In each camp in the Kruger Park
there are huts/rondavels/cabins to stay in. Because of the current poor
exchange rate of the Rand to the dollar, the prices seem very, very inexpensive
to us. The places we stayed in were about $28 per night for two or three
beds, bath, fridge, clean towels and linens daily, and all the animals you can
see! The camps are fenced so you can walk around and each has a restaurant
and a winkel (souvenir and convenience type store), and some have museums
too.
Here's our rondavel at Olifants Camp.
The red tank goes with Tony's 'scuttle
brai', a portable wok/grill that he cooks on a lot. The other black thing
is the brai grill that each rondavel has. A fire is laid in it each day
for you to use if you leave your wood out for them. In the back of the
porch, that piled up arrangement is the chairs and table pushed up against the
door of the fridge to keep the baboons from stealing our
food............again. When we got back from our first day's drive, there
were food remains and baboon 'do' all over the porch. We picked up what we
could and then some cleaning ladies handled the rest for us. A security
guard told us later that he had chased them away before they did any more
damage, but we still had to replace a lot of the food that we had
brought. We learned later to turn the fridge door to the wall before
we left.
Suppers were had at our place. (Sorry the
fridge is hiding Marge.) Tony cooked very interesting and delicious dishes
and we always had one of Erika's great salads to go with it. And Tony also
served special wines with each meal. We enjoyed Amarula afterwards.
Because we wanted early starts in the morning to see the animals, we usually
went to bed right after the dishes were done.
Here's one of the ladies bringing fresh
towels. They also give you cute little bars of green soap.
If you're with a group tour on a bus, you
don't drive to your individual huts, but you don't have to worry about your
luggage. The ladies carry it too. These are heavy suitcases and as
soon as they are up the steps, onto their heads go the bags.
You can learn a lot more about Olifants
Camp in the Africa 2000 journal, which is on my website:
www.toogoodoostudios.com