Description: The
restcamp and caravan park have beautiful lawns and colossal shade
trees. The area is well known for its large apple-leaf, umbrella
thorn and mopane trees. Game viewing from the sanctity of the camp
itself is excellent and the innovative camp staff offer a variety
of adventure activities for visitors to indulge in. The Elephant
Hall is a natural history monument par excellence and the camp
is a firm favourite with visitors to the park. Rare animals species,
such as Eland, Sharpe’s Grysbok and Roan may be seen. Areas
worth visiting include the Engelhardt Dam and the Mingerhout Dam.
The gravel road to Olifants Restcamp along the Letaba River provides
a beautiful scenic drive on which game is frequently sighted.
Location: The
Letaba Restcamp is situated on the southern bank of the Letaba
River only 50 km from the Phalaborwa Gate. Visitors should enter
at the Phalaborwa Gate some 51 km away. The H-9 is tarred all the
way. The nearest camps are Olifants (32 km to the south) and Mopani
(47 km to the north). There is an extensive network of gravel roads
between Letaba and both Phalaborwa to the west and Olifants to
the south. Visitors must be aware of travel times between Letaba
and Phalaborwa, especially of gate closing time. The journey between
the two takes about an hour and a half.
Accommodtion:
Sponsored
Accommodation
Fish Eagle
Guesthouse (On the river front)
Facilities
(8 persons)
Four
air-conditioned bedrooms, each with two single beds and a bathroom
en suite (bath, shower, toilet and basin).
Lounge/diningroom
with ceiling fan and guest toilet.
Kitchen
with an electric stove (with oven), refrigerator, freezer,
sink, cooking utensils, crockery and cutlery.
Open veranda.
Barbecue
facilities.
Open
parking.
Apply
four months in advance.
Melville
Guesthouse (On the river front)
Facilities
(9 persons)
Three
air-conditioned bedrooms, each with two single beds and a bathroom
en suite.
Two
bathrooms each have a bath, toilet and basin. The third bathroom
has a shower, toilet and basin.
Each
bedroom has an interleading enclosed veranda with one single
bed.
Lounge/diningroom
with ceiling fan.
Kitchen
with a gas stove (with oven), refrigerator/freezer, sink, cooking
utensils, crockery and cutlery.
Barbecue facilities.
Open
parking.
Apply
four months in advance.
Other
Accommodation:
Six-bed
cottages with two bedrooms (each with air-conditioning and
three single beds), two bathrooms (each with bath, shower and
toilet), a lounge/diningroom, open veranda and a fully-equipped
kitchen (gas stove with oven).
Three-bed
huts with air-conditioning, shower, toilet and a veranda with
a refrigerator, two-plate stove (without oven) and sink. There
are no cooking utensils, crockery or cutlery.
Two-bed
or three-bed huts with air-conditioning, shower, toilet and
a veranda with a refrigerator. Some of the huts have sinks.
There are no cooking utensils, crockery or cutlery.
Two-bed
huts with facilities for handicapped persons available, equipped
with air-conditioning, a bath, toilet, two-plate stove (without
oven), refrigerator and sink. There are no cooking utensils,
crockery or cutlery.
Four-bed
huts with air-conditioning, communal ablution facilities, wash
basin, refrigerator and veranda. There are no cooking utensils,
crockery or cutlery.
Four-bed
furnished tents with beds, wardrobe, fan, table and chairs,
refrigerator and electric light. Tents are situated on cement
floors with shade net covering. Cooking utensils, crockery
and cutlery are not provided.
Campsites – tent
or caravan sites, with power point, communal ablutions and cooking
facilities, maximum of 6 persons per site
Services:
Banking Facilities
Basic First
Aid Assistance
Cafeteria
Communal Kitchens
Curio Shop
Cutlery and
Plates Hamper
Emergency Road
Service
Laundromat
Petrol Station
Picnic Facilities
Post Box
Public telephones
Restaurant
Activities:
Bush braai (barbecue)
Bush breakfast
Bush breakfast offer the out door enthusiast another opportunity to experience
the beauty and serenity of the African bushveld. On the banks of the
Letaba your host will prepare a scrumptious wholesome breakfast while
you relax and watch the sun rise over the Lebombo mountain range.
Camp Walk with
display cabinets
Experience the bush in Technicolor. walk along well trodden elephant paths;
smell the damp earth after the first summer rains; feel wood rubbed smooth
by generations of buffalo elephant and rhino; taste the fruit of the jackal
berry; hear the plaintive cry of the fish eagle and see the kill of a leopard
in the fork of a tree. Free entrance. Open Monday to Sunday.
Information
centre/Elephant museum - visit the elephant hall and enrich your
knowledge on the elephants social structure distribution and ecology,
morphology and physiology, origin and evolution as well as their
relationship with humans. There are 3-D displays giving an exciting
visual in-depth background to elephants. The highlight of the exhibition
is the impressive ivory collection, which includes the tusks of
the legendary `magnificent seven`. The hall also serves as a general
ecological information centre.
