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Kruger Day Trips

4.5/5  –  410 Kruger Reviews

Kruger National Park ranks highly on most lists of South Africa’s must-visit attractions. In fact, many wildlife enthusiasts would rate Kruger as their favorite destination anywhere in the country. It’s not difficult to see why. Kruger is one of the most expansive national parks in Africa, with a total area of 19,485km²/7,523mi². What’s more, a checklist of 150 mammal species includes sustainable breeding populations of all the Big Five (lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo) and many other iconic safari favorites. A 1-day Kruger safari provides you with an opportunity to glimpse some of this park’s biodiversity and wildlife. Be warned, though: at the end of that magical day, you might well find yourself wanting to return for more!

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5 Questions About Kruger Day Trips

1. How can I find a reliable tour operator for a 1-day Kruger safari?
2. What are the options for a day trip in Kruger?
3. What can I expect from a day trip in the park?
4. Which animals can I expect to see on a 1-day Kruger safari?
5. Should I consider booking a day trip to Kruger if I’m on a self-drive safari?
 
 

5 Questions About Kruger Day Trips

Answered by Philip Briggs

How can I find a reliable tour operator for a 1-day Kruger safari?

“A good place to start is SafariBookings’ dedicated list of operators specializing in Kruger. These include company profiles and average ratings and reviews given by previous customers, all of which will help you choose the operator best suited to your requirements. Once you find a suitable operator, click on the orange box on the right-hand side of the screen to get a free quote for a custom trip. Alternatively, search for existing trips on SafariBookings, narrowing down the duration to 1 day using the slider on the left-hand side of the screen. If you prefer to look for an operator locally once you’re on the road, most hotels and lodges situated within day-tripping distance of Kruger will be able to make a recommendation. Indeed, many of these hotels will offer their own day trips to Kruger, often with the possibility of joining other guests, which may also reduce the price if you are cost conscious.”

› Operators offering trips to Kruger 1

What are the options for a day trip in Kruger?

“Your first decision is whether to opt for a half-day or full-day safari. Many people will find a full-day safari quite tiring, but in most cases the itinerary will include a lunch break at a rest camp or picnic site, and it doubles your chances of seeing the likes of lion, leopard, cheetah or rhino. Where possible, we’d recommend an open-sided high-clearance vehicle over a closed car or minibus. The added elevation will allow you to see deeper into the bush, and open sides make for a more immersive safari experience. Nervous first-time safari-goers might understandably prefer to be in a closed vehicle, on the basis it makes them less vulnerable to potentially dangerous animals. In reality, however, the additional risk associated with an open vehicle is negligible. Which part of the park you visit on a day trip will be dictated largely by where you’re staying outside the park. If you have the choice, however, I would tend to avoid gates close to Skukuza, as this part of the park carries the most tourist traffic. In my experience, two particularly rewarding routes for relatively traffic-free day safaris run between Crocodile Bridge Gate and Lower Sabie Rest Camp, or between Orpen Gate and Satara Rest Camp.”

2

What can I expect from a day trip in the park?

“Your guide will probably aim for the earliest possible start, ideally to be at the entrance gate just before it opens. This is because big cats and other carnivores tend to be most active at night and in the early morning. Lions, in particular, often rest up overnight on roads, but tend to move deeper into the bush as the day progresses. Two other good reasons to be out at sunrise are the soft photographic light and prolific bird activity. Once you’ve been out for a couple of hours, you’ll most likely stretch your legs and have coffee or a snack at one of the park’s many picnic sites and rest camps. On a full-day trip, you’ll probably stop for lunch at one of the rest camps, most of which have affordable restaurants. A lunch stop in Kruger doesn’t necessarily equate to a break in wildlife viewing. Many rest camps and picnic sites face a river or waterhole that attract thirsty wildlife in the heat of the day. They are also generally good for bird watching. After lunch, you’ll go on another game drive, heading out toward one of the entrance gates. For logistical reasons, this may well be the same gate through which you entered, but that doesn’t mean you’ll only see what you did on the way in, as animals are constantly on the move. We recommend asking your guide to stay in the park until the gates close, as cats and other predators tend to become active again toward sunset, and the late afternoon light is usually great for photography.”

