Kruger National Park Safari

Kruger National Park Safaris Wildlife and Photographic Safaris Private Game Lodge Bookings Customized African Safaris

• 3-day Kruger Quickie Safari
• 4-day Kruger Park Budget Safari
• 4-day Greater Kruger Combo
• 5-day Greater Kruger Combo
• 5-day Best of Kruger Safari
• 5-day Kruger & Lowveld Safari
• 6-day Kruger Park Family Resort
• Custom Photographic Safari
• Cape Town & Kruger Park
• Victoria Falls & Kruger Park
• Build your own custom safari

• Gomo Gomo Game Lodge
• Elephant Plains Game Lodge
• Kambaku Safari Lodge
• Arathusa Safari Lodge
• Nkorho Bush Lodge
• Mohlabetsi Safari Lodge
• Kuname River Lodge

• Chitwa Chitwa Game Lodge
• Motswari Game Lodge
• Inyati Game Lodge
• Imbali Safari Lodge
• Nottens Bush Camp
• Savanna Game Lodge
• Lukimbi Safari Lodge
• Ngala Game Reserve
• Shishangeni Lodge
• Rhino Walking Safaris

• Londolozi Game Reserve
• Sabi Sabi
• Exeter Lodges
• Tinga Game Lodge
• Lion Sands
• Leopard Hills
• Singita

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Kruger National Park South Africa

The Kruger National Park in South Africa is one of the greatest game reserves in the world, and it is hard to describe the magic of this place in words. Picture a vast, unspoilt, beautiful wilderness where life is as it was thousands of years ago. Where you can stand on a hill overlooking the African savannah and realize that you could've stood there 5000 years ago and seen exactly the same awesome view. Untouched, unspoilt, unhurried and marvelously preserved for us and many generations after us to enjoy.

The greater Kruger National Park is over 2 million hectares in size (about the size of Belgium) and includes large tracts of private game reserves on its Western border. These famous reserves (like Sabi Sands and Timbavati) share an unfenced border with the Kruger Park, making it the largest protected wildlife area in South Africa. The Kruger Park itself has about 12 main camps with accommodation priced from about ZAR 200 to ZAR 2000 per night . The private reserves and some concession areas within the park are home to a variety of luxury private game lodges, priced from about ZAR 1000 per person per night up to ZAR 7500 per person per night.

The Kruger National Park is home to an astonishing variety of species: 336 trees, 49 fish, 34 amphibians, 114 reptiles, 520 birds and 147 mammals, including the famous 'big 5'. Interestingly, the term 'big 5' refers not to the 5 biggest mammals in the Park, but it dates back to the early days of hunting when the buffalo, leopard, lion, elephant and rhino where considered the most dangerous animals to hunt (in that order). There are not many pristine, untouched wilderness areas in the world that are as well preserved and yet also as accessible as the Kruger National Park.

Truly the flagship of South African National Parks, Kruger has played a pivotal role in conservation and the growth of sustainable eco-tourism in South Africa. As recently as the 1980's, it was a rare sighting to see a rhino in the Kruger Park, even a white rhino. Thanks to world-class conservation efforts, the rhino population has now increased to such an extent that rhinos are no longer in danger of extinction - in fact, it is quite possible to see rhinos several times in one day, especially in the South of the park.

The Park has an excellent network of well-maintained roads, connecting the 12 main rest camps and a similar number of smaller camps. Each rest camp is safely fenced with an electric fence, and offers a variety of accommodation, including comfortable bungalows with bathroom and air-conditioning, permanent safari tents, luxury guesthouses as well as camping facilities. Most camps also have a basic shop and restaurant, as well as petrol station, laundry facilities, public telephones, clean tap water, and clean flushing toilet facilities.

The park is 350km (about 220 miles) from North to South, and it is impossible to see it all in one trip. There is so much to see and experience. The Kruger Park is truly a place you learn to love, and many people return to the park year after year for their annual family holiday. That said, it is possible to experience the best of what the park has to offer in 3 or 4 days, if you go with a tour operator who knows the park well. Alternatively, you can book a self-drive safari with us if you would prefer to explore the park on your own.

