Kruger National Park



The Kruger National Park (KNP) lies in the north-east of South Africa and runs along the border of Mozambique in the east, Zimbabwe in the north, and the southern border is the Crocodile River. The park covers and is divided in 14 different ecozones, each supporting different wildlife. It is one of the main attractions of South Africa and it is considered the flagship of South African National Parks (SANParks).

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.

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 to as the birding paradise.

If you choose to drive yourself, and aren't experienced in African animal tracking, you will still inevitably see elephant and buffalo, and a big variety of antelope. Impala are ubiquitous. Rhino are less common, but big enough to be seen by the untrained eye. Leopard are commonly seen by the experts, but are camouflaged and in trees, so to present a challenge to the untrained. Everything else is down to your luck of the day.

If you have limited time, and want to do Kruger, go in the dry season, stay at a camp like Olifants, and confine yourself to the south of the park along the southern rivers.

Climate
South Africa is located south of the equator and has therefore a reverse order of summer and winter than Europe and North America.

Generally the KNP boasts a dry and hot area, regardless of summer or winter. The South African summer (September -April) in the KNP is hot and sunny with occasional showers and temperature in the shadows range from 18-30°C. The winter (May–August) is warm and dry with temperatures ranging from 8-22°C. September–April: Hot and sunny with sporadic thunder showers. Average temperature 18-30°C. The climate chart to the right represents the climate in Skukuza, in the southern part of the park. The northern part of the park is generally about 2-3°C warmer.

Get in
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.

Gate Hours
It is not allowed to enter, walk or drive in the park unaccompanied at night, and entry gate and camp gate opening and closing times are strictly enforced.

If you are late on returning to the camp or found driving around at night, you will be fined very heavily. So make sure to be out or back in the camp before closing time!

By plane
There are three airports with commercial scheduled flights near Kruger National Park. From south to north, they are Kruger Mpumalanga at Mbombela, Hoedspruit Airport, and Phalaborwa Airport.



From Mozambique
While most visitors to Kruger come from South Africa, given the park's substantial border with Mozambique there are several entry points convenient for tourists coming via Mozambique. Crocodile Bridge gate is near the town of Komatipoort, which borders the Mozambican town of Ressano Garcia. It is 110 km (and a roughly 1 hr 45 min drive) from Maputo. If coming from Maputo province, this is likely the fastest entry to the park. Malelane gate is also fairly close along the N4.

Kruger also has two border crossings which give access to Mozambique's Limpopo National Park as part of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park, one at Giriyondo and another in the very north at Pafuri.

Fees
As with all South African National Parks, there are daily conservation and entry fees for the park. It may also be beneficial for one to buy a Wild Card, which provides entry to either selections of parks in South Africa or all of the South African National Parks. If you are not a resident of South Africa, you can choose to either pay daily conservation fees or buy an international visitors wildcard (valid for entry to all SANParks parks). The break even point is about 4-days conservation fees equal to a wildcard. You can purchase a wildcard or pay conservation fees when you are booking your accommodation, or you pay on admission (if you are not staying in the park) or at your camp. If you are visiting other parts of South Africa, you may want to consider the discounts available for Table Mountain and other parks before making your calculation.

When you enter the park you will be given an admission permit. It is very important to retain this, as you have to present it on the way out of the park to be permitted to exit.

The following conservation fees apply for Kruger National Park as of November 2022:

Anyone without a South African ID or Southern African Development Community passport will be charged the standard conservation fees. Up to date tariff information can be found on the SANParks website.

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!

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 once you left a camp site. Toilets are present at all the camps and picnic areas, but not at the hides. A road can be blocked by buffalo or elephant crossing, adding 20 minutes unexpected journey time to your trip. Leave some slack in your travel time calculations to enjoy the scenery.

During the summer rainy season, there is the possibility of gravel roads and bridges being closed due to flooding. Certain areas of the park may be inaccessible. Exercise caution if driving on these secondary roads during and after heavy rainfall.

