Kruger National Park

Petting a Cheetah

I visited Kruger National Park after three weeks of a study visit in South Africa. Unfortunately, we only had two days in Kruger and the trip was all organized by the host organization - so a lot of details regarding accommodations, transportation, and the like were not part of my trip.

Kruger Park for me was an absolutely fantastic experience. First of all, many people complain that the place has asphalt roads and that at times it can be crowded - and these all valid complaints. However, Kruger Park is so vast and crude - approximately the size of Switzerland. One of the guides that was driving us around told us that even if we were to travel every road in Kruger, we would be able to see only about 3% of all Kruger National Park. Needless to say, the scenery was absolutely stunning.

As for the animals, you can find there all sorts of animals. By the end of the day, we had seen at least some 27 kinds of animals, including four of the big 5. The only animal that we did not see was Leopard, and that was due to them being overall shy animals. However, keep in mind that this was only during one single day.

During the two nights, we slept at two different places - the names of which, unfortunately I can't remember. However, both of the places were great. One of them had animals running around within hotel area, but was slightly poshy. The meals were fantastic - especially if you are into meat and of different game. The other place where we slept was much more rudimentary, but it really made you feel the 'bush vibe'. This place was located within a game reserve, which included giraffes, elephants, rhinos, lions, leopards, cheetahs, hippos, etc. There was no fence that separated these animals from you. Only walls of the lodges. At some point we met the 'tamed' cheetah which would hang out with us. We petted the cheetah and she would purr, but moments later she went on a hunt - one of those wilde hunts you see on TV. That was quite an experience.

I cannot possibly sum up in words the experience in Kruger, but I know that it was a great experience of which I did not get enough. What I do know is that eventually, I will go back again and get to stay a little longer.

One of the best value for money locations for safari I have ever come across

I initially visited Kruger as an extension to another trip I was doing in South Africa so it was never my main focus. As I love to focus on wildlife photography, I contacted a company that provides guiding for such trips (Wild4 Photographic Safaris) and they set up an excellent custom trip for just myself with a guide focusing mainly around the Lower Sabie area. I have to say that having been on safari to other places (in other countries), my initial expectations for the photographic aspect of this trip weren't too high.

It all changed on the way from Skukuza airport to the camp, with the airport in Skukuza offering a fantastically easy way to access the park. Just along a single stretch of road, in less than 1 hour, we saw Lions, Elephants, and Leopards. Throughout my time spent there, it was relatively easy to find and photograph the Big 5.

What really impressed me however, was the bird sightings. The road and areas became somewhat congested when it came to sightings of Lions and Leopards which were easier to come across than I initially expected in the Kruger. Having said that most of the self-drive tourists didn't really seem to care about the other stuff, especially birds. One episode I will not forget was how we spent hours with a Juvenile Bateleur photographing it in spectacular light all by ourselves (just me, and my guide at the time - Etienne Oosthuizen). Based on my experience, I thoroughly recommend having a guide as you would otherwise end up missing the vast majority of wildlife you can potentially see.

Having stayed in a hut in the Lower Sabie, accommodation can be best described as basic. The hut itself was adequate. Small, but clean and did the job wonderfully, but the common ablutions were often left in a pitiful state by some of the other visitors to the camp (they were, however, cleaned every day by the excellent staff). As a result, I would probably recommend people consider a room with private facilities.

In conclusion, I thoroughly enjoyed my time there and it is by far the best value-for-money safari I've ever been on (even if I was all on my own!) and it ended up being an integral part of why I'm planning to visit South Africa again - this time looking forward even more to my time in the Kruger.

Love it - grew up in this area

Amazing African Safari

From the time we began our booking enquiry to the time we returned from our trip the customer service with this company was outstanding. Christine was very responsive, helpful and insightful about what to expect, what to bring, where we were going and assured us that we would enjoy our trip – my gosh she was right! Our guide Anthony ‘Hoppy’ was a wonderful man who made sure we made it into the Kruger Park when our flight was delayed into Jo’berg on the first day, and his knowledge of the local area and the Kruger Park itself was amazing.

We were a family of 5 from Australia travelling together and luckily ‘Hoppy’ was our personal tour guide over the next 4 days. Hoppy was up first every morning ready with coffee and biscuits for us before the early morning drive, and breakfast, and would teach us something new each day. Hoppy has been a tour guide in the Kruger for some years and this was evident as he knew all the spots of where to find the animals and would allow us time to stop for photos whenever we wanted. We saw all of the Big 5 on numerous occasions, except for the Leopard which eluded us, however we saw many other animals which amazed us, including two rare white rhino – Hoppy even gave us a check list to mark off the animals which was great!.

