Kruger National Park

Understand

Kruger National Park is one of the biggest protected areas in South Africa and is widely considered to be one of the best national parks in the world. The park is similar in size to El Salvador, Israel, Slovenia, and Fiji, or to the US state of New Jersey. With over 1.5 million visitors annually, Kruger National Park is one of the most popular tourist attractions in South Africa.

History

The park was established in 1898 with the help and blessing of the South African Republic's president Paul Kruger as a protected area for wildlife and it first opened its gates to the general public in 1927. The park is run by SANParks and is probably the best managed South African national park. Wildlife conservation, education and tourism are the main objectives of the KNP. Effective measures to prevent poaching are in place and as a result of this cars are generally inspected upon entering and leaving the park. Kruger National Park is part of a larger transnational park initiative called the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park. KNP alongside Limpopo National Park in Mozambique, the Gonarezhou National Park, Manjinji Pan Sanctuary, and Malipati Safari Area in Zimbabwe forms a continuous conservation area across the three countries. However, border restrictions at crossings still apply and border posts are not open all day.

Landscape

Flora and fauna The southern part of the park along the Sabie and Crocodile river is rich in water and has a lot of game viewing opportunities. Here you can see the best of African flora and fauna such as lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo, often referred to as the big five, but there are plenty of others to see as well. Driving around the Sabie River will always result in seeing some interesting animals. The vegetation around the Sabie River can be very dense forest and thicket and it gets a little bit more open driving down south to the Crocodile River. The northern part of the park supports less flora and fauna and is often referred t

Getting there

Kruger is quite accessible by car and by air. Most visitors drive to Kruger or rent a car to take around the park, as cars allow more freedom in the park. However, many of the luxury camps offer all-inclusive packages which make renting a car unnecessary. The park also offers park-and-ride facilities for day visitors at Phabeni, Numbi and Paul Kruger gates.

By car Kruger National Park has nine gates within South Africa and two international border crossings: one at Pafuri in the very north of the park and one at Giryondo in the north-central section of the park. The more established southern section of the park has five gates, whilst the central and northern sections only have two each. There is a significant gap between Phalaborwa gate and Punda Maria gate, making the Shingwedzi camp very remote. The park's gates are closed after sunset and visitors are not permitted to drive at night in the park. Driving in darkness is considered to be dangerous outside the park especially if you are not used to driving in Africa. Pedestrians walk along the roads and there are local taxi/minibus services. Both are difficult to spot at night. The area of the Numbi Gate has had incidents involving barriers on roads.

Gates

1 Paul Kruger Gate (Kruger Gate) (east of Hazyview on the 536), ☏ +27 13 735 5107. In a way the "main entrance" to Kruger Park, Paul Kruger Gate lies a 15-minute drive west of Skukuza along one of the park's tar roads. At the gate is also the Paul Kruger Memorial statue. (updated Jan 2020) 2 Phabeni (along the R536 east of Hazyview, with a turnoff to the gate long before reaching Paul Kruger Gate), ☏ +27 13 735 5890. Offering a quicker entrance to the park from Hazyview than Paul Kruger Gate but an overall longer drive to get to Skukuza (due to the 50 km/h speed inside the park and likelihood of viewing animals), Phabeni gate is a good choice for those coming from the Johannesburg area, as it is one of the quickest to get into the park. (updated Jan 2020) 3

Getting around

By car

The infrastructure of the park is outstanding by African standards and roads inside the park are of very good quality and potholes on the main roads are rare. Smaller side tracks are close to the original landscape, but manageable with a normal car, although a 4x4 offers probably a better comfort on this type of terrain. KNP roads have speed limits, ranging from 20 to 50 km/h and it is not wise to go much faster, because game tend to cross the roads out of nowhere. Driving off road is not allowed. Take care when approaching animals. They are wild and unpredictable. If you have the feeling that animals get angry, leave! Elephant and rhino can be very dangerous to you and your car, especially a mother who is protecting her calf! It is custom to share information about animal sightings with other park visitors. This happens casually and information is exchanged when two cars from the opposite direction meet and stop for a short chit-chat, there are also sightings boards at all the camps, showing where recent sightings were made. However, it is strongly discouraged to share wildlife locations on social media, due to poaching concerns. Avis is the only car rental company with an office inside the park at Skukuza Camp, but other companies from Mbombela and at the two above mentioned airports are happy to provide you with a car as well. You may want to consider an air-conditioned car in the hot climate of the KNP. Petrol stations within the park do accept payment by most bank cards. The maximum speed limit is 50 km/h on tarred roads, 40 km/h on gravel roads and 20 km/h in rest camps, and is generally obeyed. However lower speeds afford greater safety and better sightings. It takes roughly 10 hours to cross the KNP in south - north direction. Distances between camps sites are on average 1-2 hours in the south and a little bit more in the north. Consider the distances between camps when planning your trip and remember that you are not allowed to leave your car on

See

Although the main attraction of Kruger is the wildlife, this just barely scratches the surface of what the park offers. From archaeological sites to memorial plaques, from baobab trees to some of the oldest rocks on the planet, Kruger offers a spectacular variety of attractions.

Wildlife The main attraction of the park is wildlife viewing, and most of the camps have boards for reporting sightings of some of the most popular animals in the park. Due to poaching concerns, rhino sightings have been removed, and guests are asked not to report the locations of any animal sightings on social media. The best times for sightings are during sunrise right when the gates open and sunset right before the gates close when animals are the most active. Sightings are also likely easier during the dry winter season when veld foliage is less dense and animals are likely to congregate around water sources. During the wet summer, there is a multitude of birds with summer seasonal visitors and a key tim