nico de roo

In november 2000 we will be goiing to SA, i am deciding upon the route to take. <BR>For the journey between kruger np (last night in kruger we where thinking about sleeping in lower sabie) to Hluhluwe <BR>Would like to know what routes we can take + what would be the most interesting (swaziland?), do not know yet if i want visit something while traveling to it or want to go there as fast as possible. <BR> <BR>thanks in advance <BR>nico de roo

Jasper Louw

Nico, The best (and safest) way is to travel via Nelspruit, Barberton, Badplaas. Turn of to Amsterdam, Piet Retief and take the N2 via Pongola to Hluluwe. The road through Swaziland is scenic but very slow and in bad condition. Enjoy your stay in our country!

Hernán Moya, Santiago de Chile

I visited South Africa 2 years ago, and we travelled from Kruger to Hluhluwe on the route that Mr. De Roo mentions. Itīs safe and well-maintened, but not very scenic. Driving time: about 6,5 hrs. with a short stop on Piet Retief for lunch (a mid-west town type city). <BR>We spent one night at the Hilltop Camp, very good, better than the goverment runned camps in the Kruger but worse than the private reserves. In Hluhluwe we saw many rhinos (we didnīt saw them at the Kruger) but we canīt saw any big cat. After a morning drive, we went to St. Lucia(1-1,5 hrs)There, donīt miss the boat trip, we viewed many hippos and crocodiles. If you donīt will go to the Zambezee, this tour is an unique experience in southern Africa. After lunch, we went to Durban and reached it about 5.5 hours later.

nic de klerk

I agree that the trip through Swaziland is slow, but it is worthit to sytay over a night. The roads are not that bad and the scenery is extremely good. <BR>If you chose this route remeber that you are going into another country so check with your local agency for your visa requirements if any. <BR> <BR>Hluhluwe is one of the most beautiful reserves in the area and very well maintained. They have also released lions in the northern part of the reserve and they are seen regularly.

Robyn

We drove from Jo'burg to Lake St Lucia via Piet Retief. Though not as scenic as some parts I found it very beautiful with green rolling hills. We left at 5am and got there around lunch time. If you are going to the Lake St Lucia area,(which I suggest you do) please look up this website. It is owned by a young couple Leigh-Ann & Hugh. It is wonderful. It is also very close to the game parks in the area ie Hluhluwe. Hugh's family have owned the only private land on Lake St Lucia for years. Hugh was raised there and has a great amount of local knowledge. There is also a beach there that you can take your four wheel drive on. It is a lot of fun.

melinde

I work for a tourist information office in St Lucia and deal with this route all the time. The best and safest is from Kruger to Piet Retief then to Paulpietersburg, Vryheid, then to Melmoth and then Empangeni then Mtubatuba and finally to St Lucia, its also the shortest.

Glenn Hughes

I also will be driving this route in November, and would like a little more information. <BR> <BR>Some suggested taking the N2 from Piet Retief, but Melinde suggest driving around 'the back side' through Paulpietersburg and Melmoth, saying it's "safer and shorter". <BR> <BR>My first question is - why is that safer and shorter. Sitting here in Japan, looking at a big shiny map, the N2 sure looks shorter. And I would think that a main highway would be safer, as well. Does anyone have more detail. <BR> <BR>Also, it would be great if someone could break up the 'times to drive' a little bit. <BR>Say, Kruger to Nelspruit, Nelspruit to Piet Retief, Piet Retief to Pongola (or Melmoth), then to St Lucia. This would help planning for meal breaks or a possible overnighter. <BR> <BR>Thanks All!

Chris

A word of caution: there are two or three stretches of construction on the N2 between Pongola and Empangeni (I was there a week ago - one is right around Hluhluwe), which require about 10-15 minutes wait each. Although the SA army is there to protect you from thugs and muggers, it is NOT advisable to do drive at night, so if you are on the N2, then drive with daylight.