Introduction to the Kruger National
Park:
Lying in the heart of the Lowveld is a wildlife sanctuary like no other, its atmosphere so
unique that it allows those who enter its vastness to immerse themselves in the
unpredictability and endless wilderness that is the true quality of Africa.
The largest game reserve in South Africa, the Kruger National Park is larger than Israel.
Nearly 2 million hectares of land that stretch for 352 kilometres (20 000 square
kilometres) from north to south along the Mozambique border, is given over to an almost
indescribable wildlife experience. Certainly it ranks with the best in Africa and is a
flagship of the country’s national parks - rated as the ultimate safari experience.
The Kruger National Park lies across the provinces of Mpumalanga and Limpopo in the north
of the country, just south of Zimbabwe and west of Mozambique. It now forms part of the
Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park – a peace park that links Kruger with game parks in
Zimbabwe and Mozambique, and fences are already coming down to allow game to freely roam
in much the way it would have in the time before man’s intervention. When complete,
the Greater Limpopo Transfrontier Park will extend across 35 000 square kilometres, 58% of
it South African, 24% Mozambican and 18% Zimbabwean territory.
This is the land of baobabs, fever trees, knob thorns, marula and mopane trees underneath
which lurk the Big Five, the Little Five (buffalo weaver, elephant shrew, leopard
tortoise, ant lion and rhino beetle), the birding Big Six (ground hornbill, kori bustard,
lappet-faced vulture, martial eagle, pel’s fishing owl and saddle-bill stork) and
more species of mammals than any other African Game Reserve.
The Kruger is a self-drive destination, although there are guided tour operators, with an
excellent infrastructure that includes picnic sites, rest camps, waterholes and hides.
It’s a remarkable reserve offering an incredible experience of Africa at its most
wild.
Getting to know Kruger – the different zones and regions:
Very broadly speaking, the Kruger National Park is flat with a few gentle hills, and
people tend to classify the bushveld of the Kruger as unvaried and dry, which is rather
like saying South Africa is sunny - it conceals an amazingly rich diversity.
The Kruger is divided into no fewer than six ecosystems - baobab sandveld, Lebombo
knobthorn-marula bushveld, mixed acacia thicket, combretun-silver clusterleaf, woodland on
granite, and riverine forest.
Four regions make it easier for you to select the type of experience you want from your
time in the Kruger National Park:
The central region
Encompassing only 30% of the park’s surface area, the central region supports nearly
half the park’s lion population as well as numbers of leopard, hyena and cheetah.
Possibly the main reason for this is the quantity of sweet grasses and abundant browsing
trees found in this area that support a large group of antelope, giraffe, buffalo, zebra
and wildebeest.
But this does mean that it’s a popular region amongst tourists, and subsequently
there are a number of camps in this region. It’s understandable though, as the chance
of sighting even one of the 60 prides of lion that make the central region their home is a
huge draw card.
The far north region:
This is a rather fascinating part of the Kruger, not least because the ecozones here are
noticeably different from other habitats in the Kruger. Sightings of rare birds and major
areas of sand formed by river flood plains, combined with sandstone formations of the
Mozambique coastal plain, make it attractive to visitors. There are also a number of
tropical aspects as part of the region lies in a rain shadow and along the banks of the
Luvuvhu River is a series of riverine forest. A picnic site on the river bank provides
hours of splendid bird viewing.
What you can witness in this part of the Kruger is extraordinary - the knocking sand frog,
a collection of bats, the nocturnal bushpig and the rare Sharpe’s grysbok. There are
samango monkeys, packs of endangered wild dog, and the major water pans across the Wambiya
sandveld are a good place to sight tropical warm-water fish, such as the rainbow
killifish, not found anywhere else in the country. The sandstone hills, just west of Punda
Maria, is the only place where you can see the Natal red hare and yellow-spotted rock
dassie, or hyrax.
What makes a visit to this remote part of the park so meaningful is the solitude.
The northern region:
North of the Orange River is a semi-arid region covering 7 000 square kilometres that sees
very little rain. Vegetation here changes very little from the unvarying shrub mopane,
which thrives in hot, low-lying valleys. However, across this great expanse of hot
dryness, five rivers forge their way, providing narrow corridors along whose banks grow
trees distinctly different from the mopane – the nyala, the sycamore fig, the tamboti
and the tall apple leaf. The Letaba and Olifants rivers contain as much as 60% of the
park’s hippo population, and bird life here abounds. There are plenty of bushpig in
the undergrowth of the Luvuvhu River and on most of the river banks you can hope to see
sizeable herds of elephant (the park’s latest estimate is as many as 9000 of these
beautiful beasts), buffalo, waterbuck, bushbuck, impala and kudu concentrated near a water
supply.
