Good morning to you all from a warm 25 degrees in my study in Pretoria.

The camping process starts with deciding upon a caravan park. In some cases you have been there before or you search the Internet of Caravan Parks.Com.

You are likely to have a criteria in making your decision such as (but not limited to) pricing, distance from your abode, facilities, activities, caravan park layout, shade (important to me - Sondela has a good map) and so forth.

The next step is likely to trying to secure a reservation.

There will be courses for horses here. One size does not fit all.

My preference is for email as I have a record of that which is communicated by both parties. Call Centres are a no-no. "Hello! How are you!". I also try and avoid website forms unless a copy can be sent to me and then communication via email. Agents - no-no. Emails work up and until a point and then it is time to make a phone call.

I have found the reservation process to be challenging most of the time. When too much of a challenge, "Next". Making a reservation should be a pleasant "shopping experience".

I would like CaravanParks.Com to add a "rating wheel" (not sure what you call it) for your reservation experience. The definitions for the ratings are great. Items for the rating should be along the lines of time to respond (in my case via email, clarity of information provided (quotation needs to be clear - what is in what is out), campsite lay out - I am sure there are more which can be added.

Should you want to see this rating button, please add your comments and let's see if we can provide enough motivation for CaravanParks.Com.

I am posting this here, as the camping FaceBook groups are the pits, and I left two of them last night!

Here is my suggest list for the ratings: (in no particular order)
1. Accuracy of website information (assumes caravan park has a website)
2. Time to Respond (yes, even applicable to phone calls - how long do they take to answer and can you get through to the correct person quickly. If a call needs to be returned, how long did it take.
3. Accuracy of caravan park map and value of details.

This is what comes to mind now and I will edit the list based on your input.

May you have a super day and let me know your thoughts.

All the planning and arranging is part of the experience. Almost as much fun as the trip itself 

Daar is al baie oor dit gesels. Mense is lief om net "wiele" in te kleur sonder verduideliking. Soms kry jy 2/5 ander keer weer 5/5, maar niemand weet hoekom nie. Ek sal liewer voorstel om dit in terugvoering te gee. Grootste ding is....hier is baie wat al voorstelle gegee het wat om te doen met rating stelsel, maar doen self nie ratings nie. Hierdie stelsel kan net lekker werk as almal fisies ratings doen en nie net voorstelle gee hoe om dit te doen nie.

I don't use the rating page as I don't find it particularly informative.   I prefer to go to the Forum's search facility to see if members discussed the resort I am looking at. This has delivered much useful information to me.  You have to look at when  the particular discussion was filed as conditions at a resort may differ now from what it was years ago.   I also do searches on Google.  If I find nothing with these two searches, it is sometimes worthwhile to ask whether anyone has recent experience on the resort.  Many forum member I see also does this.

Is weereens omdat baie net die sirkels invul dat dit nie waardevol is nie. Sou iemand n volledige terugvoering gee, sal dit dieselfde waarde hê as n forum draad waar terugvoering is....kan selfs meer waarde hê, want baie wat ratings doen neem nie deel aan forum gesprekke nie. Terugvoering hier behoort ook nie terug te staan vir terugvoering op Google nie

Dis dieselfde soos die vraag wat opkom en mense dan vra hoekom is forum so stil...dan kry jy antwoorde dat lede nog hier is maar net hou daarvan om te lees, maar nie deel te neem nie. As almal so voel om net te lees en nie deel te neem nie, gaan daar niks wees om te lees nie. Dieselfde met rating....as niemand deel wil word om ratings te doen nie, gaan daar niks wees om te lees oo ratings nie. Help nie om te sê dat ratings vir jou sinneloos is as almal nie saam werk om dit te laat werk nie

Hoe kan mens verwag dat daar n ordentlike rating sisteem moet wees as almal net wil lees en nie fisies self rating wil doen nie.....en dan sê dis sinneloos vir hom

Ek sekondeer 100%

Ek verlaat my nie heeltemal net op die "ratings" nie, maar gebruik dit tog om 'n aanduiding te kry of parke aan sekere kriteria voldoen - o.a. of hulle minstens 4 uit 5 kry vir sekuriteit en ablusies. Ek steur my nie veel aan die ander drie aspekte nie. Ek het vir myself 'n lys van parke in al die provinsies opgestel wat minsten 4 uit 5 kry vir sekuriteit sowel as ablusies. Indien 'n park vir 2 jaar geen "rating" gekry het nie, word dit van my lys afgehaal.

