In 1927, a total of three tourist vehicles visited the Kruger National Park, entering through the Numbi Gate. A year later, the first accommodation was provided for visitors in what was then the garden of the legendary ranger Harry Wolhuter about nine kilometres into the Park. By 1931 Pretoriuskop, as the Rest Camp became known, and “The Game Reserve” had become so popular and grown so big that a permanent camp manager had to be appointed.
Like those first visitors, I had my first taste of the Kruger National Park as a small boy, four years old, entering through the Numbi Gate to overnight at Pretoriuskop, the Park’s oldest and historically richest rest camp.
Pretoriuskop scenery
Till this day, the huge “Indaba Tree” beneath which ranger Wolhuter held his staff meetings in the 1920’s can be seen inside the camp. But Pretoriuskop’s history dates back much further than that. Along the main road leading from Numbi to the camp, the lonely grave of Voortrekker Willem Pretorius who died in 1845, buried here by pioneering trader Joao Albasini, can be seen below the hill known as Pretoriuskop ever since. Albasini had a trading post to the north of Pretoriuskop, and the ruins of his house and shop can still be viewed today at the Phabeni Gate.
The Voortrekkers came along here in the 1840’s en route to Delagoa Bay (later Lourenco Marques and now known as Maputo), and later, following the discovery of gold at Pilgrims Rest in the interior, the same old ox-wagon route (Oude Wagenpad in Dutch) was used by the transport riders carrying goods between the gold fields and the harbour. Today, the H2-2 tourist road still follows the same general course as that historic trail, and along the way a number of historic landmarks can be appreciated. One of these, visible from quite a distance, is Ship Mountain – a strange rocky outcrop in the shape of a ship overturned – which was a popular place for the transport riders to camp out. The birthplace of South Africa’s most famous dog, Jock, is another point of interest along the way. In the 1880’s Jock, and his owner Percy Fitzpatrick, then a transport rider, had many adventures in the lowveld, immortalised in Sir Percy’s book “Jock of the Bushveld”.
Ship Mountain, seen from the “Oude Wagenpad”
Today, Pretoriuskop is one of the Kruger National Park’s bigger rest camps yet it retains its historic and quiet, friendly character, with impala and guineafowl moving peacefully around the terrain. Accommodation ranges from camping and very basic huts to luxury guest houses, a beautiful pool built into a natural rock face is available for guest’s enjoyment and a fully stocked shop, restaurant, cafeteria and petrol station makes for a comfortable stay. Wolhuter’s Hut (no longer used to accommodate guests) has been preserved to show today’s visitors the accommodation provided to those first guests at Pretoriuskop in the 1920’s.
Pretoriuskop Rest Camp
Pretoriuskop swimming pool
Pretoriuskop Rest Camp
Wolhuter’s hut in Pretoriuskop
Because Pretoriuskop is located at a higher altitude, the camp is much cooler, even during the height of summer, than the rest of the Park. This also means that Pretoriuskop has a higher annual rainfall, and the sourveld vegetation around the camp is characterised by tall grass and dense bush, making game viewing tricky. Nevertheless, there’s a good chance of encountering large predators on any of the roads that radiate from the camp, kudu are numerous thanks to the thick vegetation, and it is here that the first white rhinos were reintroduced into the Kruger Park in 1961, having been wiped out of the lowveld by hunters by 1896. Another special reason to visit Pretoriuskop is the chance to encounter some of the rarer antelope, like sable, lichtenstein’s hartebeest, tsessebe and reedbuck, that still occur here in small groups.
Waterbuck at Shitlhave Dam near Pretoriuskop
Helmeted Guineafowl
White rhinoceros
Lioness and cub atop Shabeni
Black-Headed Oriole
Hippopotamus
Waterbuck
Water monitor
Warthog
Kudu
Kudu cow and calf
Lichtenstein’s Hartebeest
To us, the Pretoriuskop area’s scenery is the biggest attraction though. Mestel and Shitlhave Dams are near the camp and aside from residents pods of hippo and herds of waterbuck attract streams of game looking to quench their thirst. The enormous granitic outcrops, like Manungu and Shabeni, so characteristic of this area, offer beautiful photo opportunities and driving slowly around them in the golden light of the late afternoon, with magnificent views in all directions, is a truly relaxing, almost meditative, undertaking that has to be experienced to be appreciated.
Rocky outcrops lending character to the landscape around Pretoriuskop
Rocky outcrops lending character to the landscape around Pretoriuskop
Stream crossing near Pretoriuskop
Rocky outcrops lending character to the landscape around Pretoriuskop
The massive granite dome of Shabeni
Pretoriuskop vegetation
DeWetsWild 
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Hi De Wets, My mother visited the Park sometime in the late 1930’s – and spent the next 15-20 years trying to go back. She eventually persuaded my father to try the Kruger Park for a short holiday – in October 1953. We stayed at Pretoriuskop, Skukuza, and Malelane, and as a family, and then with our own families – have probably spent on average about a week in ‘the Park’ ever since. Enjoy your notes and pictures.
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Thank you so much for sharing such a wonderful testament about the Kruger’s “addictive” impact, Norman, and your story will resonate with so many families that are also absolutely smitten with this national treasure. We look forward to very many happy returns to the “Game Reserve” for ourselves and for you and your family!
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Great post the de Wets, thanks for sharing.
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Thank you Derek – glad to hear that you liked our post on one of our favourite destinations!
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Beautiful – all. But I love the rhino shot best!
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Thanks very much Tina!
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Love the warthog… thought their behaviors were amusing watching them on our safari.
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Thanks Jane! We love the way their thin tails are kept straight in the air when they run, like antennas!
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And how they kneel down when they’re eating!
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And don’t forget how they always go into their burrows backwards! They really are comical animals!
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Dries you’ve once again captured the essence and soul that is so “Africa”. Perfect descriptive photos and great historical fact combined with the “here and now” that so accurately provide readers with an insight into the beauty that is found in this beautiful park. I’m always amazed at memories that your posts awaken from my youth and formative years. There’s a lot I took for granted when I was fortunate enough to live there. There’s no “do over” or going back but it does serve to remind me to treasure every minute of every day. Thanks to your posts I’m able to relive a lot of happy memories of life in the African Bush. I just love all the photos but the warthog is my favorite this time. Have a peaceful relaxing Sunday dear De Wet family.
Joey
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Thank you Joey for always being our biggest supporter!
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Does it still look like that?
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Hi Scrapydo, thanks for popping by! I’ve added a photograph to the post of Wolhuter’s Hut – a single unit that’s been preserved to showcase the 1920’s style accommodation. Pretoriuskop has been renovated, upgraded and expanded over the years and I doubt Harry Wolhuter would recognise anything except the Wolhuter Hut and Indaba Tree if he had to see the camp today!
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That’ wonderful!
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Fantastic photos all.
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We’re happy to hear that you liked our Pretoriuskop post Rosemarie, thank you!
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