We stayed at two rest camps over the four days, and they were both clean, had good facilities and were of a decent standard (aircon, fridge, shower and little balcony) – they were not 5 star but I didn’t expect that either, you are in Africa after all. The dinner at the restaurant at Skukuza camp was very impressive and the selection was endless, additionally all other camps were serviced by a ‘Mug and Bean’ which was also very good, believe me you won’t go hungry!

Thank you Wildlife Safaris for being a wonderful ambassador for tourism in South Africa, I would recommend your company and ‘Hoppy’ to everyone. We will be back some day, hopefully sooner rather than later!

Thanks – The Johnsons (Leanne, Gab, Charmaine, Charles and Bianca)

Kruger Still Has It!!

When my girlfriend and I first visited Kruger National Park in October 2010 it was our first visit to Southern Africa as well as our first safari. We had 4 nights in the park splitted between Lowers Sabie and Olifants Camp and we loved every minute of it. On our flight back to The Netherlands we were already making plans to return to Southern Africa and since our first trip we visited some of the best reserves in Southern Africa such as Moremi & Chobe in Botswana, the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park in South Africa and Etosha in Namibia.

For 2015 we had decided to revisit South Africa and Kruger National Park was one of the reserves we wanted to explore some more and we were very curious if we would still enjoyit as much as we did in 2010 after visiting those other famous parks in the previous years as some of them are much more adventurous and/or wild than Kruger. We had booked 9 nights in 4 different camps (Lower Sabie, Satara, Shimuwini & Berg-en-Dal) and I can honoustly say we again had an amazing experience and still loved every minute of it!! Of course Kruger can be busy, especially when you come across a big pride of lions on the tar road between Lower Sabie & Satara but if you know where to go and count to 10 sometimes it's still one of the best reserves to see the Big 5. We had 4 leopard sightings, multiple lion sightings, we saw hyena's, wild dogs and even a pangolin!! Some sightings were hectic, those on the tar main roads mostly but we had several amazing sightings with no (with the pangolin) or only a few other people around. We also liked the fact that we could chill in the fenced camps for once as it can be very relaxed and enjoy a good meal at one of the restaurants so we didn't have to cook ourselves. That's something you can't do when your at an unfenced camp in Moremi or Chobe in Botswana or the Kgalagadi. That's awesome as well of course but like I said before, we still loved Kruger!!

Wonderful - we could not have asked for more.

We went with Wild Wings and was guided by Simon. Three days at Sabi Sands, picked up by Simon in Jo'burg and staying in Skukuza. There were only four of us so the journey was comfortable and it was a great group. Simon was brilliant at finding and spotting game.

What we saw was amazing - within an hour of arriving we saw a baby elephant only a few days old, the hind legs of its mother still stained from the birth. By the end of the time we had seen just about everything except Cheetah. We even saw a pack of wild dogs.

The accommodation was very comfortable, in spacious bungalows with flushing loo and full shower. Simon cooked well for us and really looked after us. Out at 4.30 each day for the morning drive in an open sided vehicle, out again at 3.

Three things became clear - you need to be with an experienced guide; you need to be in an open-sided vehicle and you need to be based inside the park. Anything else and you are short-changing yourselves.

Bring binoculars, a good camera with a zoom lens and you will leave with a bright heart and a lifetimes of memories. We could not have asked for anything more.

How lucky I am to have experienced this.

Four of us visited Mpumalanga in November 2015 and stayed at Sabie River Sun in Hazyview. We were about 12 miles from Phabeni the nearest gate for Kruger NP. The completion of the forms, vehicle search and paying entry fees is a bit slow.
The main roads in the park and tarmac and ones we traveled are well maintained. The other roads are dirt but are good although in a small car could be tricky especially in wet weather. We were there in the rainy season but chose not to go to the park when the weather forcast was bad.
There is wildlife everywhere but you have to look for it. Driving slowly is the best bet and when you see something pull to the side of the road. The next vehicle along is likely to stop and ask what you are watching, unless it is obvious - elephant, giraffe, rhino!
Lots of people seem only to be interested in the big 5 and the larger animals but, in my opinion, you will be missing a great deal. I was pleased to have spotted a dung beetle rolling his dung and a tortoise. There are also lots of birds and some with amazing plumage but again you have to look for them. We did not see and lions or cheetahs when we visited which was disappointing until you consider what we did see.
Watch when you see elephants - they sometimes decide that you are too close - they will let you know and then back away slowly. They are bigger than you!
Plan your route so that you can leave the park before the gates close. We did not use a guide but next time I think I would try that.
We went to Skukuza camp for breakfast - really terrific and good value.
We have booked again for November 2016.

