elephant statue

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Elephant skeleton

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Inside the Elephant Hall

You then won’t be surprised when we tell you that Letaba is elephant country. Visitors here have an excellent chance of encountering both breeding herds and bulls carrying impressive ivory. Masthulele, probably Kruger biggest tusker at the moment, is in fact regularly seen along the river right in front of the camp.

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The late Hlanganini

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Masthulele

Buffalo is another member of the “Big-5” that occurs in large numbers in the Letaba area, and visitors are bound to see a variety of other wildlife, including predators, in the area.

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Letaba_Black-backedjackal

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The best self-drive routes for game viewing from Letaba are those that track the course of the river; road S46 towards the south-east and road S47 to the north-west. Guided activities such as walks and night drives are also very popular.

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Letaba_walk

Pay Letaba a visit and you’ll quickly understand why it is a firm favourite with many of the Kruger faithful!

25 thoughts on “Letaba Rest Camp, Kruger National Park”

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  12. Tina Schell

    Beautiful shots. we saw many cape buffalo on our safari but none as large as the one in your photo with the car. Did you photoshop that or was he just larger than most???

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    1. de Wets Wild Post author

      Thank you Tina! The buffalo is actually well in front of the car, and there’s a dip in the road just behind him, so it seems they’re on the same level. And then he’s very aggressive, and lifting his head high to show off his bulk and horns, which adds to the idea of size.

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  14. mjculverphotography

    Just me again. Thought I’d pass on the support thread about the notification issue that WP is apparently working on:-

    http://is.gd/rpf4zk

    WP Staff was notified of the problem last night but have posted no updates as yet. That’s the latest that I know of. Will keep you posted.

    Tot siens

    Joey

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  15. mjculverphotography

    Hi Dries and Marilize,

    Seems that WP is having some problems with displaying likes and comments. I just received word from one of the other bloggers who asked me if we had noticed a lack of notifications. Not sure if this is affecting everyone, but I didn’t get any notice of your reply to my comment. I decided to go straight to your site as you’re usually really prompt (and not because you really had to reply …..), so it was unusual that I hadn’t heard anything. Anyway, to cut this long ramble short, in case you notice a lack of notifications, WP appears to be having a problem and there’s something in a forum (which I have yet to find) regarding this.

    Baie lekker weekend de Wet family and a big hug for Joubert.

    Joey

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  16. mjculverphotography

    Happy weekend De Wet family from a much cooler Florida today. You always know just how to start off my day with a look at all that Kruger Park has to offer. Another descriptive post with great images. Such a relaxing nature park to escape to and get away from the mad bustling world. Just lovely guys.

    Joey.

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    1. de Wets Wild Post author

      Hi Joey – so nice to have you back! We’re also having a cold snap here in Pretoria so autumn is definitely on the way. And thank you as always for the encouraging comments – we missed you! Have a lekker weekend and regards to Marks.

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