Getting to & from Hluhluwe/iMfolozi Game Reserve

[PRWIN]

Road closed between Secunda and Bethal due to smoke from Veld Fires at the moment

[Flutterby]

Thanks PRWIN...just checked Google maps and it actually shows that the road is closed...will go via Ogies then.

[Richprins]

Ermelo-Pongola is fine, Flutts! Just phoned a friend. Standerton way has a lot of stops, so use N-17!

[Bushveld Jock]

Hi Flutterby,

The veld fire problem hopefully should not be an issue tomorrow, but I still smell smoke. You can try the direct route from Jo'burg and work you way around it. Worse case pop-in for a coffee before taking a detour via Kriel to Bethal. We are in Trichardt about 28 km from Bethal.

The road after Piet Retief is great with lots of double lanes to bypass trucks. Just be on the lookout for sugar cane trucks after Pongola. Last time we passed the town in July it was harvest time, but maybe they finished with the harvest by now.

Drive safely and enjoy the trip. Wish you lots of doggies.

[Richprins]

[Flutterby]

Hi guys,

Before we left, I checked Google maps and it showed that the road was open, so we took the direct route - N17 and N2....great road!! According to Google maps the trip would take nearly 7 hours, but we did it in 5 and a half!

[Bushcraft]

Hey Flutts

I'm going to check out portions of this route, because as of the 1st of October we can't get through Swaziland without a "unabridged" or whatever, birth certificates under the new SA immigration laws. We applied for these in June and when the Cow went to find out yesterday why we still hadn't received them, she just got blank faces, so she produced proof that we applied for them, more blank faces and then "we lost everything from June, so you will to resubmit"

Therefore we have no choice other than to drive around Swaziland which makes it an 11 hour trip Hectic for kids

[Flutterby]

Red tape!!!

The road is in a great condition...so no worries there. The municipalities around Kruger could learn something from them!!

[PRWIN]

Hi BC,

Sorry to hear about the HA problem. Luckily they extended it to October, but as you say now they have lost your application. We applied 2 weeks before our Botswana trip and in Botswana got a SMS that it is ready to pick up. Great service from Bethal HA. Not sure if Secunda would have been better than the KZN guys.

The N17 is fine, but you need to get a connecting road to Baberton. All the way to Ermelo is a bit far and the shortest will be R33 through Amsterdam, Lochiel, Badplaas, Baberton. Isn't Twigga from Piet Retief. PM her for the best road. My route to KNP runs from Bethal - Carolina - Badplaas / Machadodorp.