Navigation
Make sure you have an up-to-date map, enough to eat and drink, cameras and binoculars, reference books and a litter bag with you, a litter bag is normally issued by the park's staff when you enter the park, but feel free to ask at camps and picnic spots. Maps can be purchased in all main camps at each gate. It is not advisable to rely solely on directions from satnav, as most satnav apps or devices will attempt to navigate you via private roads.

South African National Parks publishes a medium detail map on their website which can be used to supplement your GPS to prevent you from taking the wrong roads, but it is still recommended to buy a guide book when you get there, as the maps in the guidebooks are more detailed. OpenStreetMap also tends to have better, more up to date information than Google or Apple maps, but still has a tendency to send you along private roads sometimes. It is recommended that you use the table of travel times provided by SANParks in the Kruger Park guidebooks or on their website when calculating travel times especially, as the GPS will typically use the speed limit to calculate travel times, which can be highly unreliable in the park since it's not unusual to have to stop and wait for a herd of elephants or zebra to cross the road before proceeding.

Filling stations
Given the size of the park, it is often a source of anxiety for first-time visitors to find petrol. Fortunately, this is not as big a concern as it first appears, as most of the main camps have petrol. The camps with petrol stations are:


 * Berg-en-Dal
 * Crocodile Bridge
 * Letaba
 * Lower Sabie
 * Mopani
 * Orpen
 * Olifants
 * Pretoriuskop
 * Punda Maria
 * Satara
 * Shingwedzi
 * Skukuza

Visitors to the far northern region should be aware that there are no petrol stations in the Makuleke contract park and the closest petrol station is at the Punda Maria rest camp.

By foot
It is possible to go on guided walking tours, which you can arrange through the camp reception, or in advance with SANParks. However, the rangers in Kruger National Park have a policy of not surprising animals, which means you are going to be walking briskly through bushland with a couple of armed guides ahead of you, rather than stealthily moving through the bush to get a glimpse of an animal that hasn't seen you. The reality of this is that most animals will well have truly gone from the area before you get there, and the chances of wildlife spotting are dramatically reduced over what you might see by game vehicle or by car. Still, you might be lucky.

Unauthorised walking is not allowed and also extremely foolish.

Park and Ride
Kruger Park offers day visitors an option to do a park and ride tour at Numbi, Phabeni, or Paul Kruger gates. They have daily tours starting at 07:00 for morning drives and 14:00 (in summer) or 13:30 (in winter) for afternoon drives. Information about bookings can be found on the SANParks website.

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 time for birdwatchers.

If you're new to wildlife viewing, it's worthwhile to get one of the park's animal guidebooks to help you out. There are also a few lists to check off of what you've seen:



Marula Region (South)
The southernmost region of the park, and the most visited, is the Marula region. It is the most densely populated with wildlife as well.



Nkayeni Region (Central)
North of Skukuza is the Nkayeni region of the park, with Satara rest camp centrally located in the region and the Orpen gate is the only gate in the area. It is bordered to the north by the Olifants River.

Nxanatseni Region (North)
The Nxanatseni region is by far the largest region of the park, with almost half the land in the park being in this region.



Do
The biggest draw of Kruger is the nature. Flora, fauna, and beautiful landscapes all combine to make a generally pleasant and relaxing experience. It's possible to spend weeks in Kruger slowly driving around looking for animals, stopping at the various hides and other waypoints to see what's there, and just generally taking life at a snail's pace. However, Kruger offers a variety of ways to see things you wouldn't otherwise see with guided drives and walks, as well as a variety of other experiences both in and out of camp.

Wildlife experiences
The basic way to see the wildlife is to tour the park by car during the daylight hours when the park is open. This is a very effective way of seeing wildlife, even for first timers. There are many other wildlife experiences on offer.