The southern region:
Bounded by the Crocodile River in the south and the Sabie River in the north, the southern
region is also host to the jagged ridge of the Lebombo Mountains along the border with
Mozambique, and the highest point in the park, Khandzalive, in the southwestern corner -
almost in counterpoint to Pretoriuskop that lies in the west of the southern region.
The valleys are home to trees rarely found in other parts of the park, such as the Cape
chestnut, coral tree and lavender fever-berry; and granite lies beneath most of the
region, producing distinctive smoothed koppies at irregular intervals, which are typically
surrounded by rock figs and form ideal locations for rock dassies or hyrax, baboon and
klipspringer, not to mention the odd leopard. This is the region where you’re almost
sure of seeing a white rhino as most of them occur here, particularly around Pretoriuskop,
Mbyamiti River and south of lower Sabie. On the whole, there is more game purported to
exist in the southern part of the park, so if you don’t make it to the northern
reaches of the park, you won’t miss out.
This part of the park is to some extent shrouded in history. Around Pretoriuskop, known
for its profusion of trees, is Ship Mountain, its hull-shape the site of an old wagon
trail that crosses a stream marking the birthplace of Jock of the Bushveld. The combretum
woodlands, also part of this region, attract reasonable herds of kudu, impala, giraffe,
buffalo, zebra, white rhino and elephant, and the scarcity of lion in this part of the
park, makes way for the cheetah and wild dog.
What to do whilst in the Kruger National Park:
Game drives: Game drives are what the Kruger National Park is all about. If
you’re on safari then the highlight to any day is venturing out on the back of an
off-road vehicle, binoculars clutched in one hand whilst the other hangs on for all
you’re worth to the constantly rolling vehicle as it makes its way through the bush
in hot pursuit of the latest pride of lions, sighted feeding on a kill just over the rise.
For those booked on a safari or into a private game lodge, regular game drives with an
experienced ranger are part and parcel of your trip, and for those on self-drives through
the Kruger, Olifants, Mopani and Letaba restcamps provide night drives, whilst most of the
restcamps offer early morning, mid-morning and sunset game drives. For the most part game
drives last around 3 hours, and private lodges and game farms usually include a coffee
break, breakfast or sundowners in the bush as part of the drive.
WE RECOMMEND:
Pestana Kruger Lodge: This luxurious lodge is right on the Crocodile River
providing some intimate views of hippos, and the game drives provide incredible
opportunities to observe the Big 5 up close, not to mention 336 types of tree, 49 species
of fish and 507 species of bird. (Visit Pestana
Kruger Lodge)
Jock Safari Lodge: Based on the old wagon route that ran from Delgoa Bay into the
gold fields of the interior, this is a wilderness experience at its best. The area is
noted for its diversity of game, and game drives are the crowning jewel in a series of
services that blend the elegance of a colonial era with indigenous Zulu and Swazi
cultures. (Visit Jock Safari Lodge)
Rhino Post Safari Lodge: Rhino Walking Safaris and its two camps, Plains
Camp and Rhino Post Safari Lodge, lie within a private wilderness concession just north of
Skukuza in the Kruger National Park, offering exclusive walking trails and game drive
safaris. The park is home to an impressive number of species and ranks as a prime Big Five
game viewing area. (Visit Rhino Post Safari Lodge)
BUSH WALKS:
Nothing can possibly beat the heart stopping excitement of tracking rhino, elephant and
lion on foot through the heat of the bush. But it’s also one of the most incredible
ways to learn about the fragility of the ecosystems of the Kruger and to see the smaller,
but in no way less exciting, animals and insects of the park like termites, spiders,
snakes and plants that tend to be ignored when on the more fast paced game drives.
Walks can last up to four hours and stops are made to allow replenishment and a chance to
take in the beauty of an area. In the Kruger it’s advisable to take your own snacks
and sunscreen and most of the camps do morning and afternoon walks.
Wilderness trails
There are a few incredible wilderness trails in the Kruger National Park, some in areas
virtually untouched by humans, with names like Metsi-Metsi, Napi, Massingir and the Sweni
Wilderness. Most of these trails are about 2 days with 3 overnights in rustic huts with
basic ablution in reed-walled showers and flush toilets, but on the whole, they’re in
such demand that they’re booked out way in advance. These are aimed at smaller groups
than bush walks and one needs to have a reasonable level of fitness as one averages 20
kilometres a day, although this is at a leisurely pace.
