Crocodile Bridge is the name of both a camp along the southern border of Kruger National Park and a gate to the park. The gate is at a low water bridge crossing the Crocodile River and leads directly to the Crocodile Bridge rest camp. The park entry, including payment, is within the camp itself.
Facilities
As with all major rest camps in Kruger, Crocodile Bridge provides a shop, braai and communal kitchen facilities, a first aid station, a laundromat, and a filling station.
General facilities
As one of Kruger's smaller major camps, Crocodile Bridge does not have a full restaurant. Instead, a take-away food section is provided within the shop. Other normal facilities, such as a laundromat, a petrol station, first aid, a post box and public telephones are still available.
Nearby facilities
Crocodile Bridge is a 15-minute drive from the town of Komatipoort, which lies at the confluence of the Crocodile and Komati rivers and along the border of Mozambique. Trips to town must be done during the day, as the gates still close at the usual times.
Accommodation
Crocodile bridge provides 20 two-or-three-bed cottages with en-suite bathrooms and 8 two-bed permanent furnished canvas tents including showers and fridges, but with communal ablutions. 18 tent or caravan sites with electricity and braai locations are also available.
Activities
Crocodile Bridge is in the Southern Circle game viewing area, which is known for its several prides of lion, each with different hunting techniques and behaviour.
History
The road bridge at Crocodile Bridge was originally created as a pontoon crossing to allow ranger access to the park from Komatipoort. In the 1920s, a road was added connecting Crocodile Bridge to what is now the Lower Sabie rest camp. In 1927, the board of the park asked South African Railways to connect the Selati Railway across the Crocodile River. While the old railway bridge is in a state of disrepair, it can still be seen from the rest camp. A road was also built from Crocodile Bridge to Skukuza, passing by what is now Lower Sabie. In 1931, eight rondavels were built at Crocodile Bridge, marking the first time it was used as both a gate to the park and a rest camp. In 1935, several Knapp-huts were erected. These were square buildings with corrugated steel roof and cement blocks. This was widely unpopular as the huts were considered unsightly, so only a small number were ever built. In 1931, a Pegasus Petroleum filling station was built at Crocodile Bridge. The original road crossing was upgraded to a causeway in 1945, ending usage of the last pontoon in the park.
