Kruger National Park

Days out of the world

My title is to explain that this experience has been farer than everything else I've lived in my entire life. Seeing a lion sleeping 1 meter from you in his habitat is one of that things that change you're life. The wildlife is simply amazing, I've been quite lucky spotting all the big five more than one time (except the leopard). Elephant and giraffes seem to love people because there are more of them on the road than in the bush. Roads are all kept in a perfect way, and also offroads for tourists cars are in a good situation. The scenery isn't so beautiful, it's mostly plane and with these bushes. In winter (season of when I was there) it's all naked and without a leaf. It's not a pleasure for the eyes, but it's perfect for spotting animals. I'm not a birder, but I can confirm to have seen loads of different type of birds, one more colorful or big than the other. Accommodations are a bit old fashioned, but comfy at the end (I've slept at Oliphant and Satara). I did gamedrives on both the sites, honestly I enjoyed more the ones at Satara, but in general the whole experience of Satara is more pleasant, mostly due to the people working in it: kindest and funniest persons ever. At Satara I've met what probably is the best spotter in the world: he spotted a chameleon, a spider and a tiny owl on trees in the sunset light while he was driving. Astonishing. We were really lucky with the weather. not a single day of rain, but a bit of fresh wind to cool down under the african sun. I'm trying to delete the memories of the food in those two camps: both restaurants were really bad, at Satara there is a pizza seller which is a bit better, but my advice is to try find something to eat in the stores. By the way all food it's not the most important part of a trip like this. The most important part are the animals and trust me when I say that i think Kruger park is the best for that, plenty of them and probably due to the high number of tourist they aren't scared by humans and seem to enjoy photos. You can check some images of my trip at this link https://www.flickr.com/photos/lucam96/

The wildlife experience is unique and memorable.

An amazing experience

Whilst staying on a local private game reserve we went into the Kruger on 2 days. I don't know whether we were just lucky or if its always like this, but we saw so many amazing sights on both occasions. We were helped hugely by having an excellent guide and driver on both occasions. I really think this is key to having a great experience. They know the animal behaviour and can spot so many animals we would have missed if we were on our own. Their knowledge of the park will have also helped massively. On both occasions we found the park to be quiet with not too many other vehicles to contend with. This was a concern of mine before going. We did find a few crowds where there were 5-10 other vehicles, but these were on the main paved roads where there were leopards, cheetah or elephants in water holes. The rest of the time we just explored and mostly were the only vehicle watching the animals. On both days we were there we saw the big 5 and so much more. A brief list of animals we saw whilst there includes: Lions, Cheetah, Leopard (3 in trees, one hunting), Jackal, Wild Dogs, Hyena, Elephants, Zebras, Giraffes, Buffalo, Ostriches, Vultures, Birds of Prey, Kudu, Impala, Steenbok, Nyala, Wildebeest, Warthogs, Waterbuck, Crocodiles, Hippos, countless birds, a couple of species of mongoose, baboons, monkeys, white rhino. We were also fortunate enough to see a black rhino. One thing to note is that it is well worth arriving as the gates open and leaving just before they close. The animals are out and moving around best when its a bit cooler and tend to stay out of the heat of the day a bit. It can be quite chilly at this time so warm clothes are advised and it can get stiflingly hot in the middle of the day. The area we visited was entering through the Orpen gate and heading North and South from Santara. It was September and incredibly dry which made viewing animals easier. All in all we found it a wonderful place and are thinking of saving for another trip, perhaps in a different season.

Wildlife is definitely better than Balule, but there are more tourists as well. All roads are paved.

It's easy to spot the animals. I saw several endangered species incl the Big 5.

The area is very clean which is nice.

Nature untamed and in all its glory

We stayed at the Kruger Park Lodge Golf Club and the accommodation and service was excellent. Its close proximity to the Kruger National Park meant we could take several days to explore its fantastic scenery and magnificent wildlife. We did several day trips by ourselves and then opted for a guided tour. The guide picked us up early in the morning and we started yet another adventure. The guides are brilliant and often talk to each other to find out where the best animals are able to be found. Fantastic and well worth the cost. We even managed to see the big 5. Amazing and would love to go again

Check off the Big 5 bucketlist

I took part in a long game drive from morning to afternoon and then two shorter game drives in the morning and then the afternoon. The park is expansive. In January, the landscape is green but you can still spot the wildlife. Ample impala sightings everywhere! The prize of the long day was a leopard sighting. The roads are well paved and comfortable. You never seem too far away from amenities even though the park is so expansive. Other rare sightings included African wild dogs. A great experience!

The wildlife is abundant and amazing, the camps are comfortable and have a range of accommodation to suit all budgets, the facilities at the camps - shops etc are first rate.

Plenty of wild life in the park. Relatively easy to spot the big five.
All elephants have tusks, kudos to South African conservancy programs.

If you want to see the "Big Five" up close, this is the place! We saw them all, plus so much more.