3

Which animals can I expect to see on a 1-day Kruger safari?

“There are few certainties when it comes to wildlife viewing, but you can be pretty sure of seeing hippo, giraffe, crocodile, zebra, warthog, wildebeest, waterbuck, greater kudu and impala on a day trip to Kruger. Elephant, buffalo, white rhino and lion probably fall into the ‘more likely than not’ category, but you’d be very fortunate indeed to see all four in one day. Leopard and cheetah are possible but less likely, and African wild dog and black rhino very unlikely with just one day in the park. Don’t allow the hype surrounding the Big Five to distract you from the smaller stuff. Look out for colorful agama lizards, terrapins sunning themselves on the side of waterholes, and dung beetles rolling balls of elephant dung along the road. And you can hardly fail to notice the park’s spectacular birdlife. Kruger’s avian stars include the dazzling lilac-breasted roller, imposing martial eagle and massive ostrich, but more than 500 bird species have been recorded in total.”

4

Should I consider booking a day trip to Kruger if I’m on a self-drive safari?

“Definitely. On a day trip to Kruger, you’ll travel with a driver-guide who knows the relevant part of the park intimately and is vastly experienced when it comes to spotting wildlife. In addition, most organized safaris operate high-clearance open-sided vehicles, which are better suited for looking at animals deep in the bush than a normal saloon car. All of which means you’re likely to see a far greater variety of wildlife than you would on your own. Something else worth thinking about for self-drivers are the guided drives offered at most of the park’s rest camps. These are more affordable than a private day tour, but have similar advantages, particularly when it comes to spotting big cats. Most of the rest camps also now offer guided night drives, which offer a unique perspective on the bush, since self-drivers are not allowed out of camp after dark. At the risk of stating the obvious, you can only realistically book onto these guided safaris if you’re staying at one of the appropriate rest camps.”

5

Kruger Reviews

4.5/5 410 Reviews
Expert
Anthony Ham  –  
Australia AU

Anthony is a photographer and writer for travel magazines and Lonely Planet, including the guides to Kenya and Botswana & Namibia.

Kruger: South Africa’s Most Prolific Park
5/5

Kruger belongs in the elite of African wildlife parks and experiences. At once a byword for abundance and hugely accessible, Kruger is a brilliant place for first-time safari-goers. The infrastructure of paved roads is classic South Africa,...

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Expert
Lizzie Williams  –  
South Africa ZA

Lizzie is a reputed guidebook writer and author of the Footprint guides to South Africa, Namibia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe.

South Africa’s flagship park with excellent facilities and unrivalled game-viewing
5/5

South Africa’s largest park most certainly fulfils most visitors’ expectations of seeing magnificent herds of game roaming across acacia-studded savannah. After countless visits at different times of the year, I have found it can get a...

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Alex  –  
United States US
Reviewed: Mar 20, 2025
5/5

Beautiful park, and it's massive! Much more open spaces and seemed to be a greater diversity of wildlife, although we spent the most time and covered the most distance in this park so that may impact the diversity of things we saw.

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Eva Carolina  –  
Brazil BR
Reviewed: Mar 13, 2025
5/5

We could see Big 5 plus Cheetah! Amazing time! Some blogs had informed about February not being the best time to go in a Safari (it's batter in the winter) but I desagree! We could see ALL the wonderful animals and the weather was just...

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Matt Tighe  –  
United Kingdom UK
Reviewed: Jan 26, 2025
5/5

So vast you barely cover a fraction of it. Plenty of amazing Giraffes, Buffalo etc. Preferred the private reserves as you could go off road within 2 metres of elephants and lions with a fresh kill. Still a great day. Bring binoculars! Wish...

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Ryan Sanford  –  
United States US
Reviewed: Dec 26, 2024
5/5

Kruger National Park has it all, the wildlife, the lodges and gift shops, the restaurants, it's the go-to National Park for anyone who wants to go on an African Safari, and it's not hard to see why. I'd love to go again someday.

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All 410 Kruger Reviews