 * Bush drives First-time visitors may want to consider to book a guided tour through the KNP with local park guides. Bush drives are available from Berg-en-Dal, Letaba and Skukuza camps and some other camps, and cost R380-490 per adult (50% less for children) (Mar 2023). Experienced rangers will take you in a 4x4 car to the KNP either for a sunrise or a sunset drive and explain to you and your party the finer details of game spotting.
 * Night drives Discovering the KNP on your own is a great adventure, but there are a few things that you can not do without a ranger. One of them is to have a night drive through the park to see nocturnal creatures such as lions, leopards and hyenas. Tours take a couple of hours and leave usually shortly before the main gates close at night.
 * Landrover Lebombo Eco-Trail
 * The 3 brand new 'Transfrontier Trails do Limpopo'
 * The Shingwedzi 4x4 Eco-Trail
 * The Machampane Wilderness Trail
 * The Massingir Hiking Trail
 * Wildlife films Several rest camps show wildlife films 6 days a week in the evenings. These camps are: Berg-en-Dal, Letaba, Mopani, Satara, Shingwedzi and Skukuza.

Hiking Trails
Discovering African flora and fauna on foot is an unforgettable lifetime experience and only few places in Africa offer such tours. You can join a group of up to 8 mates and 2 rangers on a hiking tour that lasts for 3 days and you learn a lot of things about South African wildlife. There is no way that you could see animals closer than on this tour. Imagine seeing lion, elephant or rhino only a few meters from you. This is a breathtaking experience. Trails follow circular routes and you return each evening to the safety of your camp where dinner awaits. The duration of the trails is three nights and two days, either from Sunday to Wednesday, or from Wednesday to Saturday. Hikers meet at the designated rest camp at 15:30 on Sundays or Wednesdays from where they leave by vehicle for their trail camp after a short briefing.


 * Metsimetsi trail is best enjoyed during the South African winter, check in at Skukuza camp and you will travel north to the N’waswitsontso river nearby the Satara camp.
 * Nyalaland trail Check in Punda Maria camp in the north of the KNP to spot crocodile, elephant and hippo as well as bird watching is going to be on your agenda. Buffalo also frequent the area. Birdlife is prolific.
 * Olifants Trail Check in at Letaba Camp. The trail crosses the Olifants River as well as the Letaba River which supports a variety of wildlife, including large predators, elephant and buffalo. Also listen out for the call of the African fish eagle.
 * Sweni Trail Check in at Satara Camp. The Sweni area is popular, in that, there is a high density of both predator and prey, and a trail experience here give hikers the opportunity to observe lion and even cheetah.
 * Wolhuter Trail In the southern part of the park (white rhino country), between the Berg-en-Dal and Pretoriuskop.
 * Sweni Trail Check in at Satara Camp. The Sweni area is popular, in that, there is a high density of both predator and prey, and a trail experience here give hikers the opportunity to observe lion and even cheetah.
 * Wolhuter Trail In the southern part of the park (white rhino country), between the Berg-en-Dal and Pretoriuskop.

Buy
Bigger camp sites such as Lower Sabie and Skukuza have comfortable shopping facilities and you can buy drinks, foodstuffs, souvenirs, as well as some other travel items you may have forgotten. The range is more limited at the smaller or more remote camps. It is easy for them to run out of particular items, so you have to make do with what is available. Fresh milk particularly can be in short supply.

Artistic wood carvings can be bought as well and is usually of reasonable quality and cheaper than in Johannesburg and Cape Town. Carvings can be found in and around the gates to the Kruger National Park as well.

Animal skins and rugs are available as well.

Eat


Most of the main camps have shops where you can buy raw food to cook, as well as wood or charcoal for fires. All accommodations have areas for cooking. Campsites tend to have communal kitchens, but most rondavels, bungalows or cottages will have private kitchens or kitchenettes. There are also picnic areas out in the wild. Some of these areas, such as Tshokwane, will sell cooked food on site. Others only have braai facilities for you to cook for yourself. Many of the camps have cafeterias and restaurants, but in general there's not too much variety (see below). The menu is the same at each camp, with a range of only 10 or so dishes. Most visitors familiar with the park are self-catering in their lodges or at the picnic areas.

