A safari icon – unpacking the Kruger National Park

A potential guest doing research on bush travel to Africa who types in – ‘best places to go for safari’
will no doubt find the Kruger National Park pops up prominently in the search.

And for very good reason. The Kruger National Park is vast, world renowned and home to prolific
game. Here you will find all of the famous ‘Big Five’ species (lion, elephant, buffalo, rhino and
leopard) and pristine landscapes. An exemplary case study for how conservation can drive tourism,
it’s one of the most popular destinations in South Africa.

Why is it important?

The Kruger National Park holds great value – historically, economically and ecologically. It’s home to
a great diversity of ecosystems and species (in addition to the Big Five that countless people come to
see every year is a plethora of bird, mammal, reptile and plant species).

It serves not only as a natural habitat for these fauna and flora, but also facilitates the protection of
and research into many endangered species, safeguarding the biodiversity of the region. It’s also
important from a longterm conservation point of view because of the revenue and employment it
generates within neighbouring communities.

And, while it was founded in 1926 (with areas of the park first protected as far back as 1898) and is
an important site from an archaeological and cultural heritage point of view, it continues to create
forward-thinking solutions for the future. The park is part of the Greater Limpopo Transfrontier Park,
a collaboration with Mozambique and Zimbabwe to create a larger, contiguous protected area,
furthering conservation efforts across borders.

In a nutshell

The Kruger National Park is one of the largest game reserves in Africa. It covers an area of 19 623
square kilometres. But what many first-time visitors to the country don’t realise is that the Greater
Kruger National Park is made up of various different elements – the Kruger National Park itself being
one element of a larger region.

Neighbouring this national park are private reserves and concessions, also with lodges and camps on
them. Why this is important is that there are different rules and guidelines for each, as they don’t all
fall under the national park, despite being easily accessible from one to the next.

National vs private – the pros and cons

In the national park, game drives are self-guided and conducted in your own vehicle. This gives you
the benefit of timing them to suit you and to decide on the duration. The routes are all tarred roads
and are easy to drive and navigate. The downside of this is you aren’t allowed to leave the
designated routes – off roading into the bush isn’t permitted so you have less freedom to get closer
to sightings.

In the private reserves and concessions bordering the park, you will be assigned to an open-air
vehicle and a guide. Drives take place usually early morning and late afternoon. This way, you
benefit from the expertise of the guide and the ability to get closer to sightings. You will also see far
fewer vehicles at sightings – in private concessions and reserves are only accessible to the guests
staying on those properties.

Choose your adventure…

Let us help you navigate this wonderful part of the world – and assist you in deciding what kind of
Kruger National Park holiday suits you best.