Kruger National park
Kruger National Park
Kruger National park : South Africa’s Kruger National Park is one of the most famous protected areas in the world and a safari in this iconic park is one of the once-in-lifetime experiences for safari lovers. The park is renowned for its jaw dropping landscapes, true African experience and the abundant wildlife including the Big Five – Africa’s most sought for wildlife on a safari.
Kruger National Park has a huge area coverage of 19,485 sq. km stretching in the far north east of South Africa. With classic Africa scenery, diversity of safari activities and endless accommodation options, Kruger is an impressive destination on visit on a safari in Africa and is one of the best places to see the Big 5.
Location of Kruger National Park
Kruger National Park is located in the northeastern corner of South Africa bordering Mozambique, it is approximately 200km from northern to southern and 50 km from east to west.
Kruger National Park is divided into three general sections – Northern, Central and Southern Sections.
- The Northern Section is the least popular with fewer camps and less game. However it is home to incredible birding.
- The Central Section has more accommodation options like Olifants, Satara and Letaba Camp, the area has a lot of grassy plains, meaning more sightings of herd animals such zebras, buffaloes, antelopes and predators like lions.
- The Southern Sector – this section is easily accessible from Johannesburg and is the most popular area of Kruger National Park, it has the shortest distances between picnic sites and rest camps. Over half of Kruger’s entrance gates are found here and the majority of luxury private game reserves border this section. Chances of seeing the big 5 are greatest in this section.
Scenery in Kruger National Park
The main habitat in Kruger National Park is woodland savannah, and the vegetation is relatively thick throughout especially in the wet season. The gently undulating landscape has its highest peak at Khandzalive (839m), in the southwest.
Climate & Weather
Kruger National Park experiences a hot and tropical summer, from October to April, and this is when the park receives most of its annual rainfall. Storms are common during the afternoons. The milder winter, from May to September, is more comfortable for visitors, although it can get chilly overnight.
Attractions in Kruger National Park
Wildlife in Kruger National Park
Kruger National Park is an incredible habitat for wildlife with nearly 150 different mammal species including the Big 5 – lion, elephants, leopards, buffaloes and rhinos. The big cats are in healthy numbers and lions are frequently sighted. Other wildlife species in Kruger National Park include impalas, greater kudu, water buck, steenbok, common duiker, endangered wild dig and cheetah among others.
Birdlife in Kruger National Park
Kruger National Park is home to over 500 species of birds which makes it a great birding destination in South Africa, some of the bird species in Kruger are not found elsewhere in South Africa. The far north of the park (Pafuri and Punda Maria regions) is regarded as one of the birding Mecca’s in South Africa with many region rarities found here.
Common bird species in Kruger National Park include Bateleur, Martial, Black-chested Snake, Brown Snake, African Hawk, African Fish, Tawny, Wahlberg’s, Steppe, Lesser Spotted, Hornbills, Starlings, Vultures, Rollers, Bee-eaters, Saddle-billed Stork, Kori Bustard, Martial Eagle, Lappet-faced Vulture, Pel’s Fishing-Owl and Ground Hornbill among others.
What to Do in Kruger National Park
The vast size of Kruger National Park results into a wide range of activities to do as listed and explained below.
Safari Drives
A safari game drive is the main activity in Kruger National Park, the park’s incredible vast size means it spans a number of different ecosystems including savannah, thornveld and woodland. This diversity creates the ideal habitat for an astounding variety of flora and fauna including near 150 different species of large mammals best sighted on game drives.
From the comfort of your open 4×4 safari vehicles, visitors get to enjoy incredible sightings of animals including lions, leopards, buffaloes, black and white rhinos, cheetahs, sharpe’s grysbok, the endangered African wild dog among others. The best time to spot wildlife in Kruger National Park is in the early morning or late afternoon, while guided night drives provide a unique opportunity to see nocturnal species.
