Letaba Rest Camp

The area around Letaba had been settled for millennia before the creation of Kruger Park. In the 1800s, the inhabitants of the land were the Ba-Phalaborwa people, a Sotho-speaking tribe who inhabited the area. They were primarily crop and cattle farmers, but had an extensive iron smithing expertise, trading their iron goods with Arab merchants along the east coast of southern Africa, in what is today Mozambique.{{Cite web|url=https://letabarestcamp.com/|title=Letaba Rest Camp - Letaba Rest Camp ✓ View Availability and Rates|website=Letaba Rest Camp|language=en|access-date=2020-01-05}} The people of the area were removed during the creation of Kruger National Park, but most of their descendants live just outside the park's gates.

On the evening of 9 September 2020, a fire burned a significant part of the shop at Letaba, which was put out by firefighter teams from Olifants and Phalaborwa, as well as staff and guests at the camp. There were no fatalities or injuries, but the shop had to be closed to be rebuilt, leaving visitors without a way to buy necessities during their stay. Less than a week later, a similar fire burned down the restaurant at Berg-en-Dal Rest Camp.{{Cite web|date=2020-09-10|title=Fire breaks out at Letaba Rest Camp in KNP|url=https://lowvelder.co.za/702938/fire-breaks-out-at-letaba-rest-camp-in-knp/|access-date=2020-09-19|website=Lowvelder|language=en-US}}{{Cite web|date=2020-09-11|title=Letaba camp's shop in KNP gutted in a fire|url=https://letabaherald.co.za/90590/letaba-camps-shop-in-knp-gutted-in-a-fire/|access-date=2020-09-19|website=Letaba Herald|language=en-US}}{{Cite web|title=[PICTURES] Fire in Kruger destroys Letaba shop, staff facilities|url=https://www.jacarandafm.com/news/news/pictures-fire-kruger-destroys-letaba-shop-staff-facilities/|access-date=2020-09-19|website=Jacaranda FM}}{{Cite web|title=Second devastating fire reported at SANParks in a week|url=https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2020-09-15-second-devastating-fire-reported-at-sanparks-in-a-week/|access-date=2020-09-19|website=TimesLIVE|language=en-ZA}}

Letaba features a Tindlovu restaurant overlooking the Letaba river, a small conference centre with a 55-seat auditorium, two swimming pools (one outside in the day visitor's area), laundromat, filling station, slimline ATM, and first aid station.{{Cite web|url=https://www.sanparks.org/parks/kruger/camps/letaba/tourism/activities.php|title=South African National Parks - Letaba Activities & Facilities|website=www.sanparks.org|language=en-ZA|access-date=2020-01-05}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.sanparks.org/parks/kruger/groups/conferences.php#Letaba|title=South African National Parks - Conference Facilities|website=www.sanparks.org|language=en-ZA|access-date=2020-01-05}}

Letaba is in a fairly dark area of the park, making stargazing an ideal nighttime activity. The camp also provides guided bush walks, game drives, breakfasts and dinners in the wild and a TV lounge. There is also a riverside camp walk along the inside of the camp's fence.

Letaba is near several wilderness and 4x4 trails, the Matambeni bird hide, and the ruins of the Masorini settlement.

38 km from Letaba along the Phalaborwa road is the ruin of a BaPhalaborwa tribe village from the 1800s called Masorini. It was likely a trading hub connecting Venda farmers in the north with Portuguese, Arab, and Chinese traders along the east coast. There is a museum and picnic area on site with guided tours to the top of the hill, where reconstructed furnaces and huts can be seen.{{Cite web|url=https://www.sanparks.org/parks/kruger/people/heritage/masorini.php|title=South African National Parks - Kruger - Heritage - Masorini|website=www.sanparks.org|language=en-ZA|access-date=2020-01-05}}

Letaba lies in Mopani veld, which has quite dense bush of mopane trees (Colophospermum mopane). As a result, the animal density is lower than can be expected further south near Skukuza and Lower Sabie. However, bushbuck, elephant, buffalo, and waterbuck are still quite common. Secretary birds, kori bustards and ground hornbills are known to inhabit the area.{{Cite web|url=https://www.sanparks.org/parks/kruger/camps/letaba/|title=South African National Parks - Letaba|website=www.sanparks.org|language=en-ZA|access-date=2020-01-05}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.getaway.co.za/wildlife/game-parks/kruger-accommodation-review-letaba-rest-camp/|title=Kruger accommodation review – Letaba Rest Camp|date=2013-05-28|website=Getaway Magazine|access-date=2020-01-05}}

Letaba is in a transition zone between the granite and gneiss to its west and basalt to the east, providing some unique geology. To the west of camp, clusterleaf shrub is common, while the east side gets more apple-leaf. The entire area is filled with mopane trees. Tamboti, knobthorn and leadwood are also common in the area.