Lodges in the private areas of the park and outside the park will cater food, often arranged in well-sheltered outdoor restaurants with open fireplace, and barbecue South African specialties such as:
 * wart hog sausage
 * springbok tenderloin
 * ostrich steak
 * biltong (dried meat) made of game, like kudu, impala or zebra.

Restaurants at camps
Most of the main camps have a single restaurant each, which are franchised with various chains popular in South Africa. An official listing of restaurants at camps in Kruger is available on the SANParks website.



Cattle Baron
As the biggest camp, Skukuza has luxuries most other camps don't get. One of these is the Cattle Baron, one of a chain of steak restaurants founded in 1987. Their Skukuza restaurant is one of two restaurants in South Africa's national parks (the other one being in Addo Elephont Park. The menu at Skukuza is somewhat different from the other Cattle Baron restaurants, but the menu on their website can give you a good idea what's available. The Cattle Baron will often (though not always) also serve various local foods such as mielie pap, boerewors, kudu steaks and malva pudding. Be sure to check their specials menu.

Tindlovu
Tindlovu is perhaps the most common restaurant in Kruger National Park. The first restaurant was opened in 2012 after decades of the founder dreaming of pursuing hospitality as a career. Tindlovu is mostly based in Kruger Park, but they also have two restaurants in Mbombela (Nelspruit).

Bush Braai and Bush Breakfast
Most camps offer Bush Braais and Bush Breakfasts, which are a wonderful way to have a dinner whilst experiencing the real bush. Bush braais begin with a roughly hour-long game drive in the afternoon, leading to the site of the meal, with preparation already underway. This meal typically lasts about 90 minutes and typically includes mielie pap, boerewors, game meat, a variety of vegetables and salad. Desserts and tea are also offered, and a cash bar is available. The braai will be followed by a 30-minute night drive back to camp. Bush breakfasts are fairly similar.

Prices vary, but can be confirmed by contacting the camp from which you'd like to do the bush braai. Note that you must be staying in the camp in order to do a bush braai or bush breakfast, as the breakfast leaves very early and the braai comes back after the gates close. More information is available on the SANParks website.

The following camps offer Bush braais:



Boma Braai
A Boma braai is an open fire barbecue in an open air boma in the camp. Boma braais are generally managed through the camp's restaurant and should be booked ahead. They are a nice trade-off for people who are either unable or unwilling to do a bush braai, but still want the feeling of being out in the wild rather than sitting at a restaurant. Bush braais often will not accommodate children (or will only accommodate a limited number of children, so groups with children may consider a boma braai instead.

Boma braais can be booked at the following camps:



Picnic sites
There are quite a few picnic sites of various size throughout the park. Some of the larger ones such as Afsaal and Tshokwane have kitchens where you can buy premade meals. The smaller ones (such as the Albasini ruins) might have no facilities directly available, requiring a short drive to nearby facilities. Many (but not all) picnic sites offer either skottels (gas-fired standalone cast iron frying pans) or braais with an option to buy firewood. Most of the main camps also have a day visitors area which serves as a picnic site. The Skukuza day visitors area is not within the main camp, but is a short drive downriver.

Marula region
The Marula region of the park between the Crocodile and Sabie rivers doesn't contain many picnic spots, as it is quite dense with camps. However, with the exception of the Albasini Ruins these spots are some of the best-stocked picnic sites in the park.



Nkayeni Region
The Nkanyeni region (between the Sabie river and the Olifants river) is home to the biggest picnic area in the park, Tshokwane. It also has a collection of other areas serving people driving up the less-used western roads and in the area around Satara.



Nxanatseni Region
The northernmost region of the park and in many ways the least developed, Nxanatseni has only a few picnic spots scattered around.



Drink
South African alcohol laws apply within the park. However, South African National Parks have some additional regulations regarding alcohol. There is a blanket ban on alcohol for day visitors - it is not allowed at picnic spots, in the day visitor areas at rest camps, and you are not allowed to drink alcohol whilst driving. (South African road law still applies in Kruger.) Day visitors are also not allowed to enter the park with any alcohol.

