The oldest Rest Camp in Kruger National Park is known as Pretoriuskop Rest Camp

A brief introduction to Pretoriuskop Rest Camp

Pretoriuskop Rest Camp is the oldest Rest Camp in the Kruger National Park and holds quite a bit of history. The Pretoriuskop Rest camp was also the first camp that was open to visitors overnighting in Kruger National Park. This camp was also the home of Harry Wolhuter. The Wolhuter hut can still be found in the modern-day Pretoriuskop Rest Camp. The Wolhuter hut dates back to the 1930s.

Even though the modern history of Pretoriuskop Rest Camp dates far back, the prehistoric history of the ecological features of the area dates back as far as 3 500 million years ago; molten rock forced its way through the earth’s crust and solidified to form the spectacular granite outcrops where Pretoriuskop Rest Camp is now nestled. This historical campsite is not only surrounded by magnificent hills and valleys, but it is also situated in the sour veld area that covers a large percentage of the landscape with dense grass that attracts certain species, for example, rhino and the cape buffalo to mention but a few.

How did the Pretoriuskop Rest Camp get its name?

The Pretoriuskop Rest Camp got its name from Voortrekker Willem Pretorius, a member of Carl Trichardt’s 1848 expedition to Delagoa Bay. He was buried at the foot of one of the hills, the kopje (meaning hill) nearby the Pretoriuskop Rest Camp. João Albasini buried Willem Pretorius after he died in 1845 on an expedition to Delagoa Bay.

How to get to Pretoriuskop Rest Camp

Travel directions to Pretoriuskop Rest Camp from Johannesburg/Pretoria:

The closest entrance gate to Pretoriuskop Rest Camp is Numbi Gate: Take the N4 towards Nelspruit. Once in Nelspruit, take the R40 heading towards White River. Drive through White River town towards the traffic circle opposite the Bagdad center and Casterbridge Lifestyle center. Take the R538 (3rd exit) and follow the GPS or road signs. (Drive this road with caution as there are many unmarked speed humps as well as pedestrians, stray dogs, and domestic animals like cattle that can be found on this road).

Pretoriuskop Rest Camp is 9 km from Numbi Gate. Numbi gate opened in the year 1926 and was also the first entrance to the Kruger National Park. Pretoriuskop Rest Camp is also 60 km (37 miles) from the Paul Kruger Gate and 50 km (31 miles) from Skukuza Rest Camp.
KMIA Airport – Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport is situated just 25 km (15.5 miles) from Nelspruit which is half an hour’s drive from Numbi Gate.
The coordinates of Pretoriuskop Rest Camp is as follow: GPS -25.169230 S 31.268720 E

Climate and rainfall at Pretoriuskop Rest Camp Kruger National Park

Pretoriuskop has the highest rainfall in the Kruger National Park, resulting in thick, lush foliage.
The climate in this area is mild, compared to the general warm temperature. During winter, there is much less rainfall in Pretoriuskop Rest Camp in comparison to the rainy summer months. The average annual temperature is 21°C in Pretoriuskop Rest Camp. In a year, the average rainfall is approximately 732 mm.

About Pretoriuskop Rest Camp

The layout of Pretoriuskop Rest Camp revolves around the main 3 circular designs that incorporate the accommodation units. Each circle holds a number of units, perfectly placed near the surrounding facilities, for example, the ablution/public bathroom & toilet facilities as well as the communal kitchens and last but not least, the camp restaurant.

Each unit has an outside BBQ/Braai stand. You will need to purchase either charcoal or wood to make use of this facility. You can purchase this at the Pretoriuskop Park Shop.

You will find the administrative block/reception to your immediate left as soon as you drive through the Pretoriuskop Rest Camp gate.
The fuel/gas station, shop, and restaurant are only a stone’s throw from the Reception. Besides these facilities, the Rest Camp has beautiful lawns, with an abundance of trees that attracts all kinds of bird species.

Pretoriuskop has ideal temperatures during the hot summer months, making it a perfect camp to stay. The camp is child-friendly and has an amazing rock pool located between beautiful Marula, sycamore fig, and Natal mahogany trees that surround the swimming pool area. A natural rock plate makes out a large section of the pool. Surely an activity worth experiencing or at least go for a walk and go and have a look at the pool. You will be amazed.

