Kruger National Park

Introduction

Kruger National Park is the largest of all of South Africa's game parks with around 19,000 square kilometres to explore. The park is located in the northeast of the country, at the borders with Mozambique and Zimbabwe, in the provinces of Mpumalanga (southern section) and Limpopo (northern section). Recently the park has become part of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park, a peace-park consisting of Kruger National Park, Gonarezhou National Park (Zimbabwe) and Limpopo National Park (Mozambique). It is the most visited of all national parks in South Africa and can become very busy during the South African holiday periods, especially during Christmas and Newyears and around Easter. Also, as some of the roads are tarred, it makes this park one of the best to visit if you are travelling in a small 2wd vehicle.

Kruger National Park is one of the most biodiverse national parks in South Africa and in fact the whole of Africa. Huge varieties are reported amongst the mammals as well as birds, plants and even fish. No less than 147 different mammals exist here and tens of thousands of buffalos and zebras roam the park. Other animals easily spotted are elephants, crocodiles, hippos, giraffes, several species of antelope and predators like lions and the somehow more elusive leopard. Cheetahs, African wild dogs (only 250) and black rhinos are all present as well, but numbers are more limited.

For more information, also visit the Kruger National Park website.

Geography

The park lies in the north-east of South Africa, in the eastern parts of Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces. Phalaborwa, Limpopo is the only town in South Africa that borders the Kruger National Park. It is one of the largest national parks in the world, with an area of 19,485 square kilometres. The park is approximately 360 kilometres long, and has an average width of 65 kilometres. At its widest point, the park is 90 kilometres wide from east to west. To the north and south of the park two rivers, the Limpopo and the Crocodile respectively, act as its natural boundaries. To the east the Lebombo Mountains separate it from Mozambique. Its western boundary runs parallel with this range, roughly 65 kilometres distant. The park varies in altitude between 200 metres in the east and 840 metres in the southwest near Berg-en-Dal. The highest point in the park is here, a hill called Khandzalive. Several rivers run through the park from west to east, including the Sabie, Olifants, Crocodile, Letaba, Luvuvhu and Limpopo Rivers.

Weather

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.

Opening Hours

The KNP is not open all day and night. Entry gate and camp gate opening and closing times are strictly enforced, and are as follows:

• November–January - open 04:30 (camp gate) and 05:30 (entry gate), close 18:30
• February - open 05:30, close 18:30
• March- open 05:30, close 18:00
• April - open 06:00, close 18:00
• May–July - open 06:00, close 17:30
• August/September - open 06:00, close 18:00
• October - open 05:30, close 18:00
• November–January - open 04:30 (camp) and 05:30 (entry, close 18:30)

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!

Cost

Fees apply to access the park. 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.

Conservation fees valid to 31 October 2018:

• South African citizens and residents (with ID): R82 per adult, R42 per child, per day
• SADC nationals (with passport): R166 per adult, R82 per child, per day
• Foreign visitors: R331 per adult, R166 per child, per day

Purchasing a Wild Card:
If you are a nature and wildlife enthusiast and you want to visit many parks during your stay, you might consider buying a Wild Card which enables you to unlimited visits of all of the South African National Parks and many others as well, including the Cape parks, Swaziland parks and Kwazulu Natal parks. There are also possibilities to buy 'cluster' cards, for example only the arid parks in the northwest or the parks in Kwazulu-Natal. The card is available for adults/couples/families and is valid for one year after purchasing the card. Especially when you are planning an extensive stay in on of the larger and more expensive parks like Kruger or Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, it pays to get one as a 5-6 day stay is already more expensive when paying the per day rate. Wild Cards can be bought online, but also at the entry gates of all the joining parks as well as the park camps if present.