Overnight visitors may bring alcohol in their cars for consumption at their accommodation, and the restaurants in Kruger do serve alcoholic beverages to overnight visitors. Overnight visitors are also allowed to purchase alcohol at the Parks Shops in the main camps.

The bars in camp are visited in the evening by guests recalling tales of wildlife seen during the day. Generally people aren't visiting Kruger for the nightlife, but are more likely to spend the early evening with a braai, and retiring to bed for an early start the following day.

Sleep
Within Kruger there are a fair number of camps operated by SANParks, as well as some private camps operated on concessions. There are also several hotels and lodges outside of the park but near to a gate. Further, there are several private nature reserves that border Kruger and have agreements with the park for limited amounts of travel for their members.

SANParks camps
Most of the camps within the park are operated by South African National Parks. They are categorised by their size and facilities. The largest, Skukuza, has the most facilities, including a shop (selling food, drinks and curios), multiple restaurants, a library and museum, a swimming pool, a petrol station and a golf course. The smallest, Tzendze, is purely a tented campsite with communal ablutions and cooking facilities. The SANParks website allows bookings online for all parks, with instant confirmation and availability checks. You will need to register before you commence your booking, and the registration process can take around half an hour to be confirmed before you can commence booking. The SANParks site is not the first site returned by most search engines when searching for accommodation in Kruger, but it is the only site where you can book accommodation directly. All other sites will only take "provisional bookings", and are just agencies.



Getting a response from email sent to the reservations email address seems next to impossible. There are options to book activities (such as drives) online when booking accommodation, but your accommodation is booked the website does allow you to add or incorporate additional activities with your reservation. However, you can book them on arrival in camp (subject to availability) or in advance by phone.

Main camps
The main camps in Kruger are:



Satellite camps
Each satellite camp is attached to a main camp, and check-in is generally done at the related main camp. In some cases, check-in can be done from multiple main camps.



Bushveld camps
Bush camps provide smaller accommodation varieties than the main camps. They do not have full shops or restaurants in them and only some (Talamati, Biyamiti and Bateleur) will allow you to use electrical equipment like hair dryers. All units in these camps have private toilets, but kitchen facilities may be on open verandas.



Overnight hides
Kruger offers overnight hides, which provide an exciting and different way to see the park by night. These buildings are publicly accessible bird hides by day, but transform overnight into primitive accommodations for a small number of guests. As with all hides in Kruger, these are in good spots for wildlife viewing. However, these are some of the few spots in Kruger where you can go to sleep only to be awoken after midnight by hippos right outside your window or get a dawn awakening as a giraffe munches on the thatch roof. No electricity or water is provided at the sleepover hides, and as they act as regular hides during the day you must be packed up and ready to leave fairly early. However, given the unique experience provided, this is considered worthwhile for many a guest.



Bush Lodges
Bush lodges are private lodges that offer complete privacy to guests, as only those booked in the bush lodge are allowed in the camp and only one booking is allowed at a time. Bush lodges have their own kitchens with gas stoves, ovens, fridges, freezers, cutlery and crockery. They also have gas braais and wood fires (provide your own wood - you can buy wood at any gate or main camp shop).



Private camps within the park
Several camps within the park are run by private companies. The camps provide different accommodations and are nowhere near as uniform as the SANParks camps. In most cases, the camps provide packages that include transportation, so one may not have to hire a car.



Outside the park
There are several hotels along the borders of the park, mostly congregated around the park gates. These hotels are especially useful to tourists who may not be able to arrive on their first day before the gates close.


