KRUGER National Park has officially opened its new Orpen Gate facility which includes a new boom-style entrance gates and a day visitors’ centre.
“This new entrance gate is a significant investment into the area. It is a fact that the Kruger National Park is a major player in the local tourism industry and we believe that investments like this will certainly play a major role in the tourism industry in this area, which includes areas like Klaserie, Acornhoek and Hoedspruit,” said Abe Sibiya, acting managing executive.
The R2,2-million upgrade includes a R688 000 day visitors’ centre and the R1,4-million entrance gate complex, which includes extensive work to the approach road, a filling station, the entrance gate reception building and a new “boom”-style entrance gate.
The new Orpen Entrance Gate is situated about a kilometre to the west of Orpen Rest Camp in the Nyakeni Region of the KNP and offers access to large portions of the central area of the park, including the game-rich areas around Satara Rest Camp and Talamati Bush Camp. Other tourist facilities in the area include Tamboti Tented Camp, Maroela Camp and Caravan Site and Orpen Rest Camp itself, which has also been upgraded over the last few years and now includes a swimming pool and upgraded accommodation units.
Orpen Entrance Gate also provides access to various private camps in the area, including the SANParks-managed Roodewal Private Camp and various private concession camps, including Imbali and Singita.
PHOTO: The new day visitors centre at the Orpen Gate facility in the Kruger National Park.
