Pretoriuskop Rest Camp

Pretoriuskop,is the highest elevation campsite in the Kruger, creating unique features in it’s weather, surrounding soils, plants and wildlife.

About Pretoriuskop

Situated in the South West corner of the Kruger National Park, the camp has the highest elevation in the park. With it’s higher rainfall and surrounded by granite hills, this area has a higher rainfall and unique granite based soils, which make for a very different ecology to the rest of the park.

Pretoriuskop, having many unique features, in it’s weather, surrounding soils and wildlife, also happens to be the oldest visitors camp site in the Kruger National park. A hut named after the game ranger Harry Wolhuter dates from 1930 and was one of the handful original huts erected at the time, to accommodate tourists. It is no longer used for tourist accommodation, but still worth having a look at, to see how far facilities have come.

Why visit Pretoriuskop?

Unique antelope species seldomly found elsewhere in the park, like Sable antelope, Liechtenstein’s Hartebeest and Reedbuck and if you’re lucky, wild dog also roam the area.
Unique bird species include yellow fronted tinker Barbet, Ayres Cisticola, Black Sunbird as well as Brown Headed Parrot.
The camp also has an abundant nightlife, which include Peters’s epauletted fruit bat , bush babies and even genets – please use a flashlight while walking at night.

Tips:

A family friendly camp, with varied accommodation and facilities.
Great game viewing as you leave the camp gates – the Fayi loop often delivers good sunrise and sunset drives.
Various walks in the camp site offer great birding and tree spotting possibilities – be on the lookout, for exotics, like the blazing red flamboyant and Bougainvillea – the only Kruger camp with foreign plants tolerated in any of the camps for historical reasons, as well as Natal Mahogany, fig and very large Marula.
Swimming pool, shaped to the granite rocks, will entertain the kids on hot summer days.
At night in the camp, be sure to keep an eye and ear open for Peters’s epauletted fruit bat, thick-tailed bush babies, genets and also other wildlife close to the fence.
Look out for free roaming mammals in the camp including: Chacma Baboon, Common Duiker, Dwarf Mongoose, Impala, Vervet Monkey, Warthog – with Leopard and Hyena often seen on the perimeter fences.

Biome(animal and plant habitat)

Pretoriuskop Sourveld

Animals to look out for in the area:

Scarce antelope like Eland, Sable, Roan antelope and Reedbuck
Giraffe
Leopard
Caracal
Impala
Kudu
Lion
Hyena
Wild dog, only if you’re lucky
Klipspringer on the granite hills

Birds to look out for in the area:

African Scops Owl,
Barn Owl,
Brown Headed Parrot,
Gorgeous Bush Shrike,
Helmeted Guineafowl,
Lilac Breasted Roller,
Purple Crested Turaco,
Red Billed Woodhoope,
Spotted Eagle Owl,
Black Sunbird,
White Faced Owl,
Woodland Kingfisher

Not to miss routes in the area:

Transport Dam: H1-1 Towards Skukuza, then turn off to Transport Dam ± 65 km
Fayi Loop: S14, S8 ± 28 km
Skukuza Loop: H1-1, S7, S3, S1, H11, H1-1 ± 110 km
Nkuhlu Loop: H1-1, S7, S3, S1, H11, H1-1, Skukuza, H4-1, S21, S114, Renosterpan, S22, S112, H3, H1-1

Water centered game and bird viewing:

Mestel Dam S3
Nyamundwa S1
Transport dam H1-1
Sweni Bird Hide S37
Ratel Pan Bird Hide(Piet Grobler Dam) S39
Shitlave Dam H1-1

Notable Camp Facilities and Activities:

Shop
Restaurant
Bush breakfast and barbecue(braai)
Game drive in an open vehicle, with a trained guide
Swimming pool
Napi Wilderness Trail (pre-booked overnight activity)
Madlabantu 4×4 Adventure Trail (weather sensitive activity)
Sable Trail camp walk