Skukuza - The Kruger National Park has advised visitors to book their day trips for the coming long weekend in advance.
Heritage Day will be celebrated on September 24 and the park expects high volumes of visitors from Friday to Sunday, which means the daily visitors' quotas will be strictly enforced.
The park's head of public relations, William Mabasa, said day visitors should either book beforehand via central reservations, or arrive early at the gates because they will be allowed in on a first-come, first-served basis.
"There have been instances where many individuals were turned back at our gates because daily quotas had been reached. Obviously this is not desirable because it causes a lot of disappointment," said Mabasa.
He said once the daily quota of visitors had been reached, only people with bookings would be allowed in.
"There is a possibility that more people could be allowed in once other visitors start leaving, but one cannot rely on this process and may end up queuing for long hours and still not get into the park," added Mabasa.
A non-refundable deposit of R24 per adult and R12 per child applies to day visitors who book beforehand, and the entrance fee payable at the gates is R40 per person for South African citizens.
"To enhance efficiency at the gates, various field and honorary rangers will be deployed to assist gate staff with managing the queues and other different services available at the gates," added Mabasa.
All visitors are also reminded of the rules and regulations of the park, particularly those prohibiting littering, speeding, getting out of cars and loud noises.
"We also ask visitors to plan their trips in such a way that they are able to heed gate opening and closing times so that they do not find themselves arriving late at the camps or gates, either on their way in or out of the park," said Mabasa.