Gevolglik "rate" ek alle parke. Ek kamp tans in Montagu Karavaanpark. Ek het dit 6 weke gelede ge-"rate" toe ek end-Okt hier was vir 3 aande. Ek kan dit nog nie weer "rate" nie, want 'n sekere minimum tydperk moet eers verstryk.

Ek het al meermale 'n versoek op hierdie forum gerig dat deelnemers parke volledig moet "rate" met volledige kommentaar.

Mense is maa lui en die rating neem tyd.

Interesting feedback. Thank you.

Shaun - I realize that I did not contribute to your request regarding including booking experience as part of the resort ratings. Personally I do not have an issue with that.

But to come back to what I've mentioned above about ratings. Thus far I rated 48 resorts of which some was quite long ago. I only did one new rating this year, namely Dwarswegstrand as it was the first time that I visited this little gem. But I re-rated Karoo National Park and Montagu.

In near future (January) we are booked at Dwarswegstrand again, but I will not be able to re-rate it again as my previous rating was done 2 months ago.

Other parks that I plan to re-rate again (April - June) are: ATKV Hartenbos, Forever Gariep, Aldam, ATKV Klein-Kariba, Malelane Camp and Crocodile Bridge in Kruger and Kaia Manzi. All of them have been rated by me before, but is due for re-rating.

Once again - I appeal to members of this forum to rate the resorts they visit. But please do so thoroughly by completing the various comments too. Then we all know what to really expect.

Chris, thank you for your feedback and I am green with envy - may I tag along just to do the ratings (LOL!) I don't eat very much.

I digress a little - ATKV Klein Kariba - I was there a long time ago and the primates were a problem. I don't know what they are like now, but and starting to think that it warrants a mention somewhere in the ratings. I was in the KNP in March this year and they were very problematic at Letaba. This is one of the contributing reasons I am reluctant to return to the KNP. It (KNP) does not invoke the memories I have of it as a kid, having grown up in Sabie.

Gratefully I did not see anyone feeding the animals. One does not just flick a switch and solve the problem. This has made me enquire about primates at the sites I am interested in.

Should we not chat again, travel safely and hopefull we will the privledge to read your trip report.

(Gosh! My spelling and grammar - curses!)

Ek beoordeel ook maar die kampe soos ons aangaan. Dink partykeer ek is te verbaal en skryf lang stories om die oordeel wat ek vel die moeite werd te maak. Ek is tog geneig om voor ons na 'n nuwe kamp gaan, CP.com te raadpleeg - beide die gekose "Rating" webtuiste en die algemene gesprekke.

Ons het nog sover geen "onaangenaamhede" gevind met ons besprekings nie ... Joanie doen die telefoonoproepe en e-pos en kom goed klaar  met diesulke kantore.

Dankie vir die terugvoer Nico. Ek is bly julle bresprekings proses loop vlot.

Ek het 'n slegte ervaring gehad by Swadini Maart maand die jaar - en nou raak my Afrikaanstande stomp.

I digress again...

My understanding is that a British film produce for "I'm a celebrity - Get Me Out of Here" purchase an exclusive right from the MTPA (for an undisclosed amount) for the Blyde Canyon Reserve (the whole thing) for the filming of the series for 4 months. (11/03 - 10/06/2024). My reservation at Swadini was made 12/12/2023 and my recall was that Swadini was notified of the closure 19-20/02/2024. Our booking was for the last couple of days in March. Swadini did not notify me of the closure and the MTPA notice did not include Mariepskop. I took my family there specifically for this and to go to the dam wall - I was at the dam as a kid when it was bieng built.

The implication was that no tourists (local and international) could use the tourism facilities. I stand to be corrected - access to God's Window and the Blyedpoort Resort was not permitted. Reception did not know that Mariepskop was closed.

I was not a happy camper (pardon the play on words)

Time away camping needs to start with a "good shopping experience". I think I was out of luck that time.

Gosh! I cannot edit my last post.

