Why the Kruger Park...

...well in our humble opinion, there's no other national park quite like the Kruger Park. From the Baobab-dominated north of the park...

Many people spend their annual holidays in the park every year and have done so for the last 30 years or more. Why do they keep coming back?

We often get asked “don’t you get tired of the Kruger Park?”, “isn’t it the same thing year after year?”, “once you’ve seen one leopard why do you want to see another one?” and so forth.

Many authors have tried to put their finger on the one thing that makes the Kruger National Park special or magical but we don’t think there is any one thing.

It’s a combination of the many different animals, from the totally different camps...

• Bateleur

• Berg-en-Dal

• Biyamiti

• Boulders

• Crocodile Bridge

• Letaba

• Lower Sabie

• Mopani

• Olifants

• Orpen

• Pretoriuskop

• Punda Maria

• Roodewal

• Satara

• Shimuwini

• Shingwedzi

• Sirheni

• Skukuza

• Talamati

• Tamboti

(To see maps of the various Kruger camps please click here).

To the amazing flora, the smell of thatch, the sense of wilderness, the clear unpolluted skies, the good network of roads, and the good service from most SANParks staff.

In addition you have the vastly different landscapes:

• from the baobabs and fever trees of Pafuri,

• the Phalaborwa koppies,

• the Olifants rugged-veld,

• the Lebombo Mountain foothills near Nwanetsi,

• the lala-palm wetland plains around Satara,

• the serene and perennial Sabie river,

• Ship Mountain near Pretoriuskop,

• the various Granite koppies south of Skukuza

• to the unique Berg-en-Dal mountain setting.

All of the above is what makes the Kruger a magnet that draws visitors back year after year, and if you asked a dozen people what they like most about the Kruger Park, you'll most probably get a dozen different answers!



Let's have a brief look at what the Kruger is and what it has to offer:

• The KNP was South Africa's first conservation area, with its roots in the establishment of the Sabie Game Reserve in 1898. Then on 31 May 1926 the National Parks Act was proclaimed and the Sabie and Shingwdzi Game Reserves merged to form what we now know as the Kruger National Park, which celebrated its centenary in 1998. (for those of you who have been regular visitors to the Kruger click here to reminisce about the 'good old days' and to share your old Kruger Park photographs and stories with others)

• It covers nearly 20 000 square kilometers and, stretching north to south for 350km and about 60km west to east, it is larger than Israel. The park also straddles two provinces, namely Limpopo Province in the north and Mpumalanga Province in the south

• The KNP now forms part of the Greater Limpopo Transfrontier Park, which includes parts of Mocambique and Zimbabwe

• The KNP is arguably Africa's most visited game reserve with nearly 1.4 million visitors per annum

• The diverse geology and landscapes of the KNP are classified in fifteen ecozones

• There is over 850 kilometers of tarred roads in the Park, 1 444 kilometers of good gravel roads and more than 4 200 kilometers of fire break roads

• There is a variety of accommodation from camping in tents and caravans to budget huts through to more expensive family cottages and the private lodges. There are 12 main rest camps, 5 bushveld Camps, 4 satellite camps and 2 bush lodges in the KNP

• Each main camp has a well-stocked shop, restaurant, and petrol station

• It has the Big-five: lion, leopard, elephant, rhino, and buffalo. It's estimated that the Sabie River in the Kruger Park has the highest density of leopards in Africa

• It has an awesome species diversity; 507 birds, 336 trees, 147 mammals, 114 reptiles, 49 fish, 34 amphibians and 1982 species of plants

• It is one of the few remaining affordable big-five holiday destinations for the average person

• You have a choice between self-drive or being driven around by a tour guide

• There are many activities; such as night drives, bush walks, 4X4 trails, wilderness trails to name a few

• Photography can be a challenge as the bush gets very dense but our hints and tips should ensure you are able to return home with some good photographs

• Yes, the park does get busy, there is petty crime (like most other parks and game reserves), and some people say that the park can feel like a zoo. Well if you do a bit of research and take a few precautions all these reservations can disappear and you will have a true wilderness experience, with minimal conjestion at sightings and you will return home with all your posessions!

• And please don't forget to purchase or renew your Wild Card! You will save a lot of money on conservation fees...

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