Sights and Activities

Sights

Crocodile River view point is nearby the Crocodile Camp travelling north on the main road direction Lower Sabie and then following the sign to the Crocodile River view point on a dirt track for a couple of kilometers. As a reward you can get out of your car and go with a park guide down to the river to watch hippos and crocodiles from a few meters distance.
Masorini is a restored Iron Age village about 10 km from the Phalaborwa gate. It is probably the most accessible of the remnants of stone and Iron Age life within the park. There is a picnic area and toilets near the bottom of the hill. You need to be accompanied by the guide to tour the village itself. The huts are reconstructed and show the process the civilisation went through to forge iron. These people were not just forging iron for spears and hunting, they had an entire economy based on selling and trading the iron they forged. Brochures say the guided tours are free, and leave at scheduled time. The reality seems to be that tips are required to the attendant who runs the tours, and if you are interested in taking the tour then the attendant will guide you.

Free activities:

• Driving and looking for wildlife on the tarred/gravel roads in one's private car on the extensive road network throughout the park. There is an extensive set of rules regarding driving in the park which visitors will receive when they enter. The three main rules being the 50km/hour speed limit (beware: there are traffic cops hiding behind bushes); visitors to exit park or return to rest camp by sunset and stay out until sunrise; and visitors cannot alight from their vehicles unless they are in a designated area. There are many creautures and rare animal species to be seen and to keep up on the movements of wildlife on the sighting boards at the rest camps reception areas. These sighting boards are updated daily by the rangers and the public.
• Stopping at the picnic spots and enjoying a breakfast or a braai (SA term for BBQ).
• Swimming at the rest camps where there are pools: Skukuza, Pretoriuskop, etc.
• Visit the elephant museum at the Letaba restcamp.

Organised park activities with a service charge

• Guided walks: Daily guided morning and afternoon walks are available from most rest camps.
• Game drives: Sunrise and sunset game drives are available as well as nocturnal game drives. These drives allow you to see nocturnal activity which otherwise is not allowed, unless staying at the exclusive private loadges in the KNP. Animals are most active at sunrise and sunset on their way to watering holes so it's a perfect opportunity for game spotting.
• Bush braais: A game drive leads you (with a group of people) into an open field where lanterns and a fire has been prepared and you have a braai in the bush.
• Mountain bike trails: This is only available at Olifants rest camp. They supply you with the mountain bikes, backpacks, water bottles, bicycle helmets and snacks. There is space for a maximum of 6 guest and 2 trained guides join you. The trails are 3 to 4 hours long in the morning or in the afternoon.
• Golf: There is an unfenced 9 course (18 tee) golf course on the outskits of Skukuza rest camp.
• Mphongolo backpacking trail: This is a new, primitive Backpacking Trail which starts from Shingwedzi Camp and is conducted in the large wilderness area between the Shingwedzi and Mphongolo rivers. The trail stretches over four days and three nights and guests are expected to provide their own camping equipment and food for the duration of the trail. There are no overnight huts on this trail. There are two trained guides that join you.
• Wilderness trail: 49% of the surface area of the Kruger National Park is zoned as an official wilderness areas. It is in this wilderness areas that the Kruger National Park conducts wilderness trails - currently there are 7 wilderness trails. The trail stretches over three days and two nights. Guests stay in a primitive, rustic camp - with no electricity, cell phone reception or any other people - and experience the bush on foot. On foot one sees less of the bigger animals and more of the bigger picture. There is a maximum of 8 guests per trail between the ages of 12 - 65 years. There are two trained guides that join you. Note: These trails are booked out for a couple of months in advance, but a well-structured waiting list is in place.

Getting There

By Car

The park is easily reached from Johannesburg and Pretoria by car, driving east towards Mozambique. The main gates are all located in the south and this area is much more crowded in comparison to the less visited northern parts where wildlife densities don't match the south. All the main rest camps have petrol stations.
From Mbombela you will have to choose to which park gate you want to go. Nearest gates are: Malelane (south east), Numbi (south west) and Kruger Gate (south west, slightly north of the Numbi gate). The N4 is a toll road and you have to pay for its use. Depending on which gate you want to reach, add one or two hours from Mbombela to find out how long your journey will be. The KNP 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 as well as local taxi/minibus services and both of them are difficult to spot at night. The area of the Numbi Gate had a number of incidents involving barriers on roads and South Africans blame the proximity to Mozambique for this.

