Kruger National Park

Kruger National Park is one of the oldest parks in Africa. Sabie Sands, the name under which Kruger Park was originaly known, was founded in 1898 by president Paul Kruger. The park is the size of Israel and is home to 147 species of mammals, 120 species of reptiles, 507 species of birds, 114 species of reptiles, 49 species of fish and 336 species of trees. Of course you can also find the ‘big five’ here.

The infrastructure in the park is excellent; this is one of the reasons some people claim the Kruger can’t be called a wilderness area. This should not stop you to visit this park, since it has great game viewing opportunities.

There are several entrance gates into the park, you can click on the map to see which entrance is most convenient for you. Maps of the Kruger Park can be bought at bookstores or at the main rest camps in the park itself. These maps not only contain information about the roads, camps and get-out-points, bit also contain information about the animals in the park.

The main roads in the park are tarred, there are also gravel roads, dirt roads and 4x4 trails. The 4x4 trails only allow 6 cars a day, so if yo want to do a 4x4 trail, you have to make a “reservation” at one of the camps from which they leave (Pretorius Kop, Satara, Phalaborwa Gate, Shingwedzi/Punda Maria) on the morning you want to do the trail. The trails are closed after (heavy) rainfall.

The speed limit is 50 km/h on tarred roads and 40 km/h on gravel roads. Your average speed will probably be around 25 km/h (since you will probably stop for sightings along the way), so remember this when calculating your travel time.
It is prohibited to leave your car, the only exceptions being get-out-points and camps.
The opening and closing times of the gates and camps vary throughout the year. The times are stated in the brochure you will receive when you arrive.

You have several options for your accommodation; you can camp, rent a bungalow or luxury tent or even sleep at a birdhide with a view over a waterhole (not for the faint-hearted)
The bigger camps are known as restcamps. You can have lunch here, do your grocery shopping and fill up on petrol. These camps all have a shop, restaurant, phone booth and some of them have a swimming pool, a bank and a petrol station.
The main restcamps in Kruger are: Berg-en-Dal, Crocodile Bridge, Pretoriuskop, Lower Sabie, Skukuza, Orpen, Satara, Olifants, Letaba, Mopani, Shingwedzi and Punda Maria.
If you intend to stay at one of these camps, try to book a river view or perimeter-fence bungalow; these usually offer a better view.

Some of the main camps also have a sattelite camp. This is a smaller, basic camp, some distance away from the main camp. There are no shops and restaurants here, but sometimes you can buy basic supplies like firewood and ice. Check in is at the main camp. The sattelite camps are: Tamboti (try to stay in a luxury tent, they have a lovely view on the dry riverbed and offer lots of privacy), Maroela, Malelane and Balule. Bushcamps are even smaller and have no shops or restaurants, but offer more space and privacy. The roads to the bushcamps are only accessable to guests.
The bushcamps in Kruger are: Biyamiti, Talamati, Shimuwini, Sirheni and Bateleur. All are very charming, each in their own way. During our last stay in Biyamiti, we did not leave our veranda all afternoon, since there were big herds of elephants coming by in the riverbed (on which you have an excellent view), one herd after the other!

Most camps offer game-drives to their guests. A night-drive is a good way to see the animals you don’t see during the day. You can also take a guided walk at some of the camps.

You can book your accommodation on the website of the National Parks Board www.sanparks.org

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