Kruger National Park is the largest and oldest national park in South Africa and is internationally known as one of the world’s most important game reserves. The park covers almost two million hectares and is located in the northeast of the country in the South African provinces of Limpopo and Mpumalanga. It is part of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park, a vast wilderness area connecting Limpopo National Park in Mozambique and, in the future, Gonarezhou National Park in Zimbabwe. Kruger is one of the easiest national parks in Africa for visitors to explore on their own thanks to its excellent tourist infrastructure and plentiful and varied accommodation options. In addition to the Bushman rock paintings and important archaeological sites,
The climate of the Kruger National Park is subtropical and most rain falls in summer, with more precipitation in the south of the park compared to the north. The best time of year for game viewing is winter (June, July, August), when the days are sunny and warm and the nights are cooler. At this time of year, many trees and shrubs have lost their leaves and the water sources have dried up, making it easier to spot game around the remaining waterholes. Summer brings lush growth and possible sightings of newborn animals.
Read also: Exploring Kruger National Park
Topography
Kruger National Park is located on an almost flat terrain, largely covered by meadows and scrub, with gallery forests often stretching along the banks of the river. Most of the southern part of the park is hilly forested savanna. The lifelines of the Kruger National Park are the five perennial rivers that flow through it from west to east: the Crocodile, the Sabie, the Olifants, the Luvuvhu and the Letaba. The Kruger National Park ecosystem is highly dependent on these rivers. Artificially created water holes provide additional perennial water sources for the game.
Accommodation: where to stay in Kruger National Park
Flora in fauna
Flora in fauna
Kruger National Park is notable for the exceptional amount and variety of its flora and fauna. Nearly 2,000 different species of plants are recorded in the national park, including some 500 different trees and shrubs, such as thornbushes and mopane. Many of the trees have thick corky barks, which provide protection against savannah fires.
Wildlife is also diverse. The park is home to 114 different species of reptiles, more than 500 species of birds and 147 mammals, including the Big Five and zebras, giraffes, impalas, cheetahs and hippos to name a few. The park is also one of the last refuges for endangered species, including the black rhino and the African wild dog. The best times to see the animals are early morning and late afternoon.
Driving in the National Park
Most visitors visit Kruger National Park in their own vehicles. The park has a network of approximately 2,300 kilometers of well-signposted roads. Not all are paved, but the dirt roads are mostly passable by two-wheeled cars. Detailed maps are available upon entering the park. The speed limit is 50 kilometers per hour on asphalted roads and 40 kilometers per hour on other roads.
A particularly rewarding journey is a drive through the entire length of the park, taking in the striking contrasts in the landscape. Alternatively, travelers can use one of the camps as a base and explore the area in a series of shorter trips. At least two or three days are recommended to explore the park.
Guided walks and drives
Visitors can participate in guided hiking tours for several days, led by experienced game rangers and trackers, ranging from shorter day hikes to overnight expeditions with accommodation in simple huts. The various camps also organize guided tours in cars. Night game drives are also available.
accommodation
Kruger National Park is known for its diverse and plentiful accommodation options to suit all budgets. Accommodation is available at campsites, government-run rest camps and private camps and lodges. Most visitors who spend two or more days in the national park stay in government-run rest camps. Guests can choose from safari tents and thatched bungalows to comfortable, well-equipped guest houses. Most have air conditioning and cooking facilities. All larger rest camps have restaurants and shops, a petrol station, an information center and first aid facilities.
For more luxurious accommodations, guests can stay at one of the private game lodges that rent land from the park, such as the plush Buhala Game Lodge on the banks of the Crocodile River, Jock Safari Lodge , and Pestana Kruger Lodge . Another option for luxury accommodations are the private game reserves on the park’s western borders. Since these are not within the park boundaries, they allow vehicles to drive off-road to follow the game as it moves freely in and out of the national park. The best known reserves are Sabi Sands ( home of Londolozi, Ulusaba , and Lions Sands lodges) and Timbavati Game Reserve .
Below are descriptions of the main government-run camps in Kruger National Park:
Punda Maria Camp
A haven for birdwatchers, Punda Maria is located in the far north of the Kruger National Park, at the foot of Dimbo Mountain, with luxury safari tents and thatched bungalows. From the camp, guests can enjoy views of the Mopane Plain.
The sand field around Punda Maria is an extension of the Kalahari river basin. Nyala, Kudu, Buffalo and Sharp’s grysbok are common in this area. To the north, on the Luvuvhu River, the dry savannah gives way to lush forests with fantastic birdwatching opportunities. One of the park’s best birding drives is the 16-mile Mahogany Loop around camp. In Klopperfontein, 20 kilometers northeast of the camp, gigantic baobab trees grow along the edge of a waterhole. About 23 kilometers further on the road comes to the Luvuvhu River picnic area where visitors can see crocodiles and hippos from the bridge. From here a path runs along the river to the Pafuri picnic area, with beautiful views of the river banks.