Birding 

Due to the abundance of tree species in the rest camp, it comes as no surprise that you will find an abundance of birdlife. Did you know that Kruger has about 505 listed bird species? This is every birder’s dream! You can find fascinating bird species in camp, such as the Brown-headed parrot, Fork-tailed Drongo, Cutthroat finch, and the Black-crowned Tchagra to mention but a few. The possibilities for birding in this camp are limitless, if you look up into the treetops, you will always find something.

The history surrounding Pretoriuskop Rest Camp

Kruger’s very first ranger was stationed at Pretoriuskop Rest Camp

Harry Wolhuter was the Park’s first ranger (August 1902). He was stationed at Pretoriuskop Rest Camp. Pretoriuskop was then known as Wolhuter’s Hut. The Wolhuter Hut was also the first accommodation available for tourists to stay in during the first couple of years of the Kruger National Park being open to the public.

Pretoriuskop Rest Camp is the fifth largest rest camp in the Kruger National Park and can accommodate approximately 350 guests. The camp has approximately 145 huts, with the Wolhuter’s Hut being one of them. Today, the Wolhuter’s Hut is part of the history of Pretoriuskop Camp and can still be visited by tourists as an attraction and historical landmark within the Pretoriuskop Rest Camp.

The Pretoriuskop Rest Camp is the only Rest Camp within the Greater Kruger National Park that is host to a number of non-indigenous/alien trees. Non-indigenous/alien vegetation, trees, shrubs, etc. is strictly prohibited in Kruger. So why does this camp have these non-indigenous species then? Well, ranger Harry Wolhuter loved non-indigenous/alien trees, for example, the Flamboyant and Bougainvillea. Harry Wolhuter planted some species around the boundaries of the Rest Camp. Kruger National Park saw it fit to leave these selected non-indigenous species as part of the rich history and nostalgic influence that Harry Wolhuter has on the Pretoriuskop Rest Camp.

Read more here about Harry Wolhuter and how he killed a lion with a knife.

Jock of the Bushveld and Pretoriuskop

Historic icon Sir Percy Fitzpatrick and his trusted, loyal dog named Jock, were known to roam the area in and around Pretoriuskop Rest Camp. Fitzpatrick’s dog, Jock was born in 1885, not far from the rest camp around the area known today as the Voortrekker Road. The Voortrekker Road runs just southeast of Pretoriuskop Rest Camp. Sir Percy Fitzpatrick wrote a classic children’s book, dedicated to his children named Jock of the Bushveld. This book is filled with nostalgic and heroic tales of Jock’s adventures in the wild. There is an animated film that was made and was on the big screen on 29th July 2011.

Read more about Sir Percy Fitzpatrick and his heroic dog named Jock.

About the Voortrekker Road (H2-2) near Pretoriuskop

The well-known Voortrekker Road can be found near Pretoriuskop. If you take the Voortrekker Road from Pretoriuskop, you will eventually end up near the Afsaal picnic spot and the H-3 road. The entire Voortrekker Road is approximately 42 km (26 miles) in length.

There are also rare species that can be found in this area (if you are lucky) for example the Sable Antelope, Lichtenstein’s Hartebeest, and the African Wild Dog.
Along the H2-2 Voortrekker Road, you can expect beautiful views of Ship Mountain as well as other historical landmarks as mentioned below.

1. Jock of the Bushveld’s birthplace

In the year 1885, a Staffordshire Bullterrier crossbreed named Jock was born along the now-known Voortrekker Road (h2-2), which runs east of Pretoriuskop. Sir Percy FitzPatrick wrote the classic children’s book “Jock of the Bushveld” in memory of his adventures with Jock while working as a transport rider in the Lowveld in the late 19th Century. Jock of the Bushveld was born along this road and you can visit the exact spot where the famous dog was born.

Read more about Jock of the Bushveld.

2. Thomas Hart’s Grave

Along the Voortrekker Road, you will come across a memorial plaque, marking the gravesite of Thomas Hart. Hart was murdered at the age of 22 in 1876 by Chief Maripe’s tribesman. He was overpowered and shot in the head.

