Kruger National Park

There is a surprise behind very corner of the road!

Excellent Trip

We went to South Africa on a rock climbing trip so went to Kruger for a couple of days when we were resting. It did not disappoint. We started off at the Malanane entrance driving over towards Lower Sabe and then onwards to Pretorioskop to stay overnight.
The Bridge at the Malanane entrance is a great place to spot birds and crocodiles and we spent quite a long time there.
I liked the way that you can drive yourself around and you are pretty much guaranteed to see wildlife. You probably may see a bit more if you go with a guide but there is so much to see that it is not essential to be guided around especially if you like your independence
The birdlife was pretty interesting with lots of species that you will never have seen before if you are a European.
The camp at lower sabe is a really nice place to stop for lunch as the open air restaurant looks out over the river and we saw hippo and giraffes while we ate our lunch.
We had brilliant stay at Pretorioskop in really smart bungalow accommodation. Not all the accommodation here is the same we were lucky to be in a really smart place that exceeded our expectations but there is accommodation of varying standards so if you want something smart it is best to check carefully what you will get for your money.
I got some pretty good photographs and only had my 125mm lens with me. I really regretted not having my telephoto with me but was pretty pleased with quite a few of the photos I took
Overall a good couple of days

An experience filled with bucket list material

A very positive trip. I enjoyed the time we spent with bush camps as home base, because self-driving with a small group (three biologists/photographers and myself) gave us the most opportunity to see interesting wildlife at our own pace. Early one morning while idling to see some bird on the ground, a pack of wild dogs materialized and walked quietly past and around our car. Awesome. In general we left the camps as early as possible, and generally returned about 30 minutes before the gates closed. Long days of driving, but very rewarding. The park guides were of varying quality, from excellent to just OK. We used them for a couple night drives.

An awesome exsperiance and I make sure I visit the KNP more than once a year.

If you are prepared to wake up early and go back to the campsite at closing times you will see a lot of wildlife.
The scenery differs a lot in the KNP depending what you prefer. I love the lower part ( Crocodile bridge & Lower Sabie) of the park and the top part ( Punda Maria & Pafri ) the most.

In the lower part of the park ( Crocodile bridge & Lower Sabie) you are almost guarantee to see the big 5 in one day.

The top part ( Punda Maria & Pafri ) have the oldest trees and beautiful Fever tree woods.

The weather is average 30 degrees Celsius during the day and 15 degrees Celsius at night.

The are beautiful air-con accommodation in most of the rest camps.

Food is good but expensive and can be pursues much cheaper in towns around the park.

Not sure about Transportation but I think it will be good to hire a vehicle for a company and travel to the KPN to be able to spend the night inside the park. This way you can enter the park very early. 60 minutes before the gate opens for day visitor's.

By a guide book from any store that will indicate all roads and animals including birds that can be found in the park and safe the money for the guide:-))

The safest place in SA if you adhere to the park rules.

A large natural park, with rich wildlife, excellent infrastructure

Nothing like seeing wild animals in their habitat, where humans are just visitors

I had a wonderful time at Kruger park. Its so much larger and vast than I expected. It feels like the size of a country. As you need to drive slow, the distances ll take a while to cover. Even so i didn’t see any big cats i enjoyed all other animal encounters… big and small. There is nothing like seeing wild animals in their habitat, where humans are just visitors. I would recommend anyone to stay in the park for a few nights. You can hear and see the animals right at your doorstep. The camps are very well organised. There are restaurants, shops or water stations (on the camp areas). In Skukuza Camp there is even a pool!
You should definatly get up at 4:30 when the camp gates open to see the sunrise. There are better chances to see more animals as well. Very special.

A very special and exhilarating experience in one of the great parks of Africa!

Sometimes photographing birds and wildlife just seems too easy. It's stunning how close you can get to the animals in their natural surroundings and the amount of wildlife you get to see is unbelievable. Having breakfast in the park (because you need and want to start your safari very early) is an extra bonus and was very well organized. We did more than one safari (recommended!) and all our guides were thorough professionals and very knowledgeable. Transportation in the safari vehicles was great; they are built so that everyone in the car has an excellent view which is, of course, very important.

Fantastic Experience!!

We had a fantastic 5 day trip to the Kruger National Park this February, stayed in the Southern section of the park around Crocodile Bridge and Lower Sabie. Amazing sightings, seen all of the Big 5 as well as a pack of Wild Dogs over the first 2 days. The highlight was an adult leopard consuming an impala in a tree closeby to the road. It was just after the rainy season and the vegetation was lush with lots of Birdlife around, especially around the rivers.We went during the off-peak season so the roads were quiet and it definitely had a "bush vibe", the only crowds were in the rest camps and at the day picnic spots where we had our lunches. Accommodation at the camps is basic but comfortable with all of the essentials provided. Overall a wonderful experience and a must-see for all nature lovers!

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.

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.