For those intereted, this is one of the seasons for "I'm a Celebrity - Get Me Out of Here"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFfigQ__wXE&list=PLGNk2CJ79VzBg4Yf3h02VBFaiCQzX9Cj2

Skip the hype at the begining and if you are familiar with the area, you will recognise some of the backgrounds.

I stopped using the resort rating quite some time ago and now days have been opening a new thread with that park in the title. There I provide the feedback and usually with relevant photos of the campsite and ablutions. Other members will just as easily find the thread if I have been there and are also able to add further comment on the campsite.

You cannot add photos to the rating system (as far as I know) and a photo gives a lot more creadibility to your comments.

Thank you for the feedback Brian. I appreciate a quantified rating with comments. It was mentioned above that the ratings might not be completed as accurately as would be desired.

I have not completed a rating recently (last 2 years I think?) so am feeling my way around here.

What other approaches are there other than your approach - I appreciate your effort.

Alternatives? Tourism Grading Council (TGCSA)- I reviewed their evaluation form against Forever Resorts Loskop (March 2017) and could not see how they got to their grading.

I raised a query with TGCSA and never received a credible answer if not being ignored. This raised a lot of questions.

So no easy answers, but the constructive participation of CaravanPark.com members is appreciated.

Good morning to you all from what is going to be a warm day in Pretoria.

The KNP reservation process.

There are only a couple of way to make a reservation: Going to a SANPARKS office, telephone call or online.

SANPARKS office: Travel costs to one which is close - The closest one to me is the head office and my Land Cruiser runs at about R 18.00/km (AA Certificate), then the travel time too. As for queues at these offices, I do not know, but queues and I are not the best of friends.

That leaves the SANPARKS web application. This web application is good and note that small privatley owned caravan parks are unlikely to afford and maintain such a website.

It is quite user friendly and I logged in again. My first challenge: What is the legend for the campsite numbers - this is what I could find (most probably not the complete list)

CK6PZ
CK6PL
CK6P
CK6PV
CK6

My limited understanding:
C = Campsite
K = Unknown
6 = All camp sites seem to have this. I do not know at 6 specifically stands for.
P = Power
PV = Power and something else
CK6 = No power?

Last year December I mailed SANPARKS for information - no response.

Between all the campsite naming conventions, I understand there are campsites against the perimeter fence which command a higher price.

On arrival at the campsites in March this year I asked where the campsite was which I have reserved, and was told I can use any sites. The campsite are not numbered.

This is a problem. If a camper wants the site they have specifically reserved and someone else is occupying that campsite, then what?

If I am standing on a campsite along the fence and did not reserve it, I would have to vacate it for the person who rightfully reserved it.

This will not make me a happy camper, so I do not occupy a campsite on the fence if I did not reserve it.

Let me know your throughts.

You get these type of people everywhere in life and I (and I think most people) hate them. The same type that passes you in the yellow lane when everybody else waits for the queue to move forward.  They also park in the bays reserved for disabled persons and in pews, they sit at the isle and give you dirty looks when you politely ask them to let you pass- and don't dare to ask them to move in!

Fred, yes, unfotrunately so.

I believe that this using of a campsite not as per reservation is likely to be deterred if the campsites are marked.

Hi Shaun

If you click on the code it normally shows you what it means.

C and K = camping, there is a code for Tents

P= power, no P = no power.

V = View or Perimeter.

L = Large 

6 = maximum number of people allowed on stand

Z = Disabled

G= gravel in Karoo NP

Most camps are first come first served ie no reserved sites.

Those with limits/reserved are stated

To get Pensioner discount you must phone in.

Online works perfectly for me otherwise.

Long Term discount (if still offered) the form must be used or phone and ask for Trade reservations. 

The only benefit for going into the office is that their booking opens a day earlier than online. Reservations are only open for about 11 months forward. Exact dates that each month opens is on their website.

Also online requires immediate payment, vs phone which has a deposit and later final payment.

Richard,

Thank you for the feedback and legend.

No, clicking on CP.... does not provide any information on the OnLine Bookings interface.

First-come-first-serve is a problem for those who paid for "V".

Yes, immediate payment for OnLine. One has to book well in advance to secure your campsite.