Crocodile Bridge is the name of both a camp along the southern border of

Kruger National Park Kruger National Park () is a national park in South Africa covering an area of in the provinces of Limpopo and Mpumalanga in the country's northeast. It extends from north to south and from east to west. The administrative headquarters are i ...

and a gate to the park in

Mpumalanga Mpumalanga () is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. The name means "East", or literally "The Place Where the Sun Rises" in the Nguni languages. Mpumalanga lies in eastern South Africa, bordering Eswatini and Mozambique. It shares bor ...

Province of South Africa. The gate is at a low water bridge crossing the Crocodile River and leads directly to the Crocodile Bridge rest camp. The park entry, including payment, is adjacent to the camp itself.

Facilities

As with all major rest camps in Kruger, Crocodile Bridge provides a shop, braai and communal kitchen facilities, a first aid station, a laundromat, and a filling station.

Food facilities

As one of Kruger's smaller camps, Crocodile Bridge does not have a full restaurant. Instead, a take-away food section is provided within the shop, with some permanent tables and chairs placed outside to enjoy the food by.

Nearby facilities

Crocodile Bridge is a 15-minute (12 km) drive from the town of

Komatipoort Komatipoort is a town situated at the confluence of the Crocodile and Komati Rivers in Mpumalanga province, South Africa. The town is 8 km from the Crocodile Bridge Gate into the Kruger National Park, just 3 km from the Mozambique borde ...

, which lies at the confluence of the Crocodile and

Komati River The Komati River, also known as the Inkomati River or Incomati River (in Mozambique, from Portuguese Rio Incomati), is a river in South Africa, Eswatini and Mozambique. Originating in north-western Eswatini, it is joined by the Crocodile Riv ...

s and along the border with Mozambique. Trips to town must be done during the day, as the park's gates still close at the usual times.

Accommodation

Crocodile Bridge camp provides accommodation to 208 visitors in 45 units: 20 two-or-three-bed cottages with en-suite bathrooms and 8 two-bed permanent furnished canvas tents including fans and fridges, but with communal ablutions and hot showers. 18 tent or caravan sites with electricity and braai locations are also available.

Activities

Game viewing

Crocodile Bridge is in the Southern Circle game viewing area, which is known for several prides of lion, each with different hunting techniques and behaviour.

Night game drives

Because of the proximity of the camp to the entrance gate, Crocodile Bridge is the only camp of the Kruger Park to offer guided game drives to outside visitors at night. Patrons staying over at Ngwenya Lodge,

Marloth Park Marloth Park is a wildlife sanctuary and holiday town situated in northeastern South Africa in the lowveld region of Mpumalanga province (formerly Eastern Transvaal), between the towns of Malelane and Komatipoort. It occupies an area of some 300 ...

outside Kruger or B&B's in Komatipoort are welcomed to use this opportunity.

History

The road bridge at Crocodile Bridge was originally created as a pontoon crossing to allow ranger access to the park from

. In the 1920s, a road was added connecting Crocodile Bridge to what is now the Lower Sabie rest camp. In 1927, the board of the park asked South African Railways to connect the Selati Railway across the Crocodile River. While the old railway bridge is in a state of disrepair, it is presently used as a water extraction point for farm irrigation, and can still be seen from the rest camp. A road was also built from Crocodile Bridge to Skukuza, passing by what is now Lower Sabie. In 1931, eight

rondavel Rondavel is a style of African hut known in literature as ''cone on cylinder'' or ''cone on drum.'' The word comes from the Afrikaans ''rondawel''. Description The rondavel is usually round or oval in shape and is traditionally made with materi ...

s were built at Crocodile Bridge, marking the first time it was used as both a gate to the park and a rest camp. In 1935, several Knapp-huts were erected. These were square buildings with corrugated steel roof and cement blocks. This was widely unpopular as the huts were considered unsightly, so only a small number were ever built. In 1931, a Pegasus Petroleum filling station was built at Crocodile Bridge. The original road crossing was upgraded to a causeway in 1945, ending usage of the last pontoon in the park.

References

{{reflist Kruger National Park