Limpopo and Mpumalanga, north-east South Africa · South Africa
One of Africa's largest and best-managed game reserves, the size of Wales, where the Big Five roam and you can drive yourself between rest camps and waterholes.
Photo: Dietmar Rabich · CC BY-SA 4.0
Kruger National Park covers almost 20,000 square kilometres along South Africa's north-eastern border with Mozambique, an area the size of Wales, or of Israel. It began in 1898 as the Sabie Game Reserve, and it became a national park in 1926, named after the Boer president Paul Kruger. Today it is one of the most biodiverse protected areas in Africa, with about 150 species of mammal, including the Big Five, more than 500 species of bird and a landscape of open savanna, acacia woodland, rivers and rocky hills.
What sets Kruger apart is how easy it is to visit. A network of paved and gravel roads, 12 main rest camps with chalets and campsites, restaurants and shops, means that visitors can drive their own vehicles, and many do. Others join guided game drives at dawn, dusk or night, or bush walks with armed rangers. Along the western boundary, private reserves such as Sabi Sands and Timbavati share unfenced land with Kruger, and offer off-road drives and luxury lodges.
The dry season, from May to September, is the best time for wildlife, as animals gather at rivers and waterholes and the vegetation thins. Rhino poaching has been a serious problem in recent years, and the park has worked to protect its populations, though sightings are less common than they once were. Even so, a stay here is the classic African safari.
Why visit
Kruger is Africa's most accessible big-game park, with wildlife that ranges from elephants to tiny birds.
Lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo, plus giraffe, zebra, hippo, cheetah and wild dogs.
Explore at your own pace on well-kept roads, stopping at waterholes and viewpoints.
Dawn, sunset and night drives with expert rangers.
From campsites and chalets to some of the world's best safari lodges.
Eagles, hornbills, rollers and hundreds of other species.
Main attractions
Kruger is a vast park with distinct regions, each with different wildlife and character.
The largest rest camp, in the south, on the Sabie River, with many animals along its banks and a good chance of seeing leopards.
Tip Drive the river road at dawn.
Open grassland in the centre, rich in grazers and known for lions, which follow the herds of zebra, wildebeest and buffalo.
Tip Look for lions near waterholes.
The southern part, from Lower Sabie to Berg-en-Dal, has dense bush and a high density of wildlife, including leopards and rhinos.
Tip Scan trees along rivers.
Camps in the north-central region with views over rivers and elephant herds, and the Letaba Elephant Hall museum.
Tip Stay a night for the river views.
Private reserves along Kruger's western border, unfenced from the park, offering off-road drives, night drives and close leopard encounters, at a high price.
Tip Book far ahead.
Things to do
The main activity is game viewing, on your own or with a guide.
Drive the park's roads at your own pace, with a map and binoculars.
Tip Drive slowly, and stay in your car.
A guided drive in an open vehicle, with a ranger who spots wildlife.
Tip Book in the camp.
See leopards, hyenas, owls and bushbabies with a spotlight.
Tip Bring warm clothes.
A guided walk with an armed ranger, learning about tracks, plants and insects.
Tip Follow the ranger's instructions.
Sit at a hide or camp waterhole and watch animals come and go.
Tip Bring patience and binoculars.
A luxury stay with trackers and off-road drives.
Tip Book months ahead.
Local food
Food in Kruger is simple, with braais, buffets and camp restaurants.
Barbecue at rest-camp braai areas, with steak, chops and sausages.
Where to try it Every camp.
A slow-cooked stew in a cast-iron pot, over a fire.
Where to try it Lodges.
Kudu, springbok and impala, in stews and steaks.
Where to try it Restaurants and lodges.
Dried meat and hard biscuits for dunking in coffee.
Where to try it Camp shops.
Gin and tonic or wine at sunset in the bush.
Where to try it Lodges.
Accommodation
Stay in rest camps for value, or in private lodges for a higher-end experience.
Transport
Kruger is 400 to 500 km east of Johannesburg.
Most visitors self-drive, or travel on guided vehicles.
When to go
Kruger has hot, wet summers and mild, dry winters. Winter is best for wildlife.
Hot, humid and green, with newborn animals, birds and thick vegetation.
Drying out, with lower rates and fewer visitors.
Cool mornings, warm days, sparse vegetation and animals at water.
Hot and dry, with the best game viewing, before the rains.
Worth planning around: January and February for heat, rain and dense bush.
Itinerary
A self-drive with a guided drive and a night in the bush.
Enter the park.
Dawn to dusk.
Lions and plains.
Travel tips
A few tips help you make the most of Kruger.
FAQ
Three or four days for a good safari experience.
Often, though rhino sightings are rarer than before because of poaching. Leopards can also be elusive.
Yes. Roads are good, but keep to the rules, and stay in your car.
May to September, the dry season.
Kruger is a malaria area, with lower risk in winter. Consult a travel clinic.
Kruger is cheaper and lets you self-drive. Private reserves offer off-road drives and more intimate sightings, at a higher price.
Keep exploring
Places that pair well with Kruger National Park, whether you have a few spare days or are building a longer route.
Mpumalanga, north-east South Africa, South Africa
A scenic route through Mpumalanga's escarpment, with Blyde River Canyon, God's Window, the Three Rondavels, Bourke's Luck Potholes, waterfalls and the old gold town of Pilgrim's Rest.
Don't miss The view from God's Window across the lowveld, with the Blyde River Canyon and the Three Rondavels beyond.
Explore Destination — The Panorama RouteGauteng, north-east interior, South Africa
South Africa's largest city and its historic heart: the Apartheid Museum, Constitution Hill, Soweto's Vilakazi Street and Hector Pieterson Memorial, urban renewal in Maboneng and the Cradle of Humankind.
Don't miss Vilakazi Street in Soweto, where two Nobel Peace Prize winners lived a few doors apart.
Explore Destination — Johannesburg and SowetoKwaZulu-Natal, north-east coast, South Africa
South Africa's first UNESCO World Heritage Site: hippo and crocodile cruises on the St Lucia estuary, the beaches of Cape Vidal, diving at Sodwana Bay, turtle nesting, whales and nearby big-game parks.
Don't miss A boat cruise on the St Lucia estuary at sunset, surrounded by hippos and the sound of fish eagles.
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