Long weekends are the perfect excuse to escape the city and head out into nature to unfurl one’s soul.
Kudu in Kruger National Park. Image: Sarthak Navjivan.
Unfortunately, many last minute day-trippers to the Kruger National Park didn’t quite get the nature experience they expected when they spent hours waiting to get into the park. Visitors were not impressed with the long queues at the Malelane gate, as well as the Crocodile Bridge entrance, this past long weekend because gate quotas were strictly enforced, according to Corridor Gazette.
This is a repeat of what happened earlier this year over a long weekend in April, when day visitors spent several hours in queues at the very same entrances.
How do you avoid this?
A little planning will go a long way, because as a day-visitor you can make an online pre-booking the same way that overnight visitors can. This online function was set up in March 2016 to help alleviate congestion at the gate.
During peak times, the influx of tourists cause a bottleneck and day visitors who have pre-booked their entry, as well as those with overnight accommodation booked in the KNP, are allowed in first.
Also read: Our top 7 campsites in the Kruger
Another important note is that once the gate has reached its quota of day visitors you stand the chance of being waved away, despite having queued for ages.
We reccommend that you save yourself the hassle by planning your holidays and long weekends, so that you can relax and enjoy nature the way you intended to.
