If you plan to visit the Kruger National Park, you should know a few things about this world-famous park before you arrive.
The park is one of the largest and oldest parks in Africa and offers many opportunities for game viewing, learning, recreation and nature photography.
Here is an overview of the Kruger National Park:
1. Uniqueness – The park is the flagship of South Africa’s national parks and is home to an impressive number of species: 336 trees, 49 fish, 34 amphibians, 114 reptiles, 507 birds and 147 mammals. The park is 350 kilometers from north to south, about 60 kilometers wide, and five perennial rivers run through it.
two. Location and history – The park is located in the northeast of South Africa in two provinces, namely the provinces of Mpumalanga and Limpopo. The park borders Mozambique to the east and Zimbabwe to the north. Kruger Park was first proclaimed in 1898 as the Sabie Game Reserve and in 2002 the fences between Kruger and Mozambique’s Limpopo National Park and Zimbabwe’s Gonarezhou were torn down to create the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park (GLTP).
3. Size – almost 20,000 square kilometers in South Africa alone. The Kruger parks receive around 1.5 million visitors a year, making them the second most popular tourist attraction in South Africa, behind only the city of Cape Town.
Four. known for – a combination of comfortable and affordable accommodation, good quality roads, unique rest camps, an incredible diversity of wildlife, around 120 waterholes along tourist routes, and very good photo opportunities for animals both inside and outside of the camps.
5. Roads – There are about 850 kilometers of paved roads in the Park, 1,444 kilometers of gravel roads and more than 4,200 kilometers of firebreaks in the park. You don’t need a 4×4 unless you’re going to Mozambique or going on one of the 4×4 trails in the park. The southern Kruger park is located 440 km from Johannesburg and the northern part about 530 km from Johannesburg. You can fly into Nelspruit, Phalaborwa or Skukuza and then rent a car or drive from Johannesburg. The roads leading to the park’s nine gateways from South African cities are all paved and in good condition.
6. Climate – The Kruger has two main seasons; the rainy season and the dry season. The subtropical climate has hot and rainy summers that start in October and end around March. Summer rains transform the park into a lush flower paradise, but the increase in plant life can make game viewing and photography difficult. The winter months of April through September are pleasant with warm, dry days and cool to cold nights. Traditionally, the best game viewing is in late winter when vegetation becomes sparse and water is restricted to rivers and waterholes, but we have had good game viewing in all seasons.
7. Accommodation – The Kruger has the full spectrum, from luxury lodges to camping. If you enjoy a budget self-drive safari, this is the park for you! There are 25 rest camps with cabins, tents, guest houses, cabins and bungalows; most with fully equipped kitchens, air conditioners, en-suite bathrooms and all units cleaned daily
8. Activities and Facilities – You can choose from 5 nature trails, 4×4 adventure trails, backpacking trails, mountain bike trails, night tours, self-drive safaris, bush walks and bush barbecues. There are nearly 3,000 kilometers of animal-watching trails, 11 bird hides (including two that are sleeping hides), 14 picnic sites, shops and restaurants at all major campgrounds, and swimming pools at most major campgrounds. Skukuza, the largest camp, has an ATM, a bank, a library, a doctor, a church, two restaurants, a nursery, two swimming pools, a conference center, a golf course, you name it Skukuza! have!
9. Security advice – Stay in your vehicles when in the park and obey the speed limit. People have been attacked by animals getting out of their cars, while others have been killed when speeding caused their vehicle to end up in the Letaba River!
10 Things to look for in the Kruger:
- The big five: buffalo, elephant, leopard, lion and rhinoceros.
- The five little ones of Africa: buffalo weaver, elephant shrew, leopard tortoise, ant lion and rhinoceros beetle.
- The Six Great Birds: Ground Hornbill, Kori Bustard, Lappet-faced Vulture, Martial Eagle, Pel’s Fish Owl, and Saddle-billed Stork.
- The Big Five Trees: The Baobab, Fever Tree, Lala Palm, Sausage Tree, and Umbrella Thorn are ideal photographic subjects due to their unique shapes and colors.
- Africa’s Super Seven: The Big Five plus Cheetah and Wild Dogs.
- Africa’s Elusive Eleven – Nocturnal animals that are rare, so don’t put your camera away after the sun goes down!
- Natural/Cultural Features: Letaba Elephant Museum, Jock of the Bushveld Route, Stevenson Hamilton Memorial Library, and the Thulamela, Masorini, and Albasini archaeological sites.
- The magnificent views from the Olifants camp, the Tshanga and Nkumbe viewpoints.
- Pafuri and Mlondozi: the two best picnic spots in the park.
- Sunset Dam and Lake Panic Bird Hide for excellent game viewing.
The Kruger National Park offers a safari experience that ranks among the best in Africa and the genuine African atmosphere of the park has a fascination that draws visitors back again and again.