Kruger national park

In the Eastern part of South Africa.

Access

Very easy access on main national roads. N4 to access the Southern parts. N1 to access Northern part. The Central part can be accessed via N1 or N4

A 4x 4 is not required but vehicle with high clearance is always recommended in the park itself. This is more particularly true when the grass is very long after the rainy season when game is more difficult to see

Accommodation

This is a Sanparks reserve. A variety of accommodation is available at a large number of camps. You have the option of camping or staying in chalets. All of these are self-catering. We stay in the chalets and have stayed in a variety. Most of the larger camps have restaurants and swimming pools

There are a few private concessions within the Kruger Park and these have a high price tag

We have stayed at - Lower Sabie/ Pretoriuskop/ Skukuza/ Satara/ Biyamiti/ Shingwedzi/ Olifants/ Orpen/ Berg-en-Dal/ Punda Maria / Tamboti tented camp/ Bateleur/Mopani. We have also stayed at the overnight sleepover hide at the Sable dam which was a magical experience.

Accommodation is rustic but sufficient and camps are clean

We also make use of our timeshare at Ngwenya lodge where we then enter the park as day visitors – via either Crococdile Bridge or Malelane. There are many such establishments where one can access the park but stay outside. The advantage however of staying inside is that you get to leave the rest camps an hour before the main gates open at certain times of the year

Booking

Sanparks website or phone in to the call Centre. It is always a good idea to book as soon as the booking opens – 11 months before to get a reasonable chance of obtaining a booking at the camp you prefer. Some of the more popular camps are not easy to get accommodation at short notice.

Pensioners discounts are available at certain camps and during certain periods Note you can only use the call Centre to obtain these – not the online reservations

https://www.sanparks.org/docs/tourism_tariffs/senior-citizen-discount2022.pdf

Photo opportunities

Everything in Kruger is a possible photo opportunity. Big cat sightings can become very crowded and we find that unpleasant. The Northern parts of the Kruger Park are a lot quieter. The birdlife in the North is particularly rewarding as are the trees – including some baobabs. Near Bateleur is a dam called Rooibosrand which is off the private access road to Bateleur camp. This dam was simply stunning – especially for birds – in the early morning and you can park close to the edge and you have the dam virtually to yourselves and the early morning light is magical

Landscapes including sunsets are beautiful

Highlights

The abundance of animals and birds make it difficult to single out anything in particular but we are never disappointed. Hide photography at various dams generally yield good photo opportunities