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Usually the drives are not fully booked, so you can book while in camp
See that you are at Satara for numerous days, so even for a morning walk you
might find some space.

Sunset drives depart at 5 and takes about 3 hours

I was in Crocodile Bridge last April. They only do sunset drives and not night drives. The cost was R160 per person. I do not know about the day fees though, as I was staying in the park.
I would thoroughly recommend the sunset drive. We saw lots, inluding hyaenas, lions hunting, a genet, jackals, a puffadder ...

I agree, the sunset drive give in my opinion in principle a better deal. You get the best of both worlds. Individual drives may of course differ.

Crocodile bridge do offer night drives ... but ... only if the sunset drive is fully booked, and there are enough people to warrant a night drive. So their default option is the sunset drive.

I personally prefer the night drive as I get slightly more time to experience what I can't during the daylight hours, but I would always do at least one of each if possible.

Hi Granny B

When we have the choiuce of night or sunset drives, we would opt for the night drive as we cannot do this for ourselves. However, we have found that most camps only do sunset drives now with just a few offering night drives when they know the sunset option will be fully booked. When we were at CB last November, we were informed they did sunset drives only.

As someone has already explained, for overseas visitors (we are also UK based) the cheapest option for entry fees is a wildcard (single or couple whichever is appropriate) is the cheaper option if you will be in a San Park for more than 5 days.

I think you may have a problem with travellers cheques and would suggest you take mostly cash as this is the only option for petrol etc but you can use a credit card in SANP shops, booking drives, accommodation etc. We order in UK and take with us. PM me for further details if I can help further.

Well that's what makes life great - different people like different things - so we don't all like and do the same! But I'm also on the "Sunset drive-bandwagon". I've seen genets on all my sunset drives. The sunset drive usually starts 30 min before gate closing time and lasts about 3 hours. Gate closing time usually coincides with sunset. This means that on a sunset drive - you've got about 30-45 min of daytime, 15-30min sunset time and 2 hours night time! And during those 2 hours is when you see all the night time animals...

The topic on bad game drives due to other visitors caught my eye.
So my idea is if I book a drive and pay for the minimum number of guest ( 4 or 6) required will I be able to go out on my own with the guide. Experienced visitors want to see it all where as newbies want lions and lions and lions.
As I am in the park during a quite time I think it may be possible to get away with it.

As a keen photographer I will have to stick some part of my hand/upper body to use support systems to steady the large lenses ( bean bag or specific door bracket), would this minor and occasional infringement of the rules be a no no.

If you pay for all the seats, the drive is yours! If not, you cannot complain if other people join the drive. It is possible at many of the camps to book a day drive or a half day drive. Often, these will not be as popular as a night drive, especially since they are not scheduled. You may be able to get away with paying the minimum amount on them.

Having an arm protrude, should not get you in to trouble ... well at least not with the humans. But beware of some animals! But hanging out, having say your arm and shoulders out of the vehicle is not allowed.

As Imberbe said if you want a private drive you have to pay for all the seats - minimum 10, and then make sure you specifically request a 10-seater for a private drive or you could find you have paid for 10 and still end up on a large truck with other guests! Not all camps will be able to accomodate this request, so make it early to allow them time to sort it out. We do it fairly often in this part of Kruger.

Have a look at the "New Additional Drive Options" on this page.

You can maybe email Skukuza directly. At that time the rate request was also forwarded to Letaba and Berg-en-Dal by the lady at Skukuza but those camps never replied.

Morning all,
Got some friends staying at Mopani / Letaba / Skukuza over a period of 4 days and they want to go on a night drive, but have heard comments that children under the age of 12 are not allowed. They have two boys (ages 11 and 6).

My question is thus ----------- is this the case? Are there any exceptions allowed? If it is indeed the case, why this ruling....... (because of their size, noice, patience in sitting still, what?)

Sorry for the weird questions - just would like to know.

Please can you help shed some light on this query.

Many thanks
Mel

Hi Mel

Children under the age of 6 are not allowed on drives. The 12yrs rule is for bush walks and wilderness trails.

Hi Mel,
There is a minimum age. I thought this age will be 6.
The reason why they do an age limit is not because of sitting still or what ever (lot of adults can't either!). I heard a Ranger saying (don´t ask me where I have done so many night drives I can´t remember any more) that the voice of children attract predators.
When they are sitting in the car that is not a problem, but during breaks this become a dangerous situation.
In my opinion that makes sense but I don't have proof for this statement.
Mods If I'm wrong please correct me. Nobody is perfect.

Can any body help. The last time my wife and I visited Kruger Park around 2006, some of the camps ran late night drivers, these departed at around 8pm if my memory serves me right. My questions are do some of the camps still run these drives? If so which? And how can we book these in advance? We've tried to book these drives through SANParks central reservations, but despite a long and protracted phone call from the UK couldn't do it, I don't think the person I spoke to understood what I wanted.
Any advice would be appreciated. We will be visiting Kruger for a month from late February.
Thanks
Cornelious

Cornelius you can do late night drives Follow THIS link and click on Tariffs 2010/2011 and scroll down to after all kruger camps are listed. There you can see, any camp that offers a night drive which is the one that departs at 20:00 as well as the price

The camps that offer it are:
Bateleur
Letaba
Mopani
Olifants
Punda
Satara
Shimuwini
Shingwedzi
Sirheni
Talamati

If I am at a camp that offers a night drive, and we have planned to go on one we always prefer the night drive versus the sunset drive. In my opinion much nicer, shorter at only 2 hours but I go to see the nocturnal animal life, I can see the diurnal in my own car