 * Many people also prefer to sleep at nearby towns, such as Komatipoort (8 km from the Crocodile Bridge Gate), Mbombela (for Numbi Gate), Malelane (for Numbi Gate), Sabie and Hazyview (for the Phabeni Gate) and Hoedspruit (for the Orpen gate). All of these have a wealth of accommodation of every standards, are easily accessible for the park for self-drive guests and tours in can be arranged via private tour operators.
 * Many people also prefer to sleep at nearby towns, such as Komatipoort (8 km from the Crocodile Bridge Gate), Mbombela (for Numbi Gate), Malelane (for Numbi Gate), Sabie and Hazyview (for the Phabeni Gate) and Hoedspruit (for the Orpen gate). All of these have a wealth of accommodation of every standards, are easily accessible for the park for self-drive guests and tours in can be arranged via private tour operators.
 * Many people also prefer to sleep at nearby towns, such as Komatipoort (8 km from the Crocodile Bridge Gate), Mbombela (for Numbi Gate), Malelane (for Numbi Gate), Sabie and Hazyview (for the Phabeni Gate) and Hoedspruit (for the Orpen gate). All of these have a wealth of accommodation of every standards, are easily accessible for the park for self-drive guests and tours in can be arranged via private tour operators.
 * Many people also prefer to sleep at nearby towns, such as Komatipoort (8 km from the Crocodile Bridge Gate), Mbombela (for Numbi Gate), Malelane (for Numbi Gate), Sabie and Hazyview (for the Phabeni Gate) and Hoedspruit (for the Orpen gate). All of these have a wealth of accommodation of every standards, are easily accessible for the park for self-drive guests and tours in can be arranged via private tour operators.
 * Many people also prefer to sleep at nearby towns, such as Komatipoort (8 km from the Crocodile Bridge Gate), Mbombela (for Numbi Gate), Malelane (for Numbi Gate), Sabie and Hazyview (for the Phabeni Gate) and Hoedspruit (for the Orpen gate). All of these have a wealth of accommodation of every standards, are easily accessible for the park for self-drive guests and tours in can be arranged via private tour operators.
 * Many people also prefer to sleep at nearby towns, such as Komatipoort (8 km from the Crocodile Bridge Gate), Mbombela (for Numbi Gate), Malelane (for Numbi Gate), Sabie and Hazyview (for the Phabeni Gate) and Hoedspruit (for the Orpen gate). All of these have a wealth of accommodation of every standards, are easily accessible for the park for self-drive guests and tours in can be arranged via private tour operators.

Nearby private game reserves and lodges
These are mainly found in the northeast of the Mpumalanga Province and often sharing a border with the south-western part of the KNP. Most fences between the KNP and private game parks have been dismantled and animals can freely move about. As per their name, private game reserves are not part of the state-owned SANParks system and are owned by private individuals or organizations. The private reserves that border KNP form what is called "Greater Kruger National Park". Examples of private reserves by KNP include Klaserie, Sabi Sands, Timbavati, and others.

Lodges within private reserves usually offer a more luxurious all-inclusive experience than within KNP with guided game drives, meals, and other activities. Safari drives within private reserves are less crowded and offer up close sightings of animals as they go off-road into the brush.


 * Main Camp is a luxurious place in the middle of Mpumalanga with elegant rooms. Each room has two bathrooms, a telephone and things you would expect in an upper class hotel, but not in the middle of the bush. Other parts of the hotel demonstrate its history as a hunting camp as was the fashion some time ago by presenting animal skins, heads and massive elephant tusks.
 * Harry’s Camp is the budget version of Mala Mala and shares the same wildlife experience as the main camp for less money. Facilities include bar, swimming pool and of course a private air-strip.
 * Kirkman’s Camp is an ex-cattle farm in a colonial style house near the sand river. Decoration reminds the visitor of past times and the reception looks like an exposition of old weapons, animal skins and other hunting trophies. Facilities include swimming pool, bar and private airstrip.
 * Selati Lodge is a charming place decorated in colonial style from the 19th century and has therefore no electricity and receives a maximum of 16 guests in 8 rooms and has bar and pool facilities.
 * Bush Lodge is close to a water hole and some of the rooms overlook it. The lodge is tastefully decorated with African art and accommodates 54 guests in chalets and 5 suits. Facilities include bar and pool.
 * Ebony Lodge
 * Boulders Lodge
 * Lebombo Lodge
 * Sweni Lodge
 * Castleton Camp
 * Ebony Lodge
 * Boulders Lodge
 * Lebombo Lodge
 * Sweni Lodge
 * Castleton Camp

Stay safe
In general, Kruger National Park is one of the safest areas of South Africa. However, there are still safety concerns visiting Kruger.

