Kruger National Park

An amazing place, full of photo opps despite the drought.

The kruger is so big and so full of animals that you need to go there and stay there for some days sleepling in different lodges

Vacation in the wild

We traveled to Kruger national park in September. Although September is the end of dry season, the year of 2016 was very dry and lots of waterholes were dried out. We spent a week in the park; we entered through Punda Maria gate and headed down to Bergendal. The entrance took about 20min, a we started to explore the park shortly. Right away we say impalas, kudus, mongooses; later the same day elephants and giraffes. On our first day we saw almost all major groups of animals, except the predators. Seeing all the game and megafauna was fantastic and jaw dropping, as I only have seen them at a zoo before.
The next day we say a pride of lions sunbathing on the road - also a great scene. I won't be despising each of our days, just will say that we saw the big five game and many more animals, except the wild dog.
The landscape along the road was mostly yellow or red grass, however there were a few stunning canyons. The bird hides were always available.
We rented an SUV with a tent and it was enough. All the rest camps have showers, water for cooking and dishwashing, basic stoves and boiling water, and barbecues. Among the rest camps we liked Tzendze the most. A couple of days we stayed in hotel roms (the tents in Lower Sabie facing the river definitely worth every cent).
We didn't do to the restraunts, but there are some with beautiful views over the rivers.
This time we didn't take a guide, however the next time we are going to try a night tour and/or a walking tour. I think if you take a guide it's better chance to see predators.
Among other things I'd like to mention:
we encountered very few mosquitos and insects in general due to the fact it was dry season;
If you travel for a couple of days I'd suggest to take a guided tour
If you're traveling for more then 3 days and are going to visit more sanparks, buy a wild card
Early morning and sunset are the best time for predators and visiting waterholes
Look where the traffic jams are: probably there's something interesting going on

Every day is the best day in Kruger!

When looking for a safari it is hard to know which company to choose. We were in communication with many potential companies, but what set RAS apart was their timeliness in response and English communication skills. Other companies took 2 weeks to respond to us where RAS (Amelia) was responding same day and often times the same hour. Furthermore, they didn't just stop booking with the safari, but they helped plan the other part of our trip as well. We had other questions (riding elephants, diving with sharks, hotels in Cape Town & Johannesburg) they either referred or set up for us helping take much of the planning/booking and stress off our plate. Even if there was something we wanted to do that we hadn't thought of (shark diving), our guide Jaco called Amelia and the next thing we knew, it was part of our itinerary. The service was second to none.
As for the safari, we did a 5 day tour on the panorama route. Our guide Jaco was highly knowledgeable with regards to all animals, nature and landmarks/stop offs along the way as well as highly interactive with us. We did the group rides at camps, but the best part of the trip was our time spent riding in the safari van with Jaco as he knew and explained more than we were hearing when going out on group trips from base camps (day, night and bus walk guided tours). That is not to say that the camp trips were not great, but sometimes they lacked or failed to share deeper knowledge about the animals and the territory. Furthermore, Jaco cooked for us each night with many options. While riding in the park I found myself wondering what a kudu or impala might taste like… not to worry, most likely you were going to get to try one of the game meats at night which only added to the experience. During out trip it rained 3 of the days we were in Kruger National Park, but we still managed to see the Big 5! Much of that is due to the fact that Jaco was readily available and willing to take us out to continue to look for animals even after we did the guided group tours. Jaco did not want us to leave without getting the entire experience and bang for our buck. I remember seeing 3 leopards in one day and we were all excited and I asked Jaco what the best day he ever had in Kruger and he said "As a guide in this park, every day is the best day" and even after 3 days in the pouring rain I can honestly see why he thinks that! Needless to say at this point if you read this far, RAS can do it all and you will most likely leave making an additional friend in your tour guide along the way!

One of the most exciting experiences I've ever had!

Going on a safari at Kruger National Park is undoubtedly one of the most exciting experiences I've ever had!

My advice is to visit the park with experienced rangers, although you can also visit Kruger Park with your own vehicle following the paved roads and crossing the animal sighting areas.

A day in the park is an adventure like no other! I still recall peering persistently into the bush in search of lions and the astonishment mingled with fear for the unexpected crossing of huge elephants! After dark, when the day comes to an end and you return to camp tired but excited, it's really great to share experiences with the other “explorers” perhaps with a “braai” (barbeque) around a nice fire.

For those who want to experience a more "comfortable” safari, there are several private reserves (located in the western area of the park) whose cozy and luxurious lodges offer an excellent service that can satisfy even the most demanding tourist. Within the private reserves sightseeing of game is virtually assured though, I must admit, the effect of surprise is less satisfying and the feverish search of animals less appealing...

To sum up: a safari at Kruger Park is a real "full immersion" in the wild at close contact with all the species of animals.

