Punda Maria Entrance Gate

You’ll find staffed entry and basic amenities, including public restrooms and nearby picnic tables with braai stands. Payment by card is supported, but machines can be temperamental—carry cash as backup. Gate hours vary by month, typically opening around 05:30 in summer and 06:00 in winter, with closing times between 17:30 and 18:30; confirm current times on arrival.

Give yourself at least 20 minutes for the short run to Punda Maria Rest Camp—and more if you want to savor sightings. This sandveld is a mix of white syringa, bushwillow, silver cluster‑leaf, and occasional baobabs. Wildlife can be patchy but rewarding: kudu, nyala, buffalo, elephants, and regular records of lion and wild dog. Look for Sharpe’s grysbok and, on the Mahonie Loop, even the tiny suni. Early mornings along Nyala Drive may turn up bush pig.

From Gauteng/Johannesburg, take the N1 to Polokwane, then the R524 from Makhado (Louis Trichardt) for roughly 140 km to the gate. Plan on about 5–6 hours to the gate, depending on stops and traffic. Note that the final approach runs through several communities and can feel slower than the map suggests.

• After entering, loop the Mahonie Drive for nyala, elephant, and the chance of suni.
• Aim for first light or late afternoon for activity; use the camp’s waterhole hide later on for birds and mammals topping up at dusk.