Waterhole · Kruger National Park
Pioneer Dam, Kruger
Pioneer Dam is a waterhole in Kruger National Park, 300 m off the S142 Shongololo Loop, about 52 km from Phalaborwa Gate.
About Pioneer Dam
Pioneer Dam is the large dam on the Tsendze River in front of Mopani Rest Camp, its water studded with dead trees. The camp sits along its northern shore, and Pioneer Dam Bird Hide overlooks it from the S142.
Where to find Pioneer Dam
Pioneer Dam is a waterhole in Kruger National Park, 300 m off the S142 Shongololo Loop, about 52 km from Phalaborwa Gate. See exactly where it is on the map, and navigate to it, in the opspoor app.
Recent activity near Pioneer Dam
No sightings logged near Pioneer Dam yet
Heading there? Log what you see in opspoor and help everyone who comes after you.
Open in opspoorWhat lives around Pioneer Dam
Good country for these, going by the habitat around it, not today's sightings.
Habitat around Pioneer Dam
Mopane by H1-6 (mopane woodland): Mopane trees and shrubs, typical of the north of Kruger.
Habitat mapped by opspoor. Data sources
Best time to visit Pioneer Dam
Animals move most in the first hours after the gates open and the last hours before they close; the midday heat is quietest.
Nearby waterholes, hides and camps
- Pioneer Dam Bird HideBird Hide
- Mopani Rest CampMain Camp
- Shipandani Overnight HideBird Hide
- Bowkerskop Waterhole ViewpointWaterhole
Pioneer Dam questions
Where is Pioneer Dam?
Pioneer Dam is a waterhole in Kruger National Park, 300 m off the S142 Shongololo Loop, about 52 km from Phalaborwa Gate.
Which road is Pioneer Dam on?
Pioneer Dam is about 300 m off the S142 Shongololo Loop.
What animals can you see at Pioneer Dam?
Pioneer Dam sits in mopane woodland: good country for buffalo (cape), elephant, kudu (greater), roan antelope and sharpes grysbok.
Can I use opspoor at Pioneer Dam without signal?
Yes. Signal in Kruger National Park can be patchy, and opspoor works fully offline: you can see sightings you've already loaded and log your own, which sync when you're back in range.
Heading to Pioneer Dam? See where sightings have been logged around it and log your own.