Magnetic susceptibility, heat capacity, and electrical resistivity measurements have been carried out on single crystals of the intermediate valence compounds Yb2 Rh3 Ga9 and Yb2 Ir3 Ga9. These measurements reveal a large anisotropy due apparently to an interplay between crystalline electric field (CEF) and Kondo effects. The temperature dependence of magnetic susceptibility can be modelled using the Anderson impurity model including CEF within an approach based on the non-crossing approximation. © 2005 The American Physical Society.