Review Berg en Dal Rest Camp, Kruger National Park
Paul‘s Camp Review for the
Berg en Dal Rest Camp
a South African National Park Rest Camp
Kruger National Park
General
Impression: 
Details:
Duration of stay:3 nights / self-drive Safari
Check-in / Check-out:
Check-in Process:
Check-out Process:
Staff @ Front Desk:
Room / Bathroom:
Bed, quality of sleep:
Bathroom, Shower:
Room Atmosphere:
WiFi / Internet: N/A
Housekeeping general:
Cleanliness:
Food & Beverage / Restaurant outsourced to: Tindlovu Restaurant Group
Operation:
Quality of Food:
Atmosphere:
Staff:
Paul‘s Mix:
Pool, Spa:
Camp Location:
Mojito Rating:
General Customer Care:
Staff attitude, interaction and responsiveness:
Social media interaction:
—-
= bad, a lot of work needs to be
done
=not good, you will be busy with
corrections
= good & normal, nothing
special
= high level, but the icing on
the cake is missing
= topnotch, leave me here!
= Half a Point/sheep
—-
Berg en Dal is located in the lower western part of the Kruger National Park. The closest gate to enter Kruger and reach Berg en Dal is the Malelane Gate, around 50 minutes away from Nelspruit / Mbombela.
Berg en Dal Rest Camp was opened in 1984 and is one of the "newer" camps in Kruger.
Well, it maybe was once newer. The buildings haven’t been renovated since.
Berg en Dal is different from the other camps, as it doesn’t have the famous Kruger rondavel.
Activities
Plenty to do around here! From guided bush walks and classic game drives to bush braais and breakfasts under the stars. There’s also the Rhino Perimeter Trail with Braille info, wilderness
trails for the adventurous, and even evening wildlife films (except Sundays). Kids’ programs run seasonally, and traditional dances can be arranged on request.
Facilities
Everything you need for a comfy stay: restaurant, shop, pool (for residents), laundromat, filling station, and braai spots. There’s also an internet café at reception (no Wi-Fi yet), a 3G
cell tower, and basic first aid. Conference room, post box, and picnic area are available too — just don’t expect an ATM.
Full list of activities and
facilities on the official SANParks site.
Check-in / Reception
Check-in this time was good, the agent was friendly and efficient. She was a little reserved but that was okay.
We booked a chalet at the perimeter but got one completely inside the camp. When telling the agent she looked at the reservation and changed it to a fence location.
As we didn't get the exit permit at check-in (this is the last camp), we went for check out to collect the exit permit.
The agent was friendly and handed us out l the permit.
The camp offers different accommodation options such as:
- Campsites: Sites are available for tents and caravans, with some located along the fence line for game viewing.
- Bungalows: These are self-catering units with a kitchenette, a bathroom with a shower, and bedding for up to three people.
- Family Cottages: These are self-catering units with a lounge, a kitchen, a bathroom, and two air-conditioned bedrooms that can sleep up to six guests.
- Guest Houses: For larger families or groups, there are two guest houses.
J. Le Roux Guest House sleeps six people, and the Rhino Guest House accommodates up to eight.
The buildings in Berg en Dal are set within natural bush, and the gardens are planted with flowering shrubs and aloes, leaving much of the natural habitat unchanged within the camp.
We saw that one! chalet was newly renovated, and the new one looks amazing. It’s great that they started this process, and I hope it doesn’t take ages until the renovation is done — and that other camps will follow.
We had a 3-bed chalet right at the perimeter of the camp.
The chalet offers a double bed and a single bed, a kitchenette with all necessary appliances (toaster, water boiler, microwave, etc.), a bar with three bar chairs, a bathroom with toilet and
shower, and an amazing outside terrace with braai (BBQ) facilities and a table and chairs.
The room itself was okay, but many of the appliances need an urgent makeover or need to be fixed.
The fridge in our unit was completely new and worked well.
This time, the air conditioning worked fine compared to our last stay.
The bathroom was okay but very old, though the shower had great water pressure.
Unfortunately, the water in the shower was dripping 24/7. Knowing where we are, it would be a huge water-saving measure if they installed a pressure regulator and fixed the tap.
The restaurant is in the main area of the camp, as is the shop.
F&B - Restaurant:
The restaurant is outsourced to Tindlovu Restaurants and offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Opening times are 7:00 AM – 8:00 PM (last order).
We went every evening for dinner. The staff were good and did a good job. They were friendly and interacted with guests.
The food, if available, was good and actually better than at Tindlovu Letaba.
What I don’t really understand is that the restaurant’s menu is exactly the same, but the food is completely different.
I honestly thought that since the menus are absolutely identical, it was some sort of system gastronomy setup. But clearly, it’s not. The dishes might have the same names on paper, but what
arrives on the plate looks — and tastes — completely different. Seems like each Tindlovu restaurant does its own thing in the kitchen.
That said, the food here is definitely better than at the Letaba branch.
Unfortunately, also here quite a few dishes are still “out of stock,” even though you could easily buy the ingredients in any shop.
Shocking was that at the third night even sparkling water and beer was out of stock!
Looks like Tindlovu is struggling a with their supplies and has a huge logistics and delivery problem.
The park shop at Berg en Dal is good. It offers souvenirs and curios as well as a big selection of groceries to either stock up your supplies or cook for yourself. This includes fresh meat, dairy products, vegetables, and fruit.
The camp also has a big pool if you would like to relax or go for a swim. In our eyes, this is the best pool in the Kruger SANParks camps.
All in all, the camp was good. Some things in Berg en Dal need fixing or attention, but overall it was a nice stay. As all camps, renovations are overdue.
The chalets are okay, the shop is fine, and the restaurant is okay and the food delivered is good.
Notes:
- Paul the Sheep does not get any benefits from the hotels, airlines, etc.
- Paul always pays for the services in order to rate freely and truthfully about the experiences.
- If you are interested in more details, please send us a private message and I will be happy to share more information and pictures.