Orpen Gate

About Orpen Gate

If you want quick access to the central Kruger National Park, then Orpen Gate entrance is your best bet. The central grasslands of the Kruger National Park mean that there is a predominance of herbivores and animals like buffalo, who herd in groups of up to 250, near Orpen.

Did you know? Not far from the Orpen gate is the Rebelais waterhole, one of the major water sources of the area. Large numbers of game use the hole daily. Expect to see impala, zebra, elephant, warthog and giraffe

The open grasslands that stretch through Satara and N'wanetsi mean that you are also most likely to spot lion in the area. Orpen is known for the predominance of predators in the area.

Orpen Gate rests on the edge of a band of what is known as sweetveld that stretches in a band from east to west across Kruger, and the reason for the predominance of game to the area. In the rest of the park, sourveld holds sway, but here game is attracted by the healthy grasses that allow them to graze all year.

Rest camps include

Roodewal Bush Lodge – small, ideal for a family and friends; on the banks of the Timbavati
Orpen Rest Camp – small camp close to the gate
Satara Rest Camp – best camp for lion, leopard and cheetah
Tamboti Tent Camp – with its own bird hide; overlooking the dry river bed

Routes to explore from Orpen Gate include

the H7 to Satara – excellent for buffalo and lion
the S140 or Talamati Drive, a very good sunset drive as it follows a dust road to the upper parts of the N'waswitsontso watercourse
the S39 or Timbavati River road to Bobejaanskrans – said to be one of the best drives in Kruger
S36 or Muzandzeni road from Bobbejaanskrans to Tshokwane

Game to look out for

lion
black-backed jackal
blue wildebeest
buffalo
impala