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Kanikoski
US
Visited:
April 2016
Reviewed: Aug 2, 2016
Email Kanikoski | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent introduction to South African wildlife
We visited the Kruger National Park with a guide, as part of a more extensive South African safari holiday. Our experience at the Kruger set us up very nicely for the rest of our trip, as it provided us with a relatively 'soft' start in viewing the animals and birdlife from the safety and comfort of an air-conditioned car. Our game sightings were excellent, with up-to-date local information points helping us to make and photograph some wonderful wildlife encounters. Beyond the 'big five', much of the pleasure was in time spent close-up with 'common' animals such as zebras, and although I'm not a 'birder' as such, we were also guided into spotting a varied selection of colourful and fascinating birdlife. The Kruger National Park may not be sufficient for a whole safari holiday, but it is definitely an excellent way to get accustomed to some of the wildlife you may see elsewhere in South Africa.
Des Maguire
IE
Visited:
March 2016
Reviewed: Mar 27, 2016
Email Des Maguire | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Absolutely worth the visit.
We crammed a lot into three days in Kruger.Even though it was coming into Autumn, it was still very hot but with the luxury of some cloud cover. The scenery is bland but what amazed me was the ease at which many animals of different colours can blend into the background. We were pleased to see most of the big 5, only missing out on the Leopard.To be up close to such wild magnificent animals was truly amazing.Also for me the birds we saw were beautiful and varied.
The accommodation was perfect and the staff were very helpful.We could not fault anything except maybe the flying beetles which can drop in(literally) during dinner while dining al fresco.
Simon Eeman
Wildlife, Birds, History, Nature, People, ... everything you need for a great Safari holiday!
I'm Simon, a guide and photographer. I have spent three months working and being on holiday in the Kruger National Park, South Africa. During these three months I was able to discover quite a large part of the park. I have slept in most of the rest camps, ate in most of the restaurants in the rest camps and travelled on most of the roads in the park.
There are a lot of Safari companies that will do guided drives in the park, in general most of those companies are well organised and if you wish to learn about the different aspects of the park ( animals, birds, history, trees, etc...) I would recommend to go on one of the drives. You can find plenty of those companies on google.
A great thing about Kruger is that you're also able to go in the park with your own car. Go where you want ( on tar roads or dirt roads), look at what you want for as much time as you want and sleep in the different rest camps. The rest camps
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offer basic but very good accommodation at a reasonable price, depending on which accommodation you book you will have a kitchen, each camp also has a shop where you can buy food. If you don't want to cook, each camp also has a restaurant that has very nice menus. All the camps have fuel stations and most camps also have communal swimming pools and organise bush walks, bush dinners and drives (morning, afternoon and evening) which are not expensive and where you can learn and discover new things.Wildlife is plentiful in the park, you will easily and closely see general game including Elephants and Buffalos. There are also plenty of cats in the park, however you don't always have sightings of them next to the road. If you spent several days in the park though you will usually, at least have some nice sightings of cats. Same for Wild dogs and other rare game.
There is also a wide variety of birds in the park ( around 517 species), there are several bird hides throughout the park where you can go to observe them in peace and quietness.
The park has several historical sites and you can buy books in the shops that will explain the history of those sites.
As I said earlier, every rest camp has a shop where you can buy food, drinks,general utilities and a lot of books (maps of the park, books on the birds, animals, fiction, history, photography, true stories of the park, etc...)
If you like landscapes you will also enjoy every moment in Kruger, there are 5 different biomes. There are also plenty of view points in the park where you can get out of your car and enjoy the panorama.
If you drive by yourself you can choose to either drive on the tar roads or the dirt roads. Usually there will be less people on the dirt roads but you travel more slowly and for some dirt roads you need a decent car, it is also quite dusty. As far as wildlife goes, dirt road or tar road there is no road where you will see more animals, it is all luck!
If you drive by yourself, international visitors will pay 280 Rand as conservation fee per day, South Africans 70 Rand (because they already pay conservation fees in their taxes) at the entry gates of the park or the rest camps if you sleepover. However if you plan on staying several days it might be interesting to buy yourself a Wildcard, which will give you access to all South African National Parks for 1 year. For international visitors it costs 1920 Rand and for South Africans 470 Rand, there are several other options which you can ask for at the Kruger gates.
All in all if you plan on visiting South Africa I would really recommend you visiting the Kruger National Park, it is something you just can't miss!
Plentiful and varied wildlife
We saw over 100 elephants, 2 rhinos, 50 cape buffalo, 1 lion
We were captivated by the pulse of the bush and variety of wildlife encountered.
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per kilometre travelled. This trip has certainly put the unique African bush & wildlife in our hearts & we can't wait to return in the near future.A Must See for Wildlife Lovers
Kruger is a wonderful National Park whether you are experiencing it with a tour or on your own. Roads are good and the accommodation is a welcome oasis after a day of game viewing. It's also the perfect place to meet up with other people and swap stories of the animal encounters of the day. Every day can bring something new from seeing a family of elephants enjoying the watering hole to following a lion on a hunt. A night drive is also a good way to see other animals that usually don't make an apperance during the day, such as a new hyena mother with her baby cubs enjoying the cool night air. Kruger National Park was a highlight of our travels through South Africa.
Chris Boyce
GB
Visited:
April 2015
Reviewed: Nov 15, 2015
Email Chris Boyce | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good introduction, but perhaps not quite "wild" enough
I went to the southern section, from Malelane gate up to Skukuza. This is probably one of the the most popular parts of the Kruger. Access is easy, there are many lodges close by. But popular means busy; this is not the wide open savannah, its relatively dense lowveld, and visitors must stay on the roads and tracks. There are sightings on the roads, and some good ones too, but as guides usually have radios to keep in touch and report sightings, anything interesting tends to be soon surrounded by a traffic jam! I had a two guides, one okay, and one great which helped a lot, but even then we didn't see any cats at all. That's just down to bad luck. :-( Overall whilst it was a great introduction to the whole safari experience, I found it felt "managed" and somewhat canned and commercialised. I wanted and still want a "wilder" safari experience.
MªCarmen Hernández
ES
Visited:
August 2015
Reviewed: Aug 30, 2015
Email MªCarmen Hernández | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Just stunning
Kruger is a piece of Africa's heart. There are a lot of wild animals that are easy to spot, including mammals, birds and reptiles. I saw at least once a day lions, leopards, elephants, kudu, rhino, hippo, cebra, wildebeest and plenty of different species of bird. In addition, the landscape is awesome, specially the sunset, you can take amazing pictures.
The accomodations, shops and restaurants are really good.
I recommend to avoid weekends because there are too many people.
sary_pika
MG
Visited:
July 2013
Reviewed: Jul 6, 2015
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing kruger
For a Malagasy that come from a tropical biodiversity hotspot, Kruger was an amazing experience.
My dream to observe the big 5 became a reality.
hrosenlund
NO
Visited:
October 2013
Reviewed: Jun 24, 2015
Email hrosenlund | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
I didn't spend too long at Kruger, and dind't see a lot either. I am not a big fan of all the traffic, but you will see a lot of animals. Very good place for birding.