Days of heavy rainfall in the Greater Kruger National Park have rendered dozens of game lodges in the region’s private reserves temporarily inaccessible and forced the cancellation of flights from Hoedspruit’s Eastgate Airport (HDS).
Unrelenting rainfall since January 9 has triggered the flooding of rivers within the Kruger National Park (KNP) and adjoining private reserves. Chris Stamper, Co-Founder of tour operator Safari for Real, said over 300mm of rainfall was recorded in Hoedspruit – a key gateway to the region’s high-end lodges.
“We have chopper pilots constantly flying in and out to assist lodges with the evacuation of guests and staff. We have no access to our two camps in the Timbavati Game Reserve and previously dry river beds are now bursting their banks. A lot of camps have closed and even access to the town is difficult as low-lying areas of the road are flooded,” Stamper said.
Don Scott, Co-Owner of Tanda Tula in the Timbavati, said the lodge evacuated two sets of guests by helicopter.
“Fortunately, the river running past the lodge is nowhere near the levels recorded in 2012 and there is no physical damage. We were well prepared due to past experience but have cancelled guests coming in. The challenge for evacuated guests and tour operators is what to do from here – much of the Kruger Lowveld is flooded and access into and out of Hoedspruit is challenging,” said Scott.
Simbavati River Lodge in the Timbavati, along with Greenfire Lodge in the Balule Nature Reserve, were among other lodges that evacuated guests. Greenfire Lodge posted on social media that “most access routes into and out of Balule are now impassable”.
Scott applauded the efforts of Bastion Aviation in facilitating many of the emergency evacuation efforts.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for HDS confirmed that all flights (apart from emergency services) were cancelled on Wednesday (January 14) and the airport will remain closed throughout Thursday (January 15). Airlink and Cemair operate daily flights between HDS and Cape Town and Johannesburg while FlySafair operates thrice-weekly services from Cape Town.
Impact on Kruger and Panorama Route
The flooding forced the evacuation and temporary closure of several camps in the KNP and temporary closure of multiple access points. According to the latest official statement from SANParks, issued on Wednesday (January 14), the Pafuri and Punda Maria gates remain closed, rendering the far north of the park inaccessible. The decision to close Crocodile Bridge gate was also taken on Wednesday.
“Guests are also encouraged to note that there is no access from Skukuza to Lower Sabie, Crocodile Bridge, Tshokwane and Satara. Furthermore, there is no access between Lower Sabie and Tshokwane due to the H10 road being closed and access to Pretoriuskop Rest Camp is via Numbi Gate.”
The Paul Kruger, Phalaborwa and Orpen gates are open. While the Phabeni and Malelane gates are currently accessible, SANParks said rising water levels could restrict access at short notice.
Onne Vegter, MD and Co-Founder of Wild Wings Safaris, said several of his booked guests were moved between camps.
“Obviously all the dirt roads are closed so we had to move guests to camps where there are sufficient tar roads that are not affected so they can still go on game drives. At the moment, there are still guests in the park and they are trying to enjoy it and make the best of the situation. We had a group arrive in the park on Wednesday and they still enjoyed amazing sightings of elephants, buffalo and wild dogs on their way to camp. So it's not all doom and gloom.”
Most attractions along the Panorama Route – including the Graskop Gorge Lift, Bourke’s Luck Potholes, God’s Window, Pinnacle Rock, Mac Mac Pools, Lone Creek Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, Three Rondawels, Swadini – are also temporarily closed.
More rain expected
The South African Weather Service (SAWS) has issued a Level 9 warning for further disruptive rain in the region on Thursday (January 15) and Friday (January 16).
Vegter encouraged operators and tourists to keep abreast of official SAWS forecasts and SANParks updates.
“Because of rain further upstream, they’re expecting water levels to rise more and they are prioritising guest safety. So keep your eye on the official warnings and updates as they come through from the weather service, from local authorities and from SANParks.”
