Africa Wild

Hi Poplap I see you are also back on the forum with a face lift.

Things still fine here as long as I am not asking about time share and how to get shares to go cycling and play volleyball at Tsendze.

Back to KTP. I think very few people realised why KTP is the only pristine wilderness area in South Africa and easily get influence by marketing tricks.

Looking at the history of NP in South Africa you will note that KTP is one of your oldest parks, besides Kruger, but the least visited in the past 81 years. The park was proclaimed in 1931 and even 50 years later in the 80's very few people visited the park including myself.(Peter Betts was one of the few visitors at that time).

My first visit was in 1998 when we decided to see where the road north of Upington lead us to. We did not even booked, had no camping equipment with us and still got a chalet (room) at Nossob sharing the bathroom and kitchen area with another guest from PE (maybe Peter then ).

Only 5 years after our first visit more people started to visit the park and an increasing rate so that it is currently difficult to get a booking a few hours after the bookings open. Why did the park become that popular the past 5 years while it was nearly dormant for 75 years? To get the true answer one need to ask those visiting the park and I will not be able to give the reason.

What is strange to me is the fact that people didn't visit the park before while they travelled much further to Kruger for example, but now everyone wants to come and bring their toys along. Is it to experience the park no matter how the accommodation looks like or do people now visit because the facilities improved, the road to the park is better or advertising played a role. Most likely a bit of all. The increase in visitors helped the park in generating income, but with the ever increasing demand in more activities, lodges and accommodation will the park not loose it appeal and the reason people wanted to visited the park in the first place.

I am just wondering if the reasons why so many more people are visiting the park are not becuase of what you will find in the park, but to keep up with the Jones and tick off that I've done it, been their and got the T-shirt.

Bushveld Jock wrote:Hi Poplap I see you are also back on the forum with a face lift.

... cycling and play volleyball at Tsendze.

BJ My volleyball club (I don't play - only coach ) is looking for an adventure court to play on. Tx for reminding me of the endless possibilities in our national parks. The Oom is so looking forward to doing round trips in Tsendze next year during the June/July recess.

Very nice historical overview. Perhaps KTP was a hidden gem that was 'unearthed' by the SP Forum, if I think according to your timeframe. Who knows? Point is, this and running in Skukz, fishing in the KNP, etc should never have happened/never have been considered. It just doesn't gel.

Facelift, me? Perhaps, but clearly not a teethlift. Regards to your Oom and the LO.

BJ, could it be that people are going more on holiday? One thing is for sure, there are much more overseas visitors now, not only to Kruger, but also to KTP and they visit the last for the reason, that it is the last real (almost) wild place in SA and visiting a desert with wild animals is a very attracting thought for Europeans and many return time after time. If it changes they will be the first to quit!!

Lisbeth, I don't think its that more people go on holiday, but people's lifestyle definitely did change. Very few people even gave it a thought to visit KTP in mid summer, but today you will find the camps fully booked Twee rivieren included.

The increase in overseas visitors is true, but I do not have a problem against fully booked camps. What is worrying me is the fact that demand is the driving force for building more camps and accommodation units. Often people do return and become regurlars to the park to enjoy the park and wildlife and not as such the activites and facilities available. Experiencing a thunderstorm, admiring the landscape and watching animals coming to drink at a waterhole are enough for some, while others never return because they did not see the big cats around every corner and there was not enough activites to do.

Unfortunately it is the latter that SANParks want to keep as customers and will pull out any gimmick out of the hat to impress visitors. I am not totally against all these new ideas, but if that is what keeps people coming back then those visitors are not visiting the park for the right reason and not for long the new activities will become boring.

Another evil is the border post at Mata-Mata. Last summer people drove through the park towing kayaks, bicycle, fishing rods all on their way to the Namibian coast only to say we did visit the park. They will stay for one day at Twee rivieren and then exit the park on the second day driving above the game driving speed and speed limit. Why driving for more than 400 km on gravel road if you only stay for 1 day in the park. The rule does not say how long the two days must be as long a you cover two nights (arrive 6 pm, stay 1 full day and depart at 8:30 am the second day).

In a few years you will be guarenteed to see the big cats as long as you pay enough money. In the recent Go! (Weg!) information from the study of prof Melville Saayman of NorthWest university (Old Potch) was published. According to the survey (I also completed one and most likely a lot of forumites) visitors are prepared to R1136 to see a leopard, R1007 for a lion, R753 for a rhino, R658 for a elephant and R498 for a buffalo. If tourisme most go to this level to pay for a guarentee sighting I am worried about the future of the ordinary man that want to enjoy his own heritage at the cost of making money by the custodians of our parks.

What next.

Poplap wrote:
BJ My volleyball club (I don't play - only coach ) is looking for an adventure court to play on. Tx for reminding me of the endless possibilities in our national parks. The Oom is so looking forward to doing round trips in Tsendze next year during the June/July recess.

Hi Poplap would love to join you but next year we trying out KZN parks. You might find a nice court at one of the old borehole near Mopani, but the camp should be fine specially if your aim is not that great. You will know what I mean.

You are better informed than I am, so I believe you on your word. Another thing that worries me is the need to tar the roads, if the traffic increases The review that you are talking about, left me without words How can you put a price on a sighting, but it worries me even more what it can lead to Already the sightings in Kruger are being passed via GMS (or whatever it's called ) and that is bad enough. Where has the joy of game viewing gone

Well put, BJ!

KTP got popular and overcrowded because the road from Upington got tared, they built all sorts of new camps, and SPF together with their Head guide Jan whatever advertised that and Europe discovered it asa result. I used to go in PRIME tourist season in April in the mid 80s when my boys were pre school and camp at Nossob for 3 weeks and not have anybody in camp ...huts or camping...just Gus Mills and his 2 similar aged boys and some bushman kids for my kids to play with ...We had the whole place to ourselves year after year...so thats why I want to vomit at the thought of uraban ignoramuses in uniform from distant towns trying to FORCE there week end thrills at home onto this wilderness

Bushveld Jock wrote:
Hi Poplap would love to join you but next year we trying out KZN parks.

KZN parks We are going twice next year and a 3rd time if you are keen to have a beer

Hey Poplap, we are also in KNP in July, so tell the Oom to practise his fire making skills

Peter Betts wrote:KTP got popular and overcrowded because the road from Upington got tared, they built all sorts of new camps, and SPF together with their Head guide Jan whatever advertised that and Europe discovered it asa result. I used to go in PRIME tourist season in April in the mid 80s when my boys were pre school and camp at Nossob for 3 weeks and not have anybody in camp ...huts or camping...just Gus Mills and his 2 similar aged boys and some bushman kids for my kids to play with ...We had the whole place to ourselves year after year...so thats why I want to vomit at the thought of uraban ignoramuses in uniform from distant towns trying to FORCE there week end thrills at home onto this wilderness

What kind of revenue did KTP have back then? Purely government funded?