Kruger National Park

Magnificent stay as always.

Have been to Kruger many times over the last 30 years and it never disappoints. It's very easy to self drive but make sure you get off the tar onto the dirt roads. This time we were fortunate to see a cheetah with her 2 young Cubs who were playing around a tree all to ourselves.
Accommodation we stayed at Satara camp which is a good area to look for predators. The camp has recently had a facelift and though accommodation is simple it's comfortable. The restaurant has improved tremendously with the introduction of 'Mugg & Bean' in several camps. They have a very good selection of food and reasonably priced.
Suggest you visit outside school holidays as it then becomes too busy. It's a huge park so make sure you spend several days. We can also highly recommend the tented accommodation.

Our driver clearly loved his job, and was very passionate about all the animals, he was keen to let us see as many different species as possible and knew so much about their habitats. We got to see many of the animals very closely especially one lioness that crossed right in front of our landrover... emergency stop! what an experience!
Such a wonderful variety of birds as well. As a keen birder, I was in my element in Kruger and South Africa in general :)

Wildlife Kingdom

We able to seen almost all the big fives, except the leopard.. I guess we just happen visited at the right weather, this is my first trip to South Africa and is my first time to have so many wildlife surrounding, so near to the nature, all the locals I met are so friendly & helpful.
I will be going back soon..

best game in South Africa

Birding and animals superb, but too commercialisedfor my liking. Understandable, but too many vehicles gather round the most notable animals.

Kruger (the tiny portion I saw) has large numbers of animals and is a photographer's heaven. Terrain is hilly bushveldt. Huge rivers (Sabie and Sands rivers) are full of hippos and crocodiles (I saw both but only at a distance). There can been traffic, but if you go with someone familar with Kruger, you can find recondite little places that are away from the crowds and it might be just you, your guide, and that leopard.

Differences between Kruger and the adjacent private game reserve are that Kruger closes promptly at 6pm (reserves permit night driving for watching predators), requires vehicles to remain on paved or rocked roads (reserves allow off-road driving); requires roofed vehicles with side doors (reserves allow open body safari vehicles); and of course, Kruger has more traffic. Kruger also has lots more animals because it is so much bigger than all the private reserves combined. I hope to go back to the Sabie River country. I selected a small, family-operated safari company with a bush camp inside Sabi Sands and their main camp just outside of the reserve, about fifteen minutes from the Paul Kruger Gate. The bushveldt is simply fascinating for a photographer, and especially at sunset.

A beautiful animal, bird or view round every corner.

I have been to quite a few locations round the world in pursuit of my hobby of wild-life photography. Nowhere else is the abundance of wild-life so available. The 'big five' are wonderful to see but so is the profusion of smaller things - birds, reptiles, butterflies etc. and I came away with a great portfolio of photographs.
I had great help from my guides, both English for photography and South African for bushcraft. The standard of accommodation was good at the various camps we stayed at and most notable was the friendliness and helpfulness of the camp staff everywhere. I'll be back as soon as I can!

The most amazing experience of my life so far

It was wonderful to see the abundant wild life thriving in their natural environment unworried by the presence of humans. The weather was fabulous and our safari guide was excellent, very committed and seemed to relish her job as a privilege. the lodge we stayed at was very comfortable and the staff welcoming, and we had fresh cooked meals every day. However the wild life was the highlight of our visit.

The classic.

South Africa's flagship with much to offer. Can be too crowded though, people speed on the roads and too many lodges and buildings inside the park - a future killer. Honor to recycling breakthroughs lately.