Kruger National Park

A self drive safari experience, a lifetime of memories, Kruger is amazing!

Six years ago, I was fortunate enough to spend 9 weeks travelling through Africa seeking out it's wildlife. during this time I spent a single day in Kruger National Park.
So when I was planning a photographic safari holiday on a tight budget, I considered my options carefully. The thing is safari holidays, are for some a once in a lifetime experience, so I wanted to get this right. The memory of that single day in Kruger, just kept popping back into my head, the roads, the rest camps, the weather and the wildlife, were all positives. So I opted for Kruger as my two week Safari destination.
Kruger National Park is exactly that, a national park! Not a safari park or a zoo, the wildlife isn't looked after, it looks after its self. This means it can be unpredictable. So if you are considering a self drive safari in Kruger, it's worth researching the behaviour of the game, especially the Elephants and Rhino's, as you will come into contact with these animals on the roads. So how good is Kruger as a safari destination? Well the main issue here is the wildlife and apparently Kruger has one of the largest bio-diversity's of life, of anywhere in Africa and plenty of large animals to keep your shutters clicking all day long. One particular morning we had seen the Big 5 by 9.30am. The birdlife here requires a mention too, it really is amazing, especially the raptors.
One thing to remember is that although you are not allowed out of your vehicle within the park, there are places where you can get out. there are some excellent hides, usually overlooking watering holes (great places for viewing game and birds). Some of the larger bridges also allow you to alight from your vehicle, theses can be great too. Rest camps are fantastic places, whether you are staying the night or not. Restaurants, toilets, shops, petrol stations and launderettes can be found at most. You can even continue your days wildlife watching here at the rest camps, with surprising success.
Our choice of time of year to visit was May, earlier would have given us a greater number of bird species, but still it was fantastic in May for birds. the weather was sunny nearly all of the time, yet not too hot!
Food and fuel was reasonably priced.
One thing I should mention is that we had a slow puncture in our hire car. After stopping at a rest camp for some food, a garage attendant advised us on our slowly deflating tyre and repaired it for us. 20minutes later we were on our way, with the knowledge that we weren't about to get stuck in the middle of the park.
If you are considering a self drive safari, I can't imagine a better place. the roads a fantastic, even the dirt roads. They are regularly maintained, which may cause some delay, but who's in a hurry whilst on holiday? There are speed traps, so do stick to the speed limits, remember the park is for the animals and we are just guests.
Another question you may ask is, do we stay in the park or outside the park? We stayed outside the park, but if I was to visit again, I would stay inside. The reason for this is, the entry gates can be busy and a little disorganised (Although, some are better than others.). Staying inside the park means you only have to enter once.
Will we see the animals close enough to get decent photographs? This is a question I asked myself before booking the trip, especially as you have to stay inside the vehicle and stick to the roads. Well, I need not have worried as the game was so relaxed and used to the vehicles, that it behaved as if they weren't even there. Hyaenas did come up to my drivers window, which was a bit unnerving and Bull Elephants in musth should be treated with total respect. Elephants with young, should also be given space, you wouldn't want to upset an animal that is bigger than your car.
Follow the rules and you should have a trouble free trip, the main thing is to enjoy it!

Amazing kruger

For a Malagasy that come from a tropical biodiversity hotspot, Kruger was an amazing experience.
My dream to observe the big 5 became a reality.

Absolutely fantastic, very exciting and interesting.

Wildlife is plentiful and in good condition,the weather is lovely and warm. The accommodation and food was of a very high standard catering for all cultures and people. Transportation is very well organized catering for the persons who just want to view the wildlife as well as for the photographer such as myself. The game guides are well spoken and really now what they are doing. The other highlights are the restaurants that have been refurbished and planned for the visitor's needs, so are the curio shops in the park.

The highlight of our South Africa Trip, extraordinary!

Me and my wife stayed at Inyati Game Private Game Lodge for 3D2N. The lodge is located near Sabi Sand where chances of Leopards sighting is known to be high. It is next to a river where we could see elephants strolling near the water in the comfort of the lodge cafe. The rangers and staffs were friendly and make you feel safe although the place was quite open to wilderness where animals were free to roam the ground. Our open top safari Jeep was ideal for us as it was easy for me to turn my 300mm telephoto lens mounted on a monopod toward any directions. Lions, leopards, Cheetahs, Hippos, buffalos, Giraffes, were among some of the animals sighted. Daylight was bright so I could get sharp close up images even for amateur like me. Highlight of our safari was watching a family of cheetahs in action hunting on Kudos in a wide open plain. Definitely in my bucket lists to come back again!

