Numbi Gate is located about 50km from Whiteriver and is an exquisite entrance to the Kruger National Park.
When the first visitor to the Kruger National park arrived, he entered through Numbi Gate back in 1926. In 1926 the Kruger National Park was opened to the public for visiting, but only for a year and in 1927 there was an insanely low 3 cars recorded I the Kruger Park and they were charged 1 Pound per entry. In the area of 1927, there was only one Over Night Rest Camp in the whole Kruger National Park and that camp was Pretorius Kop. After two years an initial roadwork was created and more rest camps had been built which made it possible for much more people to visit and stay over at the Kruger National park than before. Because of the additional rest camps, it was possible to travel as far as the Olifants River and the number of cars that entered the Kruger increased to 850.
Though 850 visitors a year might seem laughable in comparison to the millions of visitors that visit the Kruger National park, authorities were astounded with the popularity of the Kruger National Park. Stevenson-Hamilton, the Park’s first warden, stated that there were many occasions where there was insufficient accommodation in the Camps and that the wardens had to give up their rooms for tourists to stay in.
A reason for Numbi Gate’s popularity is because this lovely gate is located at a higher altitude compared to the other gates to the Kruger National Park and has breathtaking views of the valley below and amazing scenery, like the granite foot hills to the South and North. The area where Numbi gate is located enjoys some of the highest rainfall, just like Malelane Gate., in the Kruger National Park. Because of the High rainfall, there is an increased amount of plant and wildlife. That being said, the area round Numbi Gate is very thick with vegetation and animals will be more difficult to see. The type of grass that grows in the area is the kind used for thatched roofing and many grazers don’t like it. Animals you would likely see when you are passing through Numbi Gate, and the surrounding area, are Kudu, Rhino and Sable Antelope. The reason you would see these animals here is because they are selective grazers that eat what is available. The type of terrain that makes up Numbi is called Sourveld.