The best way to enjoy safaris drive in Kruger is hiring driver or joining a tour group. Since the guides are in communication with each other and can alert one another when there is an animal sighting. Renting a vehicle and driving yourself through the park is another option of visitors who want the freedom to explore on their own.
Hiking and Guided Nature Walks
Embarking on foot through this beautiful enormous park and have a close encounter with wildlife is a truly once-in-a lifetime experience. There are several wilderness trails that are multi-day hikes led by a local guide, where campers explore the bush and camp out. The hikes move at a leisurely pace, but hikers may be trekking up to 12 miles per day and endurance is necessary.
- Bushman Trail: This trail offers one of the best chances of getting up close and personal with big game, especially white rhino. The area is made up of low valleys surrounded by tall rocky hills, providing some excellent scenery while walking. This walk also includes important historical sites like San Cave paintings dating back thousands of years.
- Napi Trail: The campsite on this trail is at the confluence of two rivers in the park, which naturally attract all types of wildlife who come to drink at the riverbank. One of the best experience, however, is nighttime as campers fall asleep to the melodic sounds of the bush.
- Sweni Trail: This trail leads you on a hike along the Sweni River and you will come across not just the animals that graze near the water, but their predators as well. Hearing the roars of nearby lions is common during the dark hours of the night, which you will be able to hear while stargazing at the night sky.
- Guided Day Treks: For visitors who want to hike around the park without the rustic bush camping experience, you can join a guided hike that leaves in the morning and lasts a few hours.
Birding
Community visits to tribes like the San, Xhosa or Zulu (to name a few)
Hot air balloon rides
How to Get to Kruger National Park
There are several ways to get to Kruger National Park on your South Africa Safari. The driver to and from Kruger National Park from Johannesburg is approximately 5 hours. Also, you can fly to Kruger via 4 airports. In addition to flights to Johannesburg, there is also direct flight to Cape Town.
The 4 airport serving flights to Kruger National Park are Phalaborwa, Hoedspruit Eastgate, Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport /Nelspruit and Skukuza Aiport.
The Skukuza Airport and Kruger Mpumalanga are the most common. Skukuza Airport is only 9 minutes away from the Skukuza Rest Camp.
Accessing Kruger National Park: The only way to get into Kruger National Park is through one its 11 gates.
When to visit Kruger National Park
Kruger National Park visit so vast that makes a great year-round place to visit, generally there is no “peak season” in Kruger as it is popular all year. However, Kruger tends to be busier during times which coincide with South African school holidays as it is a very popular place with South Africans.
Of course, different seasons in Kruger National Park provide different opportunities to see different things.
- November – March: This is spring through to summer in South Africa and is when the main rain season occurs and there can be spectacular thunderstorms. However, with rains brings fresh life and an abundance of young animals with predator activity at high. The bush is at its greenest with migratory birds having arrived from the north. It is wonderful and colorful time of year to experience the African bush. Temperatures can be high during the day and warm on a night.
- April to October: April sees the beginning of the dry, winter season with the majority of the rains leaving South Africa. The bush will begin to dry up meaning wildlife viewing becomes easier with animals starting to congregate around the more permanent water sources, meaning predators tend to be easier to find as they know the best places to hunt for prey. Temperatures during the day are more moderate than summer with nights being cool and refreshing.
Where to stay in Kruger National Park
There is a wide range of accommodation choices in Kruger National Park, while on your safari in this beautiful park you can stay either in the main park or one of the private conservancies or reserves which form part of the Great Kruger National Park.
Our best pick for accommodations options to stay include
- Simbavati River Lodge
- The Outpost Lodge
- Lukimbi Safari Lodge
- Balulue Satellite Camp
- Bateleur Bushveld Camp
- Berg-en-Dal Rest Camp
- Biyamiti Bushveld Camp
- Boulders Bush Lodge
- Crocodile Bridge Rest Camp
- Letaba Rest Camp
- Lower Sabie Rest Camp
- Satara Rest Camp