Kruger National Park - still the jewel in the SanParks crown

I've been visiting the Kruger National Park for over thirty years now. In that time, there have been huge changes within the Park and although, in my opinion, the modern-day Kruger has it's problems, it is still the National Park to be beaten.
There are many reasons the Park keeps luring me back; not least for its wildlife. In terms of variety and volume of game, Kruger wins hands down for me. Even in these dark times of poaching, large herds of buffalo and elephant are pretty much an everyday occurrence in Kruger. And I've never once been to the Park and not seen cats - either lion, leopard or cheetah (and on the odd trip, all three in just a few short days). Although not a keen birder myself, the birdlife is incredible and certainly helps to keep things ticking along on hot days when you've seen nothing but an impala or two for hours on end.
But it's the Park itself that's the biggest draw. The network and variety of roads means no two days need ever be the same. And with some breathtaking new picnic sites and lookout points, it's possible to just sit and watch the wildlife world go by while you enjoy your breakfast. The scenery is also hard to beat. Do yourself a favour and take time to travel from the top of the Park to the bottom. It's an unforgettable experience and one in which you truly get to appreciate the Park's diverse and ever-changing scenery.
However, the Parks popularity is also it's downfall. For me, at times there are too simply many visitors in the Park. Lion sightings in particular resemble rugby scrums - with networks of cars blocking the cats into corners. It's very very sad. It isn't the resident visitors that cause the overcrowding - but the number of day visitors who are also allowed in. At peak times of the year, if you're unfortunate to be in a camp anywhere near a main gate, forget about having a slow peaceful drive to look for game. It's like a freeway in rush hour.
But the worst culprits are the safaris concessions - the guys that drive visitors into the Park for a few short hours and tear around in radio contact from one sighting to the next. They drive too fast and too close to the game - scaring sightings off and disturbing the wildlife in general. They are a law unto themselves, intent on showing their guests the best possible sightings to snare a bigger tip. Look I get it - everyone wants to see the magnificent wildlife - but there has to be some sort of common sense and courtesy.
That said, a trip to South Africa would be unthinkable without a trip to the Kruger. The pros far outweigh the cons and the spirit and ambience of the bush is simply magical. Being able to drive yourself through the majestic Park and mix with it's wild inhabitants is one of the greatest privileges on earth.
If you get the chance to go - do. The memories will stay with you forever.

A safari experience that will stay with me for a life time.

I visited Kruger National Park with a college group as part of a wildlife study tour. When I originally heard that we would be visiting the park I thought we would only be seeing animals from a distance. The first day at Kruger I was blown away with the scenery and the amount of different animal species that we got up close to. We had close encounters with elephants, giraffes, white rhino, buffalo, hyena, zebra and many others. The second day we where lucky enough to see a pride of lions and on the third day we saw a cheetah up close. Seeing these animals in there natural habitat was one of the things that made the experience surreal, nothing else will compare.

My experience at Kruger National Park was made complete by the raw beauty of the scenery. This was the first time I had visited South Africa so I didn't know what to truly expect, but what I saw I fell completely in love with. Ever though it was going into winter when I visited, the landscape was still stunning.

The accommodation we stayed at was amazing, complete with a pool and excellent food facilities. Around the fence of the accommodation wild animals could be seen, even hyenas in the early hours of the morning which was really exciting.

Overall I feel like I have left a little piece of my heart there and I hope to return soon.

The real bush.

