How to go on safari in Kruger National Park

How about going on safari in one of Africa's most iconic parks, spotting thousands of animals, in comfort and with stunning scenery, and without breaking the bank? Come with me and I'll explain how to visit Kruger Park in South Africa!

First of all, follow me on Instagram @danae_explore – that’s where you can keep up with my trips, find lots of travel tips, and send me a DM anytime! I love chatting about travel

I had been wanting to go to sub-Saharan Africa for some time and, of course, one of the must-do activities would be going on safari. But when I started researching, all I found were overpriced hotels—those kinds of places where you pay a fortune for sunset drinks by the infinity pool while giraffes, zebras, and elephants stroll across the savannah. On top of that, many of the safaris seemed a bit ‘staged’ (chipped animals, fed cats, and so on). That didn’t appeal to me, and it definitely didn’t fit my budget.

So, I rolled up my sleeves and got to work. I scoured the internet, read countless travel guides, chatted with strangers on Instagram, messaged my friend’s cousin’s aunt, made and remade plans several times, and after much brainstorming—voilà! Not only did we manage to go on the safari of our dreams, but it turned out to be one of the highlights (maybe the biggest) of our 20-day trip to South Africa.

So here it is—all laid out for you, with the links you need to make your dream of going on safari in Kruger Park come true. South Africa.

If you want more safari destination ideas, check out our itinerary in Kenya and Tanzania. We went on safari in the Serengeti and it was unforgettable!

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A little about Kruger National Park in South Africa

On our trip to 20 days in South Africa, we spent three days in Kruger, but we could have stayed much longer. Seeing animals in nature, free, is a unique experience. Even if you have seen thousands of photos, the first time you see an African animal in the wild is unforgettable. The anticipation while searching and the thrill of spotting them is indescribable.

There, nature dictates the rules. The animals are not subject to any human interference. They are not fed, chipped, or treated in case of illness or accident. It may seem harsh, but that is wildlife as it is.

While animals live freely, we humans are restricted to our cars or properly fenced campsites. Exactly the opposite of what we are used to in zoos – an interesting point to reflect on.

Kruger, probably South Africa's most famous national park, was established in 1898 as the Sabie Game Reserve and gradually expanded until it reached its current size, covering 19,633 km² (slightly smaller than the state of Sergipe), extending to the borders with Mozambique and Zimbabwe.

It is one of the most visited game parks in the world and has documented 507 bird species, 336 tree species, 147 mammal species, 114 reptile species, 49 fish species, and 34 amphibian species.

Be sure to check out this post with everything you need to know before visiting South Africa.

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When to go to Kruger National Park, South Africa

There are two distinct seasons in the region: the rainy season and the dry season.

The hot, rainy season runs from October to mid-March. During this time, daily rains transform the usually arid park into a vast stretch of green, filling rivers and lakes and changing the landscape completely. However, the thicker vegetation makes it harder to spot animals, and with water spread across the park, wildlife can roam in areas that would otherwise be dry.

The period from April to September is the dry season, with milder daytime temperatures and cooler nights. Vegetation dries up, and water becomes scarce, found only in perennial rivers and a few lakes. This is generally the best season for wildlife viewing, as animals gather around the limited water sources, and with less vegetation, they’re easier to see.

We went to Kruger Park in January, right in the middle of the rainy season. The park was lush, everything was green, with plenty of water, several flooded areas, rivers overflowing, blazing sun, and intense heat. Even though it wasn’t the ideal season for spotting wildlife, it was still absolutely special. We saw so many animals—truly a lot.

I always say that the best time to visit a place is when you can. We all have different commitments and responsibilities—work, school schedules, caring for others, and countless other things. Not to mention financial constraints: sometimes we have the time, but the trip only happens when the budget allows. So make the most of the time you have, get informed about the conditions (to avoid surprises that might keep you from enjoying the trip), and just go. The best journey is the one you actually take.

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Where to stay at Kruger National Park

Accommodation inside Kruger Park

There are several “camps” within Kruger Park. Despite the name, these accommodations are more like guesthouses or hotels and are excellent. Take a good look at the official website www.sanparks.org to check locations, facilities, types of accommodation, and all other details, as they can vary a lot from one camp to another!

Even within the same camp, there are many types of accommodation that differ greatly in size and comfort, ranging from simple rooms with shared bathrooms to glamping-style cabins with river views.

We stayed one night at Skukuza Main Rest Camp and another night at Lower Sabie Main Rest Camp.

Skukuza is the largest camp in Kruger Park. In addition to a wide variety of accommodations (bungalows, family units, camping sites, guesthouses, and even a luxury hotel), it has restaurants, a swimming pool, a convenience store, a laundry, a gas station, a bank, a golf course, and many other amenities. There is even a small airport with regional flights to Johannesburg and Cape Town.