The Lebombo overland trail
This incredible five-day ‘wilderness experience on wheels’ takes you from
Crocodile Bridge to Pafuri, and deserves a mention here. It’s an eco trail that takes
you along the eastern boundary of the Kruger National Park along the Lebombo hills (hence
the name) from the extreme south to the farthest northern edge. A maximum of five
vehicles, with four people in each – so as not to affect the environment adversely,
undertakes the trail that covers 500 kilometres. It’s a self-drive eco trail –
your man your own vehicle and cater for yourself – that crosses magnificent rivers
and encompasses some of the most beautiful scenery in the park – wide, open spaces,
bushveld and magnificent trees at their best. The trail overnights at Lower Sabie,
Olifants and Shingwedzi restcamps. Experienced and professional guides will lead the trail
and interpret the different eco zones and explain the terrain on this trail, rated as the
best in southern Africa purely because of the rich diversity of fauna and flora en route.
KRUGER NATIONAL PARK ACCOMMODATION:
Where to stay in the Kruger National Park:
In terms of the range of accommodation offered within the park, no national park in the
world quite lives up to the same level of service. The national park has a large number of
rest camps, bushveld camps and lodges and even some overnight hides, all run by SOuth
African National Parks Board - (see SANParks accommodation below). But it is the luxurious
privately-run game lodges that steal the show when staying in the Kruger, as a trip is
transformed into something more like an experience - the pace of life slows to a leisurely
tempo, your every need is catered for, and extravagance is not spared. All this in the
wild heart of Africa - small wonder that the Kruger has the reputation that it does.
Private, luxury game lodges (concessions):
Up until fairly recently the only accommodation in the Kruger was the government run rest
camps. However, large tracts of untouched land have been leased, in a fairly unusual
commercial move by the park, to private operators who have established lodges run in a
similar way to the luxurious private reserves on the western boundary of Kruger National
Park, like Sabi Sands and Timbavati. These private lodges might still be bound by most of
the rules of the park, but they offer incredible luxury, superbly guided game drives, and
the freedom to move into the greater park area if desired, although there is more than
enough to occupy you when staying here. These private game lodges offer a more intimate
and exclusive experience of the vast Kruger.
The most celebrated of these luxury private concessions includes Buhala Game Lodge situated on the banks of the Crocodile River where
the familiar call of the Fish eagle, gracefully thatched accommodation and breathtaking
scenery are yours to enjoy. Jock Safari Lodge has as its southern boundary the old
wagon route from Delgoa Bay to the gold fields of the interior, and, true to the
surrounding wilderness, offers romantic and elegant suites influenced by indigenous Zulu
and Swazi cultures; whilst Pestana Kruger Lodge lies on the Nkomazi tourist route
known as the wild frontier, with views over the Crocodile River, just 150 metres away from
the Malelane Gate on the south side of the Kruger.
The private game reserves
Flanking the western boundary of the Kruger National Park are a number of private game
reserves. Though none of them fall within the park’s boundaries, together they form
the heart of South Africa’s big game country and some of the most famous private
lodges and the best wildlife viewing in the world take place here. The main reason for
rich game viewing is the free movement of animals between the private reserves and the
Kruger National Park - at least 100 kilometres of fencing has been removed, ridding the
area of man-made borders. The private game reserves allow for vehicles to leave roads, and
animals on the whole are more used to the presence of man so there’s a greater chance
of seeing them. Private game reserves include Sabi Sands, which is home to the well-known
lodges of Londolozi, Singita and Mala Mala; Timbavati and Claserie.
SANParks accommodation:
Restcamps: Most of these restcamps are fully kitted out with electricity, a shop,
communal kitchen facilities - if there isn’t a kitchen as part of the accommodation -
laundromats, restaurants, public telephones and petrol stations; and there are information
centres run by very capable staff at Letaba, Skukuza and Berg-en-dal.
Berg-en-Dal: Just west of the Malelane gate overlooking the Matjulu Spruit,
Berg-en-Dal is bordered by a dam and dry riverbeds, and the natural vegetation in the camp
is particularly well preserved. There are beautiful trees that offer shade to the pretty
restcamp, constructed mostly of natural materials, and walkways between the accommodation,
which consists of bungalows, family cottages and guest houses.
Crocodile Bridge: Literally right up against the Mozambique border and Maputo,
Crocodile Bridge lies within the ‘Southern Circle’, a game viewing area famous
for the number of lions and their display of distinctive hunting techniques and behaviour.
