Severe Weather Warnings As Kruger Floods Continue and Guests Urged to Reschedule

South African National Parks (SANPArks) has urged Kruger National Park visitors to proceed with caution as severe weather conditions persist across the Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces, with some areas of the park now effectively cut off due to rising water levels.

This week, guests were warned that the Lower Sabie and Crocodile Bridge rest camps will not have access to the Skukuza area. At present, heavy rains have caused the closing of several rest camps, bridges, and gates. 

Flooding has severely affected the northern reaches of the park, resulting in the closure of both the Pafuri and Punda Maria gates. This has left the Phalaborwa Gate as the only viable entry point for those attempting to reach the northern regions.

SANParks spokesperson JP Louw noted that the situation is also particularly precarious for guests currently staying at Lower Sabie and Crocodile Bridge. These visitors currently have no internal access to Skukuza. 

While the Crocodile River bridge remains the only available exit route for these camps, rapidly rising water levels threaten to submerge the bridge, which would leave guests temporarily trapped until the floods recede.

According to SANParks, this follows forecasts and observations indicating that water levels in the Crocodile River are rising rapidly, with the Crocodile River bridge expected to become inaccessible. This means that there is now a real risk of guests being trapped inside the park. 

To minimise guest frustration and ensure safety, SANParks has issued a specific guide for accessing various rest camps:

• Skukuza Rest Camp: Access is strictly recommended via the Paul Kruger Gate. While Phabeni Gate remains open for now, officials warned it may close at short notice depending on river levels.

• Southern Camps: Guests heading to Malelane Satellite Camp or Berg-en-Dal should use the Malelane Gate. Access to Crocodile Bridge and Lower Sabie is currently restricted to the Crocodile Bridge Gate, though this is being monitored hourly.

• Central Camps: Orpen Gate is the designated entry for Orpen and Satara, while Olifants, Letaba, and Mopani can be reached via Phalaborwa or Orpen.

The Sabie Low Water Bridge and several detours are currently underwater, meaning there is no access between Skukuza and Lower Sabie, Crocodile Bridge, Tshokwane, or Satara. Additionally, the H10 road is closed, cutting off the route between Lower Sabie and Tshokwane.

In response to the escalating situation, SANParks has begun proactively contacting guests with imminent arrivals to reschedule their bookings. SANParks continues to monitor the weather in collaboration with the South African Weather Service.

To stay up to date with the conditions in the Kruger, follow SANParks on Facebook.