But my favorite camp was Lower Sabie Rest Camp! It sits right on the banks of the Sabie River, one of the few perennial rivers in Kruger, in a truly beautiful area. Although smaller than Skukuza, it has everything you need: a restaurant, convenience store, swimming pool, gas station, laundry, and more.

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Book accommodations as far in advance as possible

It is essential to book campsites as far in advance as possible, as spots fill up quickly. Reservations are made through the official website of South African National Parks, www.sanparks.org, specifically this page.

To give you an idea, we booked in August for a stay in January, and at neither of these camps was there any availability for 4 people. Rooms or chalets for 4 or more exist, but they were all already booked.

At Lower Sabie, we stayed in a “cabana” (safari tent) for 2 people (the one in the photo), with a bathroom, kitchen, small living room, and a lovely porch. This “tent” was so nice that the two girls and I all slept together in the double bed :-). We also had a triple room with a shared bathroom, located in an older part of the camp, which was not as charming as the cabin in the photo.

At Skukuza, we booked 2 double chalets (called “bungalows”), side by side. I thought these units were great: each had a comfortable double bed and a private bathroom with hot water and a good shower. They also came with a small porch, a table, chairs, a refrigerator, a sink, and a small metal barbecue. I thought it was excellent.

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If you’re looking for other safari destinations, check out our Kenya and Tanzania itinerary!

How to choose a campsite within the Kruger Park

Try to stay at several campsites within the park, because this way you get to experience different areas and (I imagine) have more chances to spot different animals. That’s what we did, and I thought it was perfect: some animals we only saw in the Skukuza region, others only in the Lower Sabie region. It may have been coincidence, but only on the Skukuza game drive did we see lionesses, and only on the Lower Sabie game drive did we see rhinos and hippos.

Besides, unless you want to rest or enjoy the pool, between the end of the sunrise tour and the start of the sunset tour, the main thing to do is drive through the park. The journey from one camp to the next is itself a safari — we spotted plenty of animals along the way.

Here’s a table with distances and estimated travel times between each camp.

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Private accommodations within the Kruger Park

In addition to the park’s official campsites, there are several private hotels operating within the park. It would be my dream, if it weren’t for the prices being completely out of my budget. But it doesn’t hurt to dream, right?

Take a look at Umkumbe Safari Lodge Riverside, Lion Sands River Lodge, and Rhino Post Safari Lodge—if your budget allows, go for it, because I’m sure the experience will stay with you forever!

And at the very top of the dream list: a stay at Kruger Shalati – Train on The Bridge & Garden Suites—a historic train, completely restored, anchored on the Sabie River bridge. Remember the Orient Express? Now imagine it stopped over the African savannah… I can’t even describe it properly; you’ll have to click, see the photos, and dream.

You can also check your accommodation options in Kruger on the map:

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Accommodation close to Kruger Park

There are several accommodation options in private reserves near Kruger Park. Many of these reserves are adjacent to the park, with no walls or fences separating them, allowing animals to move freely between the areas.

However, when staying outside the park, you must respect the park’s entry and exit times (the gate opening hours). And from what I researched, the cost-benefit of accommodations inside the park was much better.

The city of Hazyview is one of the main accommodation hubs near the park’s west entrance and has options for all budgets. I really liked the Kruger Gate Hotel and the beautiful Midluli Safari Lodge, but as I said, we chose to stay inside the park because it offered much better value for money.

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How to get to Kruger Park

Kruger Park is very large and has several entrances. Depending on how you plan your South Africa itinerary, the entrance gate you use may vary. It is even possible to reach Kruger from Mozambique, for example with this round-trip tour.

OR Tambo Airport (JNB) in Johannesburg is South Africa’s main international airport, with flights from all over the world — check out this blog post for tips on the best routes from Brazil to South Africa.

Is it possible to go directly from Johannesburg airport to Kruger Park? Here’s a table with the distances and estimated driving times to each entrance, and here you’ll find transfer services in Johannesburg.

To give you an idea: from Johannesburg airport to Numbi Gate it’s 370 km (about 4h20), to Malelane Gate 390 km (about 4h20), and to Phabeni Gate 400 km (about 4h30). These are entrances in the southern part of the park — if you head to the northern part, the distances are a bit longer.

The closest airport to the southern part of the park is in Nelspruit — Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport (CPT), which is 38 km (40 minutes’ drive) from Numbi Gate, 68 km (50 minutes) from Malelane Gate, or 112 km (1h20) from Crocodile Bridge Gate.

In our case, we were renting a car and coming from Graskop. We passed through Hazyview and entered Kruger through Phabeni Gate. In this post you’ll find our complete itinerary through South Africa.

Pay close attention to the opening times — and especially the closing times — of the park gates, which vary throughout the year. Here’s the table with the schedules.

If you don’t want to drive to the park and do the safari on your own, there are several packages departing from Johannesburg, including options for 3-day safaris in budget or camping style, or 5-day safaris in more comfortable lodges.