Shingwedzi Camp
Nestled along a bend in the river, the Shingwedzi camp is 73 kilometers southeast of Punda Maria and is the largest of the three camps in the northern part of the park. Major viewpoints are located along the road from Punda Maria to Shingwedzi, which is set amid ideal elephant habitat. Accommodation includes bungalows and a luxury guest house. A few kilometers north of the camp, large herds of elephants and buffalos and baboons are often spotted and lucky visitors may even catch a glimpse of wild dogs and leopards.
North of the Babalala resting place, cheetah can sometimes be spotted on the open plains. Another track runs south-east from Shingwedzi to the Kanniedood Dam , with a bird hide. Look for African jacana and black crake here.
Mopani Camp
The modern and luxurious Mopani Rest Camp is the newest of all rest camps. From here, guests can enjoy beautiful views of Pioneer Dam. The accommodation consists of a luxury guest house, cottages and bungalows, as well as a bird hide that also serves as open-air accommodation in the evenings. About 17 kilometers east of Mopani, Nshawu Dam has an excellent wildlife observation point where herds of elephants congregate, especially after rain. Waterfowl are common here, especially kingfishers, storks and sea eagles.
Letaba camping
Halfway between the southern and northern boundaries of the Kruger National Park, Letaba Rest Camp is located on a wide bend on the Letaba River (Letaba means “river of sand”). Tall plane trees, mahogany and sausage trees shade this well-equipped camp, which offers a choice of guest houses, bungalows, cottages, huts, furnished safari tents and campsites. Bushbuck, vervet monkeys and fruit bats live in the camp and the area is popular with elephants and many species of birds, especially owls. The Elephant Hall Displays informative exhibits about these beautiful creatures, as well as an impressive collection of elephant tusks, including those of a bull elephant known as Shawu, which are believed to be the longest ever found in South Africa.
Cheetah and many species of antelope live in the savannah country around Letaba. Elephants, buffalo, zebras and gazelles come to drink at shady water holes. The Engelhard Dam to the east and the Mingerhout Dam are also good places for watching game and waterfowl.
About 39 kilometers from Letaba Rest Camp is the Masorini Village Museum where archaeologists have excavated the remains of a Stone Age iron smelting factory. Tourists can explore the reconstructed village and domed clay ovens here.
Elephant Camp
The Olifants camp, with its beautiful old trees, is one of the most beautiful in the national park. Accommodation consists of air-conditioned bungalows and two guest houses. From the camp itself, 100 meters above ground, Olifants River Guests enjoy stunning views of the wildlife along the riverbank and the rolling plains below. Lion, crocodile and hippopotamus are often sighted here. In the north, mopane trees attract kudu, zebra and elephants (elephants is the African word for “elephants”). In the south, buffalo and giraffe are often seen on the plains. The sunrises and sunsets here are spectacular. About 10 kilometers west of the camp is the Nwamanzi Lookout , one of the best game viewing points in the park.
Balule
Under a large forest of shady trees, Balule Camp is a small satellite camp of the Satara and Olifants rest camps. The rustic atmosphere of Balule Camp will appeal to the independent camper who enjoys a nature experience. The camp gas is no electricity and daytime visitors are not allowed. A fence divides the camp into two parts. One section has six three-bed cabins with communal bathroom and kitchen facilities. Paraffin lamps provide relief. Each cabin comes with bed linen and towels.
Satara Camp
Near the center of the park, amid savannah dotted with knobthorn and marula trees, Satara is the park’s third largest camp and is often called, “the cat camp” because this is one of the best areas to spot lions, leopards and cheetahs. The rich pastureland and many water holes here attract large numbers of antelope, which ambush the big cats – especially during the dry season when herds of impala come to drink at the few remaining waterholes. Accommodation is available in thatched bungalows, guest houses and campsites.
At the Nsemani Dam , nine kilometers west of Satara, hippos and waterbuck are commonly seen, as are the occasional pride of lion. About 25 kilometers northwest of Satara, on the banks of the Timbavati River, lies the popular satellite camp of Maroela with tent and RV sites – one of only two sites that cater exclusively to RVs and RVs.
Orpen Camp
Hidden among aloe gardens in the dry, open plains, the small Orpen Rest Camp is located at the Orpen Gate of the park. Comfortable thatched cottages and larger, more luxurious cottages are the accommodation choices here. Just outside the gate of Orpen Camp, a small waterhole attracts game all day long, including rhinos, impalas, baboons and elephants. About seven kilometers away, the Rabelais Dam attracts waterbuck and other thirsty animals. Orpen Camp offers game drives, game walks and night drives.
