Letaba, Kruger National Park: Camp Review

SA Logue brings you the lowdown on the camps of the Kruger National Park. See our Kruger Camps tag for more.

Letaba Camp

Where is it? Right smack in the middle of the park (as it runs north-south), in the flat, dry Northern Plains area, where shrub mopane dominates.

Kruger Park Maps

How large is it? Very large - one of the biggest in the park, in fact.

What price range? Its size caters for all price ranges.

What kind of facilities does it provide? The whole gamut: accommodation, night drives, bush walks, restaurant, big shop, educational experiences, etc. For all that, though, it’s a plain-ish camp, a useful pitstop for those entering and exiting the park via the Phalaborwa gate, and those portaging from Olifants up to Punda Maria. (Its shop’s selection of wines, in my experience, is the best reason for a visit/stay!)

Official website (map, pictures of the accommodation, booking, etc.): Letaba Camp.

Camp notes: Letaba’s slightly bizarre Elephant Hall - which re-opened in May ‘06 after extensive refurbishment - is worth a look-in especially for anyone interested in the story of Kruger’s great tuskers (elephants with elephantine tusks). There’s also a riverside walk that skirts the Letaba River, and includes a visit to the Masorini Ruins - book at the check-in desk.

Letaba isn’t the best place to stay in Kruger, in my opinion - book a night only if convenience necessitates it.

What you might see getting and staying there: Among the likely sightings, my favorite is the small, shy, and tortoise-slow antelope, the bushbuck, which picks its way with infinite care through the thick mopane shrubs. If you’re lucky, you might spot a rare tsessebe or Roan Antelope.