Kruger National Park - The best place on earth

Kruger National Park, South Africa.
We have visited Kruger many times and can only report positive about the park and the facilities. But you have to comply with a few traits to enjoy this park, (and any other nature reserve). You have to love: nature, a peaceful environment, absence of city life, no traffic lights, tranquillity and spotting and observing animals (including birds).
The park is large, about 400km long by 60km wide and is dotted with many so called rest camps for the lower budget travellers and lodges for the more upmarket visitors. All camps are fenced, so one can freely walk around. Most camps have a shop where one can buy groceries and other goodies as well as a restaurant. The restaurants used to be mediocre, but this has greatly improved lately now that Kruger no longer operates most of them, but rather commercial restaurant chains. Also most camps have a swimming pool. At various locations in the Park you will find picnic spots (also at every camp) where you can even hire a gas bottle and pan to prepare your own breakfast.
Accommodation in the camps varies from camping to chalets completely fitted with all requirements with various options in between like permanent tents, basic huts (with communal ablution) and more advanced huts. We only encountered neat and clean accommodation.
The occurrence of games varies, but Kruger is well stocked and there are also various waterholes where one can leave the vehicle and wait for the animals to come. The big five are there of course.
In case you go with a tour operator everything is organized for you. But if you want to do it on your own, here some tips:
Book in advance via this website http://www.sanparks.org/tourism/reservations/
One can drive by car (about 400km from Johannesburg airport, excellent road) or fly directly into Kruger to Skukuza airport with daily Airlink flights (from Johannesburg and CapeTown) and rent a car on arrival. (Avis) http://flyairlink.com/
There is a daily entry fee for Kruger of R280 for foreigners, which at the current exchange rate is about USD18, which you pay when entering the Park. If you go many nights you can buy a Wildcard making it cheaper. At the gate staff can advise you.
Don’t forget to buy a Kruger map at the gate where you enter, makes travelling so much easier.
Don’t forget your binocular and that long lens in case you like photography.
Every camp has one or more communal kitchens where you can cook a meal in case you want to skip the restaurants and stay in a tent or hut without kitchen.
Search for the Facebook page “Kruger National park – Best Place on Earth” if you want to see and read how others experience Kruger.
And once in Kruger you can follow other people’s sightings on your tablet at https://www.facebook.com/latestsightingskruger/
Kruger is large and the max speed 50km/hour, so don’t book one night in the South and the next in the far North, you won’t make it.
The southern part of Kruger is busiest as far as cars and people are concerned. The camps in the far North, like Punda Maria, Mopanie and Shingwedzi for example are much quieter.
In every camp you can book a game drive with an experienced game ranger, during the day or the evening. They mostly know where the animals are by talking to their colleges via radio.
All in all, Kruger is a fantastic place, it’s a place that missed most that we call progress !
And finally, having been in Kenya as well with its hectic traffic, corrupt policemen and parks costing USD70-UDS90 a day just to get in we can only conclude that Kruger is a visitors paradise.
Tjeerd en Diny de WIt

Amazing mammal and bird obersvations, an absolutely once in a lifetime place to visit!

The scenery at Kruger is dry and vast. It's also very hot when I was there in November. Most all the observations of birds and mammals is done from inside a vehicle driving around on the roads. The few days I spent in the park birding and photographing mammals was an absolute highlight of all my travels. The accommodations were nice, and the food was great.

All of the Big 5 in one day!

As far as viewing wild game, few places come close to Kruger. From the minute we entered the park we began to see game, and it continued for the next several days. It was amazing. The campsites are clean and well appointed, the guides are professional and knowledgeable. The scenery is beautiful. Our group went in November and the weather was quite warm and was lovely. There wasnt much of a true "bush" vibe as Kruger accommodates a lot of tourists, but it was still quite lovely and didnt really detract much from the overall aesthetic.