Kruger Park Birdlife
The Kruger National Park is home to over 500 species of birds. Our avian friends don't just inhabit treetops and the air above us; they make homes on and in the ground, in bushes and in and near water. See Kruger Park Bird Guide
- Pretoriuskop Rest Camp has a licensed restaurant and cafeteria
- Many wilderness trails in the area
- Game walks and drives are arranged if requested
- Pretoriuskop boasts a natural rock swimming pool
- Accommodation units consist of modern furnishings and utensils
Pretoriuskop Camp in Kruger National Park takes its name from the nearby kopje (hill) where Voortrekker Willem Pretorius, a member of Carl Trichardt's 1848 expedition to Delagoa Bay, is buried.
The camp is also one of the oldest in the Kruger National Park and lodging ranges from fully equipped guesthouses to basic bungalows with just 2 beds and a basin. Top-of-the-range lodging at Pretoriuskop Rest Camp in Kruger National Park includes the Pierre Joubert and the Doherty Bryant guesthouses.
Pretoriuskop Rest Camp Accommodation
The accommodation at Pretoriuskop Rest Camp in Kruger National Park is grouped into 3 circles centered round a compact administrative block and spaciously laid between lush green lawns. The administrative block includes the reception area shop, restaurant and cafeteria. The camp also offers disabled-friendly accommodation.
Pretoriuskop Camp is situated in the southwestern part of the Kruger National Park and is only 9 kilometres (5 miles) from Numbi Gate, 60 kilometres (37 miles) from the Paul Kruger Gate and 50 kilometres (31 miles) from Skukuza Rest Camp. The surrounding vegetation is varied with some well-developed woodland, grassland and the granite dome of Shabeni Hill.
History of Pretoriuskop
Historical Interest of Pretoriuskop Rest Camp in Kruger National Park: Between 1836 and 1860, groups of Voortrekkers investigated various possible routes through the Lowveld to the Portuguese harbours in Mozambique in an effort to establish trade.
The Voortrekkers were a group of Dutch-speaking colonists that left the Cape Colony during the 1830s in pursuit of their vision of political autonomy in the interior, far from British influence and administration. Pretoriuskop Camp in Kruger National Park lies near one of these trade routes, and takes its name from the nearby hill where Pretorius is buried.
The Portuguese pioneer, João Albasini was the first European trader and Elephant hunter to settle in the Lowveld. Between 1845 and 1860, he established various trading posts along the routes between the harbours in Mozambique and the inland mines and centers of the ivory trade.
It was Albasini that buried Willem Pretorius at the base of Pretoriuskop Camp in Kruger National Park. The ruins of his homestead north of the rest camp have been partly rebuilt. Visitors may leave their vehicles and view the exhibit of old photographs and artifacts documenting daily life of the day.
The most famous character from the days of the transport rider, Jock of the Bushveld, a Staffordshire Bullterrier cross, was immortalized in a book by his owner, Sir Percy FitzPatrick, who wrote about his exploits with Jock while working as a transport rider in the Lowveld in the late nineteenth century. Jock's birthplace where he was born in 1885 is marked along the Voortrekker Road, which runs south east of Pretoriuskop.
Pretoriuskop Camp features prominently in the history of tourism in the Kruger Park as well, since it was the first rest camp to be opened to visitors. The Wolhuter hut dates from 1930 and is one of the few original huts built in the Park to provide tourist accommodation. Though no longer in use, it is being meticulously restored to its original form.
Pretoriuskop Rest Camp Facilities
- Information at Reception
- Public Telephone
- Restaurant
- Swimming Pool
- Cafeteria and Shop
- Emergency Road Service*
- Petrol Station
- Laundromat
- DSTV Only Available in Guest Houses
- Communal Kitchens
- Communal Ablutions
- Picnic Facilities
