Kruger visitors eager to get to the park’s north via the Letaba High Water Bridge will have to wait a little longer.
This follows a media statement from SANParks on 12 March 2026, explaining the delay. JP Louw: Head of Communication and Spokesperson for SANParks made the announcement
Flood-enforced closure
Officials close the Letaba High Water Bridge to traffic in mid-January. This followed the devastating rains that dropped a years worth of rain in less than ten days.
The rains caused widespread flooding, forcing the closure of numerous roads, rest camps, picnic sites, and bridges.
During the peak flooding event, the Letaba River rose level with the bridge’s roadway, dumping tons of material against the structure. Subsequently, the water washed away the approach structures on both sides of the bridge.
Consequently, officials had no choice but to close the bridge until they could effect repairs.
The post below depicts the scene during the height of the flooding:
When the rains finally abated, teams moved in to assess the damage and formulate a recovery plan. At the time, the estimated repair bill across the park was approximately R500m.
A vital link
The bridge lies on the H1-6, about 6 km north of Letaba Rest Camp and forms a vital link between the north and south of the park.
Therefore, with all gravel roads in the area also closed due to the flooding, visitors could no longer traverse between the two areas without lengthy detours.
As such, officials deemed the reopening of the bridge a priority and commenced repair work as soon as conditions allowed.
By all accounts, repair works showed rapid progress. Subsequently, SANParks announced that they expected to complete the restoration project by 13 March.
Rain delays progress
However, in the media statement, SANParks informed the public that further rains had fallen in the area. While these did not cause flooding or further damage, they did significantly delay construction efforts by three days.
As a result, park officials announced yesterday that they would delay the reopening by five days. In other words, it will now reopen on 18 March, instead of today, 13 March.
Presumably, the revised date is contingent on there being no further delays due to rain or other causes.
That said, the statement does emphasise that “Measures have been put in place to accelerate the remaining work required to re-open the bridge.”
SANParks Facebook announcement
You can view the official SANParks announcement on their Facebook page below:
General progress
SANParks is to be commended for the proactive response to the disaster. Despite having suffered massive losses in infrastructure and income, many of the camps have reopened, although others may take many months to repair.
For instance, after Shingwedzi Camps’ perimeter fence was washed away, we reported on the reopening earlier this month.
For the latest developments, please be sure to check official SANParks channels or enquire when entering the park.
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Still a long road ahead
Despite these successes, the journey to full operational status is far from over. At the time, government announced that it did not have the capacity to fund the project.
Accordingly, they, in conjunction with SANParks launched the Kruger Recovery Fund. One hundred percent of donations received, which will be audited by three firms, will go to restoring the park to its former glory.
You can donate below:
You can read the full SANParks media statement here.