Skukuza Camp
In the Big Five area, Skukuza is the largest camp in the Kruger National Park and offers numerous facilities including restaurants, shops, an internet café, an airstrip and even a nine-hole golf course. An outdoor amphitheater screens nature documentaries, and the Stevenson-Hamilton Memorial Library here is a must-see. His namesake was instrumental in the creation of the Kruger National Park and his assistant, Harry Wolhuter, killed a lion to save his own life, armed with only a pocket knife. Tourists can see the knife and lion skin in the museum. Accommodation at this site includes safari tents, guest houses, family cottages, riverside bungalows and a large campsite.
Wildlife is plentiful in the area. Warthogs and vervet monkeys roam the camp accommodation and an observation point overlooks the banks of the Sabie River, where hippos live, and elephants come to the river to drink. Towards the northeast from Skukuza to Tshokwane, big game sightings are common, despite fairly heavy traffic, and the Manzimahle Dam and nearby Lion Pan are often visited by lions.
Lower Sabie Camp
From Skukuza a road runs along the Sabie River to the Lower Sabie Camp, home to a great diversity of wildlife thanks to the sweet pastureland and abundant water. Accommodation ranges from a campsite and furnished safari tents to a luxury guest house and bungalows. Big game can almost always be seen in the bush flanking the road, and drivers often have to brake to avoid giraffes, antelopes, elephants or zebras. With its extensive lawns and many trees, Lower Sabie is a popular camp. The Sabie River, which is dammed at this point, is home to many waterfowl and tourists can also see monkeys, elephants, rhinos, hippos and buffalos.
Crocodile Bridge Camp
Close to the border with Mozambique, Crocodile Bridge is a great area to see the Big Five. The area is known for its many lions and high concentration of rhinos. The grassland in the area attracts zebras, wildebeest, impalas, kudus, gazelles and large herds of buffalo. In winter the Crocodile River dries up, leaving only small pools, but these are still an important source of water for animals. About six kilometers from the camp is an observation point where visitors can watch hippos wallowing along the muddy riverbank.
Pretoriuskop Camp
In the south-west of the National Park, nine kilometers from the Numbi Gate, lies the Pretoriuskop camp, the oldest in the park and one of the largest. Wilderness trails surround the camp and guests can cool off in the natural rock pool. Accommodation ranges from well-equipped guesthouses and family cottages to simple bungalows and campsites.
In this area, surrounded by picturesque granite hills, many species of trees and shrubs grow, including the coral tree, which produces its blood-red flowers in August and September. Around Pretoriuskop, visitors can sometimes see rare species up close, including wild dogs, cheetahs, leopards and antelopes. Rhinos are also common in this area.
Berg-en-Dalkamp
Berg-en-Dal, about 60 kilometers southeast of Pretoriuskop camp, is one of the park’s newest camps and offers beautiful views of the hilly surroundings. It is located on the banks of the Matjulu Sprout, in the southwestern corner of the park. Lodging options include bungalows, guesthouses and campsites. A short nature trail passes through the camp, where many species of birds can be spotted, including lilac-breasted rollers and scarlet-chested sunbirds. Leopard, lion and wild dog can also be found in the area. Visitors can view San petroglyphs along the Bushman Trail.
Tips & Tactics: Make the most of a visit to the Kruger National Park
- Bring binoculars for a close-up view of nature.
- Time game drives and walks for early morning and late afternoon when animals are most active.
- Check the animal sightings boards at the camp receptions to see what wildlife might be in the area before heading out on a game drive or walk.
- Stay in vehicles at all times, except in specially designated areas.
- Drive slowly to see hidden animals and avoid hitting wildlife.
- Check the opening and closing times of the park’s gates and camps before visiting.
- Take appropriate precautions against malaria. Kruger National Park is located in a malaria zone.
- Never feed the animals.
Come here
By plane:
- Daily flights to Kruger National Park from Johannesburg to Skukuza Airport, Phalaborwa Airport, Hoedspruit Airport and the Kruger/Mpumalanga International Airport (KMIA) between Nelspruit and White River.
- Daily flights also fly to Skukuza from Cape Town. KMIA also receives daily flights from Durban and Cape Town, and a shuttle bus operates between the airport and the park.
- Travelers can also fly to Hoedspruit from Cape Town.
By car:
- The National Park is a 3.5 to 4.5 hour drive from Johannesburg. Most visitors enter through the Numbi Gate, Phabeni Gate or Paul Kruger Gate. The fastest route to these gates is on the N4 to Nelspruit.
Door coach:
- Tour companies in Johannesburg, Durban and Nelspruit operate National Park tours in air-conditioned coaches.
Official site: https://www.sanparks.org/parks/kruger/
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