Climate and when to go

The Kruger Park has a hot, sub-tropical climate and most of the year it is hot during the day (above 25 ° C). In the summer months of October to April it can be very hot, and camping during this time can be unpleasant. But there are advantages to coming in summer time - the bush is green and lush, the young impalas are born in late November and offer lots of entertaining viewing, and the thunderstorms can be spectacular. This is also the best time of year for birding. If you're planning to visit during the summer it is advisable to stay in air-conditioned accommodation and travel in an air-conditioned vehicle so the heat doesn't make your vacation unpleasant.

The winter months from May to September offer pleasant day time temperatures (warm but not too hot). At night-time it can be a little chilly, enough for you to want to bring long pants and a warm top with you. The bush during winter months is rather dry, especially late in the season (September - October) before the rain comes. The dry bush may not look as attractive as the lush, green summer vegetation, but it is easier to spot the animals in the dry season. This is partly because the bush is more open and allows better visibility, and partly because in such dry times the activity of the animals revolves around the need to drink, which makes it more rewarding to sit and wait at a watering hole. Those drinking holes, dams and rivers that still have water become a hive of wildlife activity.

People often ask what time of year is best for visiting the Kruger Park. Well, I have experienced all the different seasons many times, and each has its own unique beauty and advantages. I have seen fantastic wildlife sightings at various different times of the year. Some people prefer the cooler winter months, which offers excellent game viewing and a lower risk of malaria, and other people enjoy the beauty and lush green bush of summer, with the added entertainment of baby animals, a variety of field flowers and prolific bird life. There is also nothing quite as spectacular as a summer thunderstorm with flashes of lightning and big, refreshing rain drops pelting down. Even the animals seem to love it!

Should I be worried about malaria?

You are advised to take precautions against malaria, but the risk of it should not stop you from visiting the Kruger National Park. Every year, thousands of tourists from all over the world come on wildlife tours to the Kruger Park, and cases of malaria are very seldom reported. This is because there are steps you can take to avoid contracting malaria. One of these is taking your anti-malaria tablets prescribed by your travel clinic or doctor, and the other is avoiding being bitten by mosquitoes. You can do this by wearing long clothing (especially in the evenings), keeping your room's insect screens closed, keeping the air-conditioner on, and using insect-repellant on your skin. If you do get bitten, don't panic - most mosquitoes do not carry the malaria parasite. If you do feel sick or develop a fever after visiting a malaria area, consult your doctor and tell him that you have been to a malaria area.

History of the Kruger Park South Africa

Before the Kruger Park existed and even long before Europeans arrived there, that region of South Africa was inhabited by African tribes and bushmen that left a rich legacy of rock paintings and archeological sites. There is evidence that these early inhabitants lived in close harmony with nature without exploiting it. The bush and its wildlife sustained them, and they had respect for nature.

The first Europeans and merchants were attracted not by the wildlife, but by the prospect of finding gold, and so an era began of exploitation and obliteration of the natural environment. President Paul Kruger was concerned about the rapid depletion of wildlife in the region due to hunting, and established a reserve called the Sabie game reserve in 1898. Colonel James Stevenson-Hamilton was appointed as first warden of the Sabie Reserve, and it is said that he only spotted his first impala on the 5th day after his arrival! Current visitors to the Kruger Park in South Africa will know that impalas can today be seen in abundance in the park. Stevenson-Hamilton was a mover and a shaker, and reportedly quite a difficult man, and earned himself the nickname 'Skukuza' among the local population - 'he who sweeps clean'. One of his first controversial conservation policies was to cull down the lion population, and in one month over two thousand lions were shot by his rangers! This allowed the herbivore population to recover, and slowly but steadily the natural ecosystem balance was restored.

The initial Sabie Reserve only encompassed the area between the Sabie and Crocodile Rivers in the South of the park. Later this was joined with the Shingwedzi reserve further North, to form the huge conservation area that the Kruger Park is today.

The first tourists visited the park in 1927, and a total of 3 vehicles entered the Kruger Park that year! The park was remote and inaccessible at first, but the network of roads and rest camps grew over the years to make the Kruger Park the best-developed big game reserve in Africa with an excellent infrastructure of tourism facilities. In 2004, 1.3 million people visited the Kruger National Park in South Africa.

Perhaps you will have the privilege soon of visiting this amazing National Park. We invite you to experience it with us. Allow us to share our passion and knowledge of this place with you.

Travel Links:
African Lion Safari | Kruger Park South africa