In order to read the full story, please visit my blog www.travelingdebby.it or follow my account Flickr (TravelingDebby) to see some photos. Thank you!

Adventure of a lifetime!

In September of 2014 my wife Claire and I went to South Africa for three weeks. We spent nine days in Kruger National Park. We flew from Gainesville, Florida, USA to Johannesburg and the next day we flew to Phalaborwa, just outside Kruger, where we rented a car from Avis (a Honda CRV). We did all our bookings online from car rentals to the places where we stayed in Kruger. At Kruger we stayed at the rest camps run by the South African park service (Sanspark). WE did our own drive and the only game drive we went on was a night drive (you can't drive at night so that was the only option to look for animals at night). We entered Kruger through Phalaborwa Gate after getting supplies at a local supermarket (great wine for about US$5 !). We first stayed at the Letaba Rest Camp then moved on to Talamati Bush Camp and then to the Lower Sabie Rest Camp. Wildlife and birds are abundant throughout the areas we visited and birding is particularly good at the camps because of the abundance of trees and water. The park is beautiful and the scenery is surprisingly varied with different types of vegetation, rivers, hills and even mountains. In early September it was still the southern hemisphere winter and even though it was quite warm during day the evenings were very pleasant and mosquitos were absent from the camps. In the Talamati Bush Camp you have to cook your own meals and the cottages have equipped kitchens. At the Rest Camps there were restaurants but the food was not great, not bad either, just unremarkable, thus we preferred to cook our own meals since we are vegetarians. In both Letaba and Lower Sabie the restaurant had river views (great at Lower Sabie with a fabulous deck overlooking the Sabie river) making it a great place for an early evening drink! Kruger is so beautiful and with so much going on that even if you are the worst photographer in the world you will come back with some great photos and videos. A visit to Kruger is a must for anybody interested in nature!

Kruger National Park is the biggest South African game reserve and home to the big five; Lion, Leopard, Rhino, Elephant and Cape Buffalo. Game is plentiful in this game reserve and visitors are guaranteed seeing an abundance of game. Chances of seeing the big five as well as Cheetah, African Wild Dog and a vast variety of mammals is possible.

Very special for Migrant Birds and Raptors, at certain times of the year, Good value for money , nice accommodation and splendid Hides

Great wildlife sightseeing and infrastructure

I went to the Kruger Park in November/16, during 3 days. We entered the Park through the Phalaborwa Gate and drove via Olifants - Satara - Skukuza to exit using the Numbi Gate, overall good roads, ideal even for compact cars. You might look for a taller car (like a minibus/van) to have a better view (the higher the better). A 4x4 won't help much as most of dirt roads are closed to tourists.

There is abundant wildlife in the park: elephants, leopards, hippopotamuses, rhinos, giraffes, buffalos, zebras, waterbucks, just to name some of them.

Early spring is a great time to visit the park, as it is the start of the rainy season, so vegetation is green and there are lots of new-born animals to see.

The Park infrastructure for tourists is great, plenty of accommodation options in the various camps, reasonably good restaurants/markets.
If you want to enjoy the place, I would recommend a longer stay (5-7 days) with 2-3 nights in a camp. I strongly recommend to visit different regions of the park, as vegetation / wildlife / landscape quickly changes from one area of the park to another. Just be careful that searching for animals in the landscape can be quite exhausting, especially for people who are expecting something like a visit to a zoo.

The Park was not very busy, even in Skukuza, as we went during the low season.

Two final tips: get a binocular for every 1-2 person in the group ('any' binocular is better than no binocular) and buy the map/guide from SANS park that is sold in the gates, it has a lot of useful information and it has a better layout than most travel guides sold in bookstores.

An experience in a lifetime

I journey to South Africa from the United States several times for business reasons. My last trip included a visit to Maputo, Mozambique, but between commitments, my friends and I stayed for a weekend at a private preserve in southern Kruger National Park.
I will never, ever forget this experience, and I can't recommend a trip to Kruger highly enough. On our guided early morning and evening tours, we gaped in awe at giraffe, impala, and elephants! It kept getting better: crocodiles lounging on the Crocodile River bank, hippos floating in the current, and cranes prancing along the shore. Jackals, hyenas, and the biggest herd of zebra I had ever seen -- not that I had seen a zebra anywhere other than TV or the zoo. The outstanding highlight of our outings was 20 minutes spent in the (distant, maybe 100 yards) of four male lions, who at one point began a chorus of roars. Our wonderful guide told us they were warning another lion of their presence. Also, we lucked on a leopard resting in a tree, visible by his legs hanging down from the limb.
Hundreds of photos help me recall this wonder. I plan to go back again.
I have written a series of blogs about my visit to Kruger. You can find them at http://bookviewcafe.com/blog/
I so appreciate this opportunity to share my experience, and hope others will be able to share the same some day.