It’s also home to a large percentage of rhinos. Crocodile Bridge lies on the northern
bank of the Crocodile River, in the south-eastern corner of the Kruger. The accommodation
is in pretty basic bungalows and safari tents.
Letaba: Lying in the bend of the Letaba River in the central part of the park,
Letaba’s access to the riverbed provides some excellent elephant spotting
opportunities and the heavily shaded restcamp is great for bird watching. It’s
ideally placed close to the Phalaborwa Gate and has a wonderful collection of enormous
shade trees. The camp includes a camping area, guest houses, cottages and bungalows.
Lower Sabie: Right on the banks of the Sabie River, most of the game comes to you
in this family-oriented camp only 35 kilometres from Crocodile Bridge. There are large
lawns and huge shade trees, and a swimming pool has recently been added to the facilities.
You can stay in a range of campsites, huts, bungalows, guest cottages, guest houses, and
safari tents.
Mopani: On the banks of the Pioneer Dam, this little restcamp - the newest of all
the restcamps in the park - lies in amongst koppies and Mopani trees, whilst a massive
baobab is said to stand sentinel in the middle of the camp. Thatched accommodation, with
stone walls, is in bungalows, cottages, guest cottages and a guest house. It also has a
unique sleepover hide.
Olifants: Olifants sits on top of a hill, set on rocky cliffs, that provides
incredible views over the Olifants River. There are two distinct types of vegetation in
this area – mopane shrub and rolling grass plains - and one is likely to spot
elephant, zebra, impala, buffalo, giraffe and kudu as a result. There’s also an
abundant birdlife and accommodation is in guest houses, cottages and bungalows.
Orpen: A smallish camp on the western boundary of the central zone of the Kruger
National Park, Orpen is a tranquil camp with scattered trees and wide-open plains that
attract a large quantity of browsers. The waterhole, just outside the camp, provides
sightings of lion, blue wildebeest, vultures and plovers, and accommodation is in cottages
and huts.
Pretoriuskop: The first restcamp opened to visitors in the Kruger National Park,
Petoriuskop lies in a particularly hilly area dominated by impressive granite outcrops
just 9 kilometres from the Numbi Gate in the south-western part of the park. Rare species
like sable and rhino are spotted fairly often, and you’re almost sure of seeing
impala, zebra, giraffe and wildebeest. Accommodation is in guest houses, cottages,
bungalows and huts.
Punda Maria: One of two camps north of the Tropic of Capricorn, Punda Maria lies
on a ridge in the northernmost reaches of the Kruger in the heart of the Sandveld, 8
kilometres from the Punda Maria gate. Some of the best bird watching in the park is found
here and a good place to spot Nyala and Antelope. There are seven luxury tents, a swimming
pool, bungalows and cottages.
Satara: Regarded as the best camp for viewing the big cats – lion, leopard
and cheetah – Satara is a big camp that is busy, for obvious reason. It lies just 47
kilometres east of the Orpen gate in the knobthorn veld, which offers some of the best
grazing in the Kruger National Park, and the high number of watering places in the area
translates into frequent sightings of antelope, zebra, giraffe and buffalo. Accommodation
is in guesthouses, cottages and bungalows.
Shingwedzi: Lying on the banks of the Shingwedzi River in the northern part of
the Park this rest camp is prime elephant spotting country. The slightly rustic camp is
filled with lovely trees, bungalows and shady verandas that provide an overriding feeling
of tranquillity and rest to your stay. North of the camp is a riverine forest said to be
the dwelling place of a number of leopard and other species of game. Accommodation is
principally in bungalows, huts, a cottage and a few guesthouses.
Skukusa: Skukusa is popular because it lies right in Big Five territory, the
Sabie River flowing gently past. It’s regarded as the ‘capital’ of Kruger
National Park, mostly due to its position and the abundance of bird and wild life. There
is an extensive range of accommodation that ranges from safari tents and bungalows to
luxury bungalows, guest cottages and guesthouses.
Tsendze: Tsendze is the newest of the park’s camps with an emphasis on
‘touch the earth lightly’ – there is no electricity, warm water is from gas
geysers and lighting is solar powered (keeping noise to a minimum by doing away with the
customary generator) - it received a three star grading and comes with some exciting
features like open-air showers. The camp lies in the shade of beautiful leadwood, mopane
and apple-leaf trees, and is a campsite for tents and caravans – no brick and mortar.
