TRANSFRONTIER PARK – SELF DRIVE INFORMATION

Of special interest to tour operators visiting Mozambique

I recently visited the Transfrontier Park which borders Kruger National Park on the Mozambique side of the border. This trip was done with a view to offering Barra Resorts self-drive guests another great option of getting to our resorts at Inhambane in Mozambique. Although it may take longer to drive from Johannesburg this is a scenic route and an overnight stop en-route in or nearby Kruger Park is a pleasure. The route from Johannesburg to Phalaborwa is on the N4 or N12 via Belfast, Dullstroom (famous for its pancakes), Lydenburg, Abel Erasmus Pass and Gravelotte. Other routes are via Lydenburg, Pilgrims Rest, Graskop, Bushbuckridge and Hoedspruit or via Nelspruit, White River, Hazyview and then follow the Bushbuckridge, Hoedspruit route. The easiest access is via the mining town of Phalaborwa on the border of Kruger which offers numerous accommodation options from catered to self-catering and camping. If you are uncertain on where to stay contact Phalaborwa Tourism on 015-781 3620. From here it is literally no more than a 5 minute drive to the access gate into Kruger.

Phalaborwa to Letaba & Giriyondo From Phalaborwa gate it is a 1 hour drive of approx 52km to Letaba Restcamp. Stop here for your last supplies, fuel, refreshments etc as from here on services and supplies are sparse. Depart Letaba on the road north on the H1-4 for approx 18km. Here the route turns onto the H15, a good gravel road for the last 20m to the Giriyondo Gate. Here one needs to check out of Kruger and South Africa and check into the Transfrontier Park and Mozambique. Valid passports, vehicle license papers and Kruger Park entry permits are required to be presented here. No vehicle third party is required here. It is only required on exiting the park at Massingir

Giriyondo to Massingir This is also a gravel road and can be a little bumpy, stoney and has corrugations. So long as you’re in a vehicle with good clearance (Nissan XTrail, Toyota Avanza) you should be fine. I also found that deflating tyres to about 1.8 bar also helped us to enjoy a smoother ride. I travelled in a 2x4 and was fine. Machampane Lodge is situated 29km along this route. It is a 5km drive off to the right and is well signposted. After another 20km the road runs through 2 villages. Drive carefully as the local inhabitants tend to run out excitedly to greet the vehicles passing through. There is the option of taking a left fork before these villages and avoiding them. Both of these route take one back to the same road to Massingir. There is self-catering accommodation overlooking Massingir Dam. This is called Campismo Aguia Pesqueira. Another overnight option is Campismo Albufeira situated at Massingir Gate. A third option, Govane Lodge is located on the southern bank of the Massingir Dam 14 kms to the west of the village of Massingir. The lodge is operational with two bungalows, two traditional units and camping area. Facilities are fairly basic but the lodge will shortly undergo a major refurbishment which should be completed in March/April 2010.

Contact Transfrontier Parks Destinations for more info on +27 21 701 7860 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Depart Massingir, with a valid 3rd parry insurance purchased at Massingir gate.

Massingir to the Mozambique coast The130 km of this drive to Chokwe is a tarred road which is broken up in places and a quiet road with little traffic. From Chokwe the road is good tar all the way (60km) to Macia on the Mozambique coast. From this turnoff to Inhambane at Macia it is another 330km on the EN1 to Inhambane. There is another route from Chokwe via Chibuto which takes one on to the EN1 approx 60km north of Xai-Xai thus avoiding the badly potholed route immediately north of Xai-Xai. We have yet to explore this route and will update this news item via our website in due course.


Fees
KNP Entry              R35 p/p     Paid both ways on entry into KNP
KNP Vehicle            R35 p/vehicle     Paid both ways on entry into KNP
Moz Park Fees         Mt200 p/p
Moz Vehicle            Mt200 p/vehicle
Moz Trailer             Mt100 p/trailer
Moz border fees      R17 p/p
Moz vehicle fees      R10 p/vehicle
Mozambique 3rd party to be purchased on departure at Massingir R 150 p/vehicle



Distances
From                  To                        Distance
Phalaborwa          Letaba                  52km
Letaba                H15 T.off              18km
H15 T.off            Giriyondo               20km
Giriyondo             Machampane         29km
Machampane        Massingir               50km
Massingir              Chokwe                130km
Chokwe               Macia                    60km
Macia                  Xai-Xai                   60km
Xai-Xai                 Quissico                90km
Quissico               Inhambane           120km

Article written by: Tony Birkholtz From Barra Resorts - www.barraresorts.com