File:Letaba-Elephant-Statue.jpg

Unique to Letaba amongst camps in Kruger is the Elephant Hall, a small museum dedicated to elephants.{{Cite web|url=https://www.sa-venues.com/attractionslm/letaba-elephant-hall.php|title=Letaba Elephant Hall in Phalaborwa, Limpopo|website=www.sa-venues.com|access-date=2020-01-05}} It includes sections about elephant biology, behaviour, ecology and evolution. The primary exhibit is the display of the tusks and skulls of the Magnificent Seven, a set of enormous tuskers (elephant bulls with very large tusks). The hall was renovated in 2017 with financial assistance from donors worldwide and design assistance from professor Kevin Todd and his students at the University of the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia.{{Cite web|url=https://www.wildcard.co.za/facelift-krugers-letaba-elephant-hall/|title=Facelift for Kruger's Letaba Elephant Hall|date=2017-04-03|website=Wild Card|language=en-US|access-date=2020-01-03}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.traveller24.com/Explore/Bush/pics-krugers-iconic-letaba-hall-re-opens-20170322|title=PICS: Kruger's iconic Letaba Elephant hall re-opens|date=2017-03-23|website=Traveller24|access-date=2020-01-03}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.usc.edu.au/art-gallery/exhibitions-and-programs/letaba-elephant-hall-design|title=Letaba Elephant Hall Design|website=www.usc.edu.au|language=en|access-date=2020-01-03}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.krugerpark.co.za/krugerpark-times-4-15-letaba-hall-24677.html|title=Kruger Park News {{!}} New Doors for Letaba Elephant Hall {{!}} Online News Publication|website=www.krugerpark.co.za|access-date=2020-01-03}}

{{see also2|Magnificent Seven elephants}}

{{see also2|Isilo (elephant), who lived more recently than the magnificent seven}}

File:Big Tusker - Shawu (6045236226).jpg

The Magnificent Seven—Dzombo, João, Kambaku, Mafunyane, Ndlulamithi, Shawu and Shingwedzi—were seven large bull elephants with enormous tusks ("tuskers"). Each elephant had at least one tusk that weighed at least 50 kg, and all of their tusks were at least 2 m long.{{Cite web|url=https://kruger-national-park-guide.com/kruger-national-park-elephants.html|title=Kruger National Park Elephants - Let their Majesty Awe you|website=Kruger National Park Guide|language=en-AU|access-date=2020-01-05}} Dr. U de V Pienaar, the chief warden of Kruger National Park in the 1970s, decided to publicise these elephants as an example of Kruger's successful conservation work. As each elephant died, their skull and ivory were recovered and brought to the Elephant Hall, with the exception of João, whose tusks broke off in 1984 and were never found. A section of the elephant hall is dedicated to each of them.{{Cite web|url=https://www.sanparks.org/parks/kruger/elephants/tuskers/magnificent7.php|title=South African National Parks - Kruger National Park - Elephant Hall - Magnificent Seven|website=www.sanparks.org|language=en-ZA|access-date=2020-01-05}}

File:Can Opener (2364826460).jpg

Kruger National Park is host to a number of current tuskers. Once identified, each tusker is officially named and their home range and features are determined.{{Cite web|url=https://www.sanparks.org/parks/kruger/elephants/tuskers/emerging_project.php|title=South African National Parks - Emerging Tuskers Project|website=www.sanparks.org|language=en-ZA|access-date=2020-01-05}} The list of current tuskers is available on [https://www.sanparks.org/parks/kruger/elephants/tuskers/emerging.php the South African National Parks website], alongside the [https://www.sanparks.org/parks/kruger/elephants/tuskers/past.php list of deceased tuskers] and [https://www.sanparks.org/parks/kruger/elephants/tuskers/female_tuskers.php female tuskers]. The Emerging Tuskers Project relies on submitted photos to help identify new tuskers and track the movement of existing tuskers. Contact information can be found [https://www.sanparks.org/parks/kruger/elephants/tuskers/emerging_project.php on the Emerging Tuskers Project web page].

In early 2017 the Elephant Hall was shut down for renovation. With the help of over R1.5 million in donations from Australia's University of the Sunshine Coast and the South African National Parks Honorary Rangers, it was reopened on 2017-03-20 after nine weeks of renovation. The renovated museum features a more modern design, clearer display panels and design improvements. The renovation also meant the addition of the tusks of Mandleve, the largest ivory-carrying elephant ever recorded in Kruger park, who died of natural causes in 1993. The addition of the Mandleve tusk display was sponsored by Rotary International.{{Cite web|url=http://www.krugerpark.co.za/krugerpark-times-2-22-letaba-hall-21624.html|title=Kruger Park Times {{!}} Letaba Elephant Hall Closed For Renovations {{!}} Online News...|website=www.krugerpark.co.za|access-date=2020-01-05}} The renovation also includes a new lighting system, allowing photographs without the use of flash photography. Future plans include the development of a virtual tour of the elephant hall available on the SANParks website.

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Category:Kruger National Park