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Where to eat at Kruger National Park

The camps inside Kruger Park — at least the ones we stayed at (Skukuza and Lower Sabie) — had great facilities, with restaurants, a café, and a convenience store. Eating was not a problem; on the contrary, it was an extraordinary part of the experience.

Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are all well-prepared and tasty — and best of all, served on the banks of the Sabie River, with views of zebras, buffalo, giraffes, crocodiles, elephants, and countless birds. I can’t imagine a restaurant in a better location.

But if you don’t feel like eating at the restaurants, the cabins we stayed in had a simple but fully equipped kitchen.

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How safaris work in Kruger Park

Animals in the wild! After all, that’s why we went there. The thrill of seeing, for the first time, an African animal in the wild, in its natural habitat, free from human interference, is indescribable. It will stay with me forever.

There are two main ways to explore the park and see the animals: with your own car or on tours organized by the park (the so-called “game drives”). I recommend doing both.

If you are staying in private hotels, daily rates usually include one or two safaris per day inside the park — check with your hotel.

How self-drive safaris work in Kruger

Kruger is crossed by several paved roads; after paying the entrance fee, you can enter with your own car and move freely along these roads.

But be careful, there are some very important rules to follow. Here are the main ones (the full rules are here):

• - You must stay inside your car at all times, except in areas where it is clearly indicated otherwise. You cannot put your arm out the window, nor your hand, not even a finger — much less your head — and you may not open the sunroof.
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• - Off-roading is not permitted. Stay only on designated lanes for passenger vehicles. If in doubt, avoid leaving the main roads.
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• - Respect speed limits. I recommend driving as slowly as possible — not only to avoid confrontation with animals but also to increase your chances of spotting them.
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• - Camp gates have opening and closing times. Be sure to return before the gates close! You cannot drive through the park after hours.
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• - It is not permitted to bring domestic or wild animals into the park, nor to remove any animals.
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It’s worth remembering: Kruger National Park is vast, and there’s no point trying to cover large distances in a short time.

Take the opportunity to go slowly and enjoy the beauty of nature. Stop, take in the views, watch the animals pass by, and embrace the true spirit of slow travel.

I can guarantee that the minutes you think you “lose” on Kruger’s roads will turn into memories for a lifetime.

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If you like safaris, check out our itinerary in Kenya and Tanzania, we went on safari in the Serengeti and it was spectacular!

How safaris work with official Kruger Park guides

You can join game drives with the park’s official guides, in adapted jeeps, which usually take place at dawn or sunset — the times when animals are most active. Here is the link with descriptions of these tours.

The guides can drive on secondary roads and know the animals’ habits like no one else (and they communicate with each other), so the chances of spotting wildlife are much higher on these guided tours. Try to take as many guided tours (game drives) as you can!

Children must be at least 6 years old to join a game drive. But there’s no age restriction if you are driving your own car — we saw plenty of babies and small children at the camps.

Tours can be booked in advance through the SanParks website, after booking your accommodation. On this link you book accommodation, and in a side tab you’ll find the option to book tours (“activities”). It is not possible to book tours without already having accommodation in the park — although a few activities can be booked independently.

It’s also possible to book activities at the camp receptions, but I recommend booking them online in advance, as all the ones we did were fully booked.

In addition to game drives, there are several other activities available in the park. There are long hiking trails (with overnight stays in camps), multi-day 4x4 expeditions, mountain biking, golf, and more. Click here to see the activities — and if you’re like me, to dream about one day having the time to do them all.

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Finally, as we left Kruger Park

Speaking of wasted minutes, on our last day we left Lower Sabie Rest Camp heading towards Nelspruit Airport (Kruger Mpumalanga), about 150 km away, with an estimated travel time of 2h20.

Well, just a few minutes after leaving the camp, still within the park limits, a huge elephant was standing in the middle of the road, calmly feeding. It stayed there, perfectly content, for a long while. Half an hour later it decided to move on, and in the meantime we remained inside our car, simply watching. Good thing we had left early — otherwise, we would certainly have missed our flight...

Complete itinerary of our trip to South Africa

Our two-week 20 days in South Africa is detailed on the map below — just click and save it to your Google account. When you plan your next trip to South Africa, you’ll know where to start!

In this post, I explain how I use Google MyMaps to plan my trips. It’s a great tool for saving locations, calculating routes and distances, and organizing your entire journey. I highly recommend giving it a try!

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How to use this map: Click the menu tab in the upper left corner of the map to access different layers, including points of interest and routes. You can toggle layers on and off by checking the corresponding boxes. To see details about specific locations, click on the icons on the map.

To save this map to your Google Maps account, just click the star icon next to the map title. To access it later on your phone or computer, open Google Maps, tap the menu button, go to “Your Places”, select “Maps”, and you’ll find this map saved there.
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