Malaria
The entirety of Kruger Park is a breeding ground for malaria-carrying anopheles mosquitoes. As such, it is important to take precautions against malaria. While the best advice for you will come from a doctor, you can use the Wikivoyage page about malaria as a starting guide. Avoiding mosquito bites by using mosquito repellent, covering your skin and using mosquito nets is especially helpful, but not sufficient on its own. Pharmacies in South Africa offer a wide variety of effective malaria tablets, often for cheaper than available elsewhere, but it is important to check with your doctor especially if you are taking any other medications, as there may be drug-drug interactions.

Animals
When entering Kruger National Park, you are entering the home of the animals in the park. It is important to be respectful, as harming the animals in the park comes with a stiff fine, potentially prison time, and in some cases an immediate death penalty enforced by elephant, rhino, lion or hippo. None of these are particularly positive outcomes, so you are encouraged to avoid such scenarios. Do not leave your vehicle except in camp or where there are signs allowing it. Even when there are signs noting that you may leave your vehicle, be sure to check the area around you before exiting.

Do not feed the animals. Animals who are fed by humans tend to come back for more food and can end up becoming pests or even violent. You feeding an animal might be a step on the path to it having to be killed, and wildlife management hates to have to kill the animals.

Driving
Respecting speed limits inside the KNP is crucial. Big game crosses the roads in the park without any warning and an upset elephant is not easy to deal with - the same applies for rhinos and giraffe bulls. Speed limits are 50 km/h on tarred roads and 40 km/h on dirt roads. Even so, going close to the speed limit is not recommended, as it makes it more difficult to spot animals near the road. Additionally, it is important to leave plenty of time to get back to camp or to a park gate before the gates close. Not only are there fines for those caught in the park after closing time, but lights seen in unexpected locations must be investigated, as poachers often camp in the park.

Please be careful when driving outside the park at night, especially in rural areas. While the area is generally safer than parts of South Africa like Johannesburg, the roads are still quite dangerous.

During rainy season, exercise caution on gravel roads and low bridges during and after heavy rainfall due to flooding and risk of roads being washed out.

Other rules
Some other rules that are important to know before visiting Kruger are:


 * Firearms must be declared and sealed at the entrance gate.
 * No pets of any kind are permitted in the KNP
 * Driving vehicles off road is not allowed

Go next

 * Pilgrim's Rest and the Blyde River Canyon are often visited in the same trip as Kruger.
 * Johannesburg (the biggest city south of the Sahara) and Pretoria in the Gauteng Province are busy cities of banks and government institutions and are 4 hours drive from the park.
 * Cape Town is one of the largest cities in South Africa and is in the south-west corner of the country near the Cape of Good Hope. Cape Town is a stone's throw from South Africa's world-famous Cape Winelands around Stellenbosch and Paarl.
 * Durban is primarily a holiday/resort city at the Indian Ocean but also boasts South Africa's busiest container port.
 * Drakensberg -- Massive and spectacular mountain range. Peaks exceed 3000 meters above sea level. Climbing, hiking, wilderness trails, mountain biking, fly fishing, and more.
 * Lesotho -- real Africa right on South Africa's doorstep.

The border crossing into Mozambique within the greater park isn't really practical for overseas visitors. Rental cars are not permitted across the border and there is no transport to or from the border post to speak of. There are no facilities, apart from customs and immigration, at the border post. The customs, immigration and (Mozambique) tourism officials at the crossing are busy doing a range of activities, none of which actually involve processing people across the border.