Kruger National Park

Why go

It also sits close enough to the Cape, the Panorama Route, and Mozambique's beaches that it is rarely the whole holiday.

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  A park large enough to drive

  Kruger runs along the Mozambique border for the length of a small country. Public roads and rest camps mean you can self-drive, stop for an elephant in the mopane, and sleep inside the gate.

  • South and central Kruger are the usual first-timer drives.
  • The north is wilder, hotter, and quieter.
  • Rest camps have shops and fuel. Private camps outside the gate do not.
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  Private reserves on the western edge

  Sabi Sand, Timbavati, and the other private land beside Kruger are a different stay from the national park. Night drives and off-road viewing are the usual reason to pay more.

  Sabi Sand is the leopard country people ask for. It is not a promise of a leopard on the first drive. Madikwe, further north and west, is the malaria-free Big Five alternative if Kruger's lowveld is the wrong health choice.

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  Easy to join to the Cape or a beach

  Johannesburg or Nelspruit is the air gateway. A family week often does Kruger, then Cape Town, and sometimes Victoria Falls. A beach finish is Bazaruto or Ponta do Ouro rather than another game drive.

Where to go

• Southern and central KrugerThe busiest and the easiest. Skukuza and the surrounding roads hold a lot of the classic game viewing. Book rest camps early in the dry months.
• Northern KrugerMopane woodland, big elephant bulls, and fewer cars. A longer drive from the southern gates, and worth it if you already know the south.
• Sabi Sand and the private reservesWest of the park fence. Smaller camps, a guide and tracker, and the activities the national park does not allow after dark.
• The Panorama and the lowveld townsA scenic day or a night on the way in from Johannesburg. Useful, not the reason to come.

When to go

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  May to October

  Dry winter. Animals stay nearer water, the bush thins, and mornings are cold. This is safari season, and the private reserves book out.

  • June and July are crisp and clear.
  • August to October are the busiest and the driest.
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  November to April

  Green, hotter, and stormy. Birding is excellent, young animals are about, and camp rates are usually lower. Some tracks get heavy after rain.

Travel advice

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  Malaria

  Kruger and the north-east lowveld are malaria areas. The Cape, the Winelands, the Garden Route, and Madikwe are the usual choices when someone wants to avoid that. Ask a clinic for the route you are actually taking.

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  Self-drive rules

  Stay on the public roads, do not get out at a sighting, and be back at camp by the gate time. A guided vehicle in a private reserve plays by different rules. Do not mix the two up when you read a brochure.

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  Gates and flights

  Kruger Mpumalanga and Hoedspruit serve the south and the private reserves. Skukuza's airport is inside the park. A road from Johannesburg is a full day.

Accommodation

Costs

From the journal

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  Places

  Kruger National Park Wildlife

  Kruger National Park Wildlife is a planning note from Safari Continents Travel. It sits beside the destination guides for Kruger National Park. Published trip prices are a guide. You receive a quote before anything is paid.