Click here to see a photo of the memorial plaque for Thomas Hart

3. Ship Mountain

One of the best landmarks along Voortrekker Road is undoubtedly Ship Mountain. This geological feature is made up of gabbro rock. Gabbro is a phaneritic (coarse-grained), mafic intrusive igneous rock formed from the slow cooling of magnesium-rich and iron-rich magma into a holocrystalline mass deep beneath the Earth’s surface. Slow-cooling, coarse-grained gabbro is chemically equivalent to rapid-cooling, fine-grained basalt.

Ship mountain stands 662 m (2,172 foot) tall and was used as a navigational aid by early pioneers and travelers in the area.
During the 1900s, most of the wildlife in this area was shot by hunters. Today along the Voortrekker Road you won’t find that many animals in the area, but you can find some rare antelope, for example, the sable antelope and the Lichtenstein’s Hartebeest.

Ship Mountain was also believed to be used by the Sotho people as their fort in the 18th century to protect themselves and their cattle against Swazi raiders coming in from the south. Sotho warriors would hide families and livestock in the caves on the top of Ship Mountain and then use rocks to stop the Swazi from getting to the top.

The foot of Ship Mountain was a trading post that was run by Chief Manungu, who was a part of Joao Albasini‘s trading empire.

4. The trade route between South Africa and Delagoa Bay/Maputo

The Voortrekker Road was used by Carolus Trichardt, who was the son of the Voortrekker Louis Trichardt. He was commissioned in 1849 by the Transvaal Government of the time to open up a regular route between the northern interior and Delagoa Bay.

Albasini’s caravans were the main users of the Voortrekker road who transported goods from the coast back to land.

In 1896, the Voortrekker road was finally improved by the trader Alois Nelmapius to cater for the transport of supplies to Lydenburg and Mac Mac, where gold had been discovered. The road was used a lot by transport riders on their way to what was then known as Portuguese East Africa (today Mozambique).

5. View the outspan memorial plaque of the Voortrekkers 

This memorial plaque is at a favorite outspan site of the old Transport Riders near the Lydenburg – Delagoabay road.

6. The first concrete dam in Kruger National Park – Mitomeni

Find the Mitomeni Dam along the Voortrekker Road. This is the first concrete dam in the Kruger National Park, built by M. Roland Jones, supervisor of Pretoriuskop, at Mitomeni Spruit in 1931/32.

Geological features around Pretoriuskop

South-western Foothills – The foothills enjoy the highest rainfall in the Park, and often take the shape of dramatic granite outcrops, particularly around Pretoriuskop, for example, Shabeni Hill and Manungu kop.

The Shabeni Mountain – 759 m (2490 feet), the biggest undisturbed rock face in the Park and is one of the most beautiful loops in Kruger National Park. Shabeni Mountain is approximately 3 500 million years old and was formed by molten rock forcing its way through the earth’s crust and solidified to form the spectacular granite outcrops where Pretoriuskop Rest Camp is now nestled.

Vegetation around Pretoriuskop

The vegetation in the area around Pretoriuskop is mostly mixed woodland, combined with sour grass species such as the well-known fine thatching grass (Hyparrhenia filipendula) and the hardy yellow thatching grass (Hyparrhenia dissoluta).

Tree species are pre-dominantly silver cluster-leaf (Terminalia sericea) as well as the Kiaat/ African Teak (Pterocarpus angolensis). You can also find large-leaved rock figs (Ficus abutilifolia) and mountain kirkia (Kirkia wilmsii) among the rocky outcrops, especially at Shabeni hill.
The grass gets sweeter as the altitude gradually drops and the soils are known to be more clay-like in the contour lines where sycamore figs (Ficus sycomorus), tamboti (Spirostachys Africana), and ebony jackalberry trees (Diospyros mespiliformis) thrive.

There are often rare plant species because of the high rainfall and most of the drives in this habitat offer wonderful views over the Lowveld.

The world’s longest burning experiment is in the Pretoriuskop area 

When you visit the Pretoriuskop area in Kruger National Park, you will notice all the fire breaker roads. The Pretoriuskop area is home to a 70+ years old experimental Burn Plot.

This fire experiment is aimed to provide new insights into savanna ecology.
In 1954, conservation managers in the Kruger National Park initiated what would become one of the longest-running fire experiments in the world, amid concerns about the lack of information regarding the effects of fire on the fauna and flora of the park.