Why it works after a hunt and not before
Do this at the end of the trip, not the beginning.
A hunter who has spent seven days learning to judge a kudu bull looks at Kruger completely differently from a tourist. You will spend the first morning assessing every animal you see and the rest of the trip enjoying not having to. Clients who go to Kruger first find the hunting slower; clients who go afterwards find the park richer.
It is also the obvious answer for a partner who has had enough of camp. Kruger is a holiday with lions in it.
What it is
Two million hectares along South Africa’s eastern border with Mozambique — bigger than Wales, roughly the size of New Jersey. It holds all of the Big Five plus wild dog, cheetah, over five hundred bird species, and the largest population of white rhino left anywhere.
The southern section is busier and has the highest game density. The central and northern sections are emptier, wilder and better for anyone who dislikes other vehicles.
You can drive it yourself on tarred roads in an ordinary car, which is unusual among African parks and part of why people love it.
Self-drive or guided
Self-drive is cheaper, entirely feasible, and what most South Africans do. You set your own pace, you stop where you like, and you can spend forty minutes at a leopard without anyone sighing.
Guided drives with a park ranger get you out before the gates open and after they close, which is when the cats move. For a two-day visit this is the difference between seeing a lion and seeing lions hunting.
Our honest advice for a short visit: self-drive during the day, book one dawn and one night drive through the camp.
Where you stay
The SANParks rest camps inside the park are good value, unpretentious and in the right place — Skukuza, Satara, Lower Sabie and Olifants are the ones most people choose. Being inside the gates at dusk and dawn is the whole point.
Private lodges on the western boundary are a different and considerably more expensive experience, with off-road driving and guided game viewing included.
Both book up a long way ahead, particularly in South African school holidays. This is the single biggest reason to tell us early.
How we handle it
We arrange it, you deal with us. Transfers from the Limpopo property, accommodation booked at the right camp, park fees, and a guide if you want one.
We do not run Kruger trips ourselves and do not pretend to. What we do is get it booked properly and get you there, which is worth something when the good camps are full eleven months out.
Practical notes
Distance. Kruger is a reasonable drive from the Limpopo property, and sensible as a two to four day extension rather than a day trip.
Malaria. Kruger is a malaria area, particularly in the northern sections and the wet summer months. Keep taking your prophylaxis.
Gate times. The gates open and close at fixed times and the fines for being out after closing are real. Your guide or the camp will tell you the times for the month you are there.
Firearms stay behind. No rifles go into a national park. They remain secured on the hunting property or with the taxidermist while you are away, and we handle that.