Matambeni Bird
Hide
Mon – Sat: 08-00 – half an hour after the gate closes
Morning and
Afternoon Bush Walks
Morning Drive
Night Drive
Olifants Wilderness
Trail
Seasonal Swim
Safaris
Sunday- 08-00 – 18-00
This is a unique opportunity to walk in the bush accompanied by a field
guide who can track animals and interpret the sites and sounds of the bush
is only available for eight lucky guests per walk. This is an experience
of a lifetime.
- Climate
Kruger is in a summer rainfall area. Such precipitation is usually
convectional and can result in heavy downpours. The summer months
(October to April) are hot and often humid. Winters are warm and
mild, although visitors going on night-drives will require warm
clothing.
- Day
Visitors
Letaba has a designated picnic area set aside for day visitors between
the Elephant Hall and E-circle. A small service fee must be paid at
reception to gain access to this facility. Hand the till slip to the
attendent on duty.
In Camp:
- Elephant Hall
- Riverside Walk
Out of camp:
- Masorini Ruins
- Engelhard Dam
- Matambeni Bird Hide
- Engelhard Dam View Point
- Mooiplaas Picnic Site
- Mingerhout Dam
Routes:
Places of
special interest / History:
Mrs
Ledeboer’s Grave – Anna Maria Christina Ledeboer
(née Bindemann) is buried just west of the confluence
between the Letaba River and the Makhadzi Spruit. She was the
second wife of Henry Ledeboer, who was the ranger of the then
Shingwedzi Game Reserve as from April 1, 1921. She apparently
died unexpectedly of a heart attack or of malaria. The grave
is at the end of the 3rd turn off on the S62.
Portuguese
Cross – A few kilometres from the camp on the S95, stands
a very old leadwood tree, which has a typical Portuguese Cross,
carved into it. It is not certain who carved it or what the
significance of it was. The cross could be possibly have been
carved by Diocleciano Fernandes das Neves who arrived in Lourenzo
Marques on October 5 1855 at the age of 25 and left 13 years
later for Portugal. During those 13 years he traded in the
interior and hunted elephant. His trade route passed through
the current Kruger National Park; it is possible that he carved
the cross on his journey in 1860 – 61 en route to the
Soutspansberg. Alternatively the cross could have been carved
by one of the Portuguese soldiers who carried post or Jaoa
Albasini between Lourenzo Marques and Goedewensch.
Masorini
Hill – a guide is present and can take one on an adventure
through the remains of the village of the ba-Phalaborwa , and
learn about their metal and stonework.
The
ba-Phalaborwa – Human habitation around Masorini has been
traced back a few thousand years to the late Stone Age. During
the early 19th century a group of people who practised both
pastorialism and agriculture, but who were also renowned ironsmiths,
established themselves on Masorini Hill. This Northeastern
Sotho tribe were known as the ba-Phalaborwa. They emigrated
from the area near the end of the 19th century.
Wildlife:
Mammals:
Most of the park’s larger mammals can be seen in the Letaba vicinity,
although it is not good rhino country. However elephant abound, particularly
in the Letaba riverbed itself. Waterbuck and buffalo are also plentiful.
Visitors need not even leave the camp to view these animals and lucky visitors
have been fortunate enough to witness lion and cheetah kills on the sandy
riverbed in front of the restaurant complex. The camp itself hosts a healthy
population of bushbuck that have become very tame and wander freely amongst
the bungalows. Other camp resident include tree squirrels, fruit bats and
vervet monkey which must always be considered before leaving food unattended.
Please see Kruger/Fauna/Mammals for full park mammal checklists
Birding:
Letaba Camp has a rich bird population and is particularly good for viewing
owls. Pearlspotted, Barred and Scops have been simultaneously recorded
in a single tree, while Giant Eagle Owl is regularly recorded along
the river itself. Scan all large Riverine trees carefully. Greencapped
Eremomela should be looked for in the camp and like most camps in the
central and northern parts of the park Mourning Dove is particularly
prominent as are Natal Francolin, Arrow-marked Babbler, Brown-hooded
Kingfisher, Kurrichane Thrush, Orange-breasted Bush Shrike and Red-headed
Weaver. Birding along the river edge is always productive. The Matambeni
Bird Hide on the northern bank of Engelhard Dam is an excellent place
to watch water birds. On the south bank of the dam a number of Redwinged
Pratincoles appear annually to breed. They have also been seen on the
sand banks in the river in front of the camp.
The Masorini
Ruins close to the Phalaborwa Gate is a good venue to view Yellowthroated
Sparrow, Mocking Chat and Redheaded Weaver . (See General Activities/Birding)
Vegetation: Letaba is a riverine camp and well foliated. There is a wonderful
selection of trees and shrubs including sycamore fig, impala lily,
common coral tree, lala palm and leadwood. The vegetation around
the camp is mopane shrubland.