I have been to Kruger a good number of times now, but I still remember my first time in 2006. The main thing that stuck with me of that trip was a bit of disappointment. As a kid I always watched nature documenteries on Discovery channel because of that, I kind of expected Kruger to look more like the Serengeti plains, or the Okavango. This fault was purely my own due to a lack of preparation and I would tell this to first-timers. This initial thought might have been a bit negative but it was quickly turned around by all the wildlife we saw. Nothing beats the sense of awe of seeing your first elephant walking next to the car. It became addictive in a way and I have returned many times.
Kruger is the Bush. I have been to other parks but none of them had the same Bush vibe. It can get very crowded in the south of Kruger though. This means car pile-ups and sometimes fighting for a spot to see things. The positive of a lot of cars means a lot of eyes spotting for animals. I have seen many a lion that we probably would have missed if it was just our own car driving. If the south is too crowded, there is always the middle of Kruger. You can easily see the Big Five (hate that name) there in a day if you are lucky, with a few legendary 'cat' roads. Or go to the north, near Shingwedzi or Punda Maria. Beautiful landscape and if you spot an animal, it often is yours as there aren't many other cars around.
About the subject of self-drive tourists: this is definitely a positive to me. I like driving our own car, at our own pace, doing our own thing. Sure, in a gameviewer you are higher up, the drivers have radio communication for good sightings and they get to drive at times when regular tourists can't. It is more of a safari feel for sure, but as an amateur photographer, I prefer to have an own car. Early morning or at night, I won't be able to take good photos anyway. Don't get me wrong, it is fun and a great experience to drive in a gameviewer, but in the end, self-drive has my preference.
The accomodations in Kruger are great. From simple camping sites and tented camps to nice rondavel cottages, and high-end accomodation (which I have never used). There is something for everyone. All camps have some similarities but also their own vibe. There are (expensive) shops, which are great for souvenirs but food is expensive, so bring your own if you can.
Kruger National Park is a big park, and a great one. You can go there on a budget in your own car, with a small tent or you can go with your own decked-out SUV and stay at the luxury housings. You can go to the north for a bit of the 'old-Kruger' feel or go to the south with high densities of animals. Go wherever you want, whenever you want. Go for a quick weekend-trip when you happen to be in the area or stay there for a week, travelling from camp to camp. A holiday within a holiday. Go in the winter when everything is dry for easy viewing, especially at the waterholes, or go in early summer, when everything looks fresh and green, with lots of baby animals running around. Any time of year is a good time to be in Kruger, because you will be in Kruger.

Once in a lifetime you have to go there. Stay away from the tar roads and do not go there in high season (!)

The Animal Kingdom Equivalent of the Grand Canyon

What an incredible place! Words are inadequate to convey the beauty and wonder of the wildlife of Kruger. To me, it was the equivalent of seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time - an awe inspiring display by nature that will move you. Within the first hour of entering Kruger we saw the "Big Five" - elephant, rhino, Cape Buffalo, leopard and lion - and it just got better after that. On the single day in the park, we also saw hyena, cheetah, zebra, giraffe, kudu, impala, warthogs, crocodiles (including one massive guy), wildebeest, hippos and ostrich. While these may be common sights for folks in Africa, for an American it was like seeing a children's book come alive.

For Americans, the feel of the park is somewhat like Yellowstone. A grand, old park with lots of tourists driving around and stopping at every movement in the grass. Nonetheless, the wildlife are the real show and I saw a lot fewer tourists doing stupid things (like getting too close to wild animals) at Kruger than I've seen at Yellowstone. Kruger is fairly well-developed and you certainly aren't going to feel like you're roughing it in the bush, but it is a great way to see the animals that define Africa.

The area outside the park was pretty bleak, but once you enter the park that is all forgotten and you could spend days taking in the action just from the main roads. I would have loved the opportunity to get even closer, but time did not permit more adventurous outings.

The one dark spot on visiting Kruger was the hassle with South African immigration officers. I was traveling with my 17 year old son without my wife and S.A. had just instituted some new requirements that included carrying an original copy of his birth certificate (no abridged versions accepted) and a notarized letter from my wife saying it was OK for him to travel with me. Each time we went through passport control, there seemed to be some new requirement and threats to either detain us or refuse entry. Hopefully, those problems will sort themselves out as the new requirements get formalized, but for now I'd suggest you bring the original birth certificate, the notarized statement from the spouse and a notarized copy of the spouse's passport. Also, make sure all the names match exactly on each of those documents and be sure to circle the correct "I/We" statements on the South African official form of the permission letter (seriously, one of the immigration guys gave me grief about that).

Despite the sketchy experiences with immigration officers, it was the trip of a lifetime. I don't know what other parks or reserves are like, but I would return to Kruger in a heartbeat.

Experience of a life time

We visited both Balule Nature Reserve and Kruger National Park proper. We stayed a private lodges, Toro Yaka Bush Lodge and Grand Kruger Lodge close to the Crocodile Bridge Gate. Toro Yaka Lodge is simply outstanding. It was our second visit there and just as wonderful the second time as the first time. The safari drives were exciting, because the tracker and driver can go cross country we had the chance to view animals from up close. Because of their expertise in animal behavior, we were able to observe lions hunting and making an impala kill and the witnessed the ferocious scene of the lions' feeding frenzy. We saw leopards resting and hunting, and were up close and personal with a black rhino and her 350 lb. baby. Some of the elephants appeared to be curious about our Land Rover and came to observe us, another elephant, on the other hand, seemed annoyed and knocked a tree into our vehicle's path.
On our self drive in Kruger National Park we saw the "big five" within an hour in the Skukuza area. The most thrilling adventure was observing a leopard ambushing and killing an impala at a water hole and a giraffe challenging the leopard as it was dragging the dead impala off into the bush.