Satellite restcamps:
Balule private camp: Ideal for the die-hard camper, Balule, a satellite of Satara
and Olifants restcamps, lies on the southern bank of the Olifants River in central Kruger
- recommended for those who seek solitude and quiet. The main thrust of the camp is not
about luxury, but an authentic, time old bushveld experience.
Malelane private camp: Just three kilometres from the Malelane Gate, this
satellite camp is one of the smallest in the Kruger National Park, accommodating only 19
people, and lies on the banks of the Crocodile River. Accommodation is camping or little
huts.
Maroela private camp: Right in the heart of the bushveld overlooking the
Timbavati River bed, Moroela Camp is a satellite of Orpen regarded as an ideal place to
spot leopard. It’s essentially a camp site for caravans and tents about 4 kilometres
from Orpen and Eastgate airport. The nearby Rabelais dam is also a good place to spot
game.
Tamboti tent camp: Here you get to sleep in self-catering safari tents mounted on
stilts overlooking the usually dry Timbavati River bed, a great way to spot game from your
bed. The camp lies in a flat veld area with a smattering of marula trees and shares
communal bathrooms, kitchen and food areas.
BUSH LODGES:
Boulders: A rather novel idea of raised thatched cottages that allow the
safe viewing of game that is not fenced out of the camp (the only camp in Kruger to do
so), Boulders is rather like an exclusive camp, accommodating up to 12 people who have to
reserve the camp as a unit that allows complete privacy. Boulders lies 50 kilometres north
of Letaba restcamp. Solar panels provide lights and energy for ceiling fans.
Roodewal: Just 40 kilometres from Olifants restcamp en route to Timbavati,
Roodewal is also somewhat exclusive - accommodating up to 19 people in 4 cottages close to
the Timbavati River, with a lookout platform that resembles a treehouse, in a huge nyala
tree, which hangs over the banks of the Timbavati. Accommodation is in huts and a family
cottage. Solar energy provides lighting and there are gas lamps for emergencies.
BUSHVELD CAMPS:
Bateleur: Set on the banks of the Mashokwe Spruit in the northern savannah of the
Kruger, Bateleur is the oldest and the smallest bushveld camp that guarantees a place to
get away from the frenetic pace of city life. There is a game-viewing hide that overlooks
the waterhole just outside the camp, including a floodlight for night viewing. Two dams
close by are purely for residents of Bateleur where one can spot hippo, crocodile and
various antelope. Accommodation is in guest cottages.
Biyamiti: Lying on the banks of the Mbyamiti River, this intimate and isolated
camp lies in a wooded clearing amongst the moderately dense mixed combretum veld of the
area, close to the old ox wagon trade route between the coast and the hinterland. This is
a good camp from which to spot the Big Five and black rhino, as well as intermittent
appearances of wild dog and cheetah. Accommodation is in little cottages.
Shimuwini: Meaning the ‘place of the baobab’, Shimuwini lies in the
northern reaches of the Kruger National Park on the upper end of the Shimuwini dam on the
Letaba River, within easy access of elephant and buffalo country. Whilst mopane shrub
dominates, the Letaba River is lined with big trees that include the baobab, and the dam,
which doesn’t dry up, provides hours of bird and game watching. Accommodation is in
15 family cottages.
Sirheni: The northernmost camp in the Kruger National Park, Sirheni lies on the
dam of the same name in mopane veld. The camp is small and luxurious and close enough to
larger restcamps to make use of their amenities like game drives and walks. Accommodation
is in 15 cottages.
Talamati: Lying on the N’waswitsontso River, Talamati lies in a large open
valley about 31 kilometres from Orpen Gate with two hides on the perimeter fence,
overlooking a waterhole. There is a good chance of spotting game, particularly as the
surrounding grassveld attract grazers. Accommodation is in 15 secluded family cottages.
OVERNIGHT HIDES:
Sable: Just 10 kilometres from the Phalaborwa Gate, this is a unique form
of accommodation where one can feel one with nature in the very sense of the world. This
bird hide by day transforms into a pretty basic, it must be said, overnight dwelling. The
hide looks over the Sable Dam and little sleep will probably take place when hippo grunts
and lion rumbles are close at hand.
Shipandani: Overnighting in a bird hide away from the formality of a restcamp is
a unique way of being close to possible sightings of elephant, buffalo and other creatures
of the night that include nightjars and cicada. On the banks of the Tsedze River,
Shipandani is close to the Mopani restcamp and sunset is a particularly gratifying
experience.. |
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