By Plane

The closest airport is the Kruger Mpumplanga International Airport (KMIA), situated between Nelspruit (25 kilometres away) and White River. Pelican Air Services flies to Vilanculos in Mozambique, Airlink flies to Cape Town, Johannesburg, Livingstone and Durban, and South African Express flies to Johannesburg.

The next gates are closest to the KMIA:

• Paul Kruger Gate: 108 kilometres from Nelspruit on R40, 87 kilometres from White River on R40, 41 kilometres from Hazyview on R536
• Numbi Gate: 31 kilometres from White River on R40, 52 kilometres from Nelspruit on R40
• Malelane Gate: 64 kilometres from Nelspruit on N4
• Crocodile Bridge: 125 kilometres from Nelspruit on N4/R571.

Eastgate Airport at Hoedspruit has a couple of flights a day to Johannesburg with South African Airways only. Avis has a car rental desk there. There is a bar and small shop selling chocolate bars, as well as a souvenir shop, but no serious cafe to speak of. It is listed on the SAA website as Hoedspruit airport, however the airport isn't signposted from Hoedspruit, and to get there you have to go through a gate onto a private reserve. If you are flying out of here, make sure where you are going. Hoedspruit has another grass landing strip near the centre of town. This airport has no scheduled flights.
Phalaborwa Airport is located 2 km from the Phalaborwa Gate of the KNP and serves as an entry route for the northern camps such as Letaba, Olifants, Punda Maria and Shingwedzi. The airport is well connected to Johannesburg's OR Tambo International Airport with two flights per day during the week and a single flight on Saturday and Sunday. The airport has car rental services. Again, there is only a single carrier operating.
Malelane Regional Airport near the Malelane Gate is only used for private and charter flights.

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 sidetracks 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Eat

For self-catering, there are designated picnic areas in the camps, as well as some picnic areas away from the camps (with an armed attendant). The picnic areas have barbecue (braai) facilities, tables and hot water.

The camp shops sell food to barbecue and drinks at quite reasonable prices, as well as firewood. They only sell take-away alcohol to those who have proof they are staying over in the park.

Many of the camps have cafeterias and restaurants, but don't plan on any variety between the camps. 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.

Drink

Alcohol may not be brought into the park. Take away alcohol cannot be bought from the park shops, unless you are staying over in the park. The camp restaurants and bars sell beer, wine and spirits.

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

Several camps inside the KNP provide accommodation and shelter to visitors and are the only places inside the park where you may leave your car safely. The level of service depends on the camp size and can range from a tent site with a picnic area and bathroom facilities to a small town with swimming pool, library, restaurant, cafeteria, filling station, supermarket and golf course. Most accept payment by credit card. Travel from one site to another takes on average 2 hours, whereas distances in the south are shorter and northern camps can be a little bit further apart.

There are a number of different restcamps and two bush lodges inside the Kruger National Park NP that are run by SANParks. Booking is at their website as well. These camps have different accomodation types: camping, huts, bungalows, cottages, etc. The camps in the south are the most easily accessed from Nelspruit.

Main Restcamps

• Berg-en-dal (south) - +27 13 735-6106, - a medium sized camp located on the banks of Matjulu-Dam. Visitors of the camp can rest in the local cafeteria or prepare food in the communal kitchen, buy fuel in the petrol station, have a picnic, use public telephones, enjoy a good dinner in the restaurant and cool down in the swimming pool. The camp offers accommodation ranging from tent sites with power points to caravan sites, three bed bungalows and bigger facilities such as 6 and 8 bed houses. Activities from this camp include the Bushman and Wolhuter Wilderness Trails (see also Do section), morning drive, night drive and the Rhino trail camp walk.
• Crocodile Bridge (south) - +27 13 735-6012 - The third smallest camp of KNP and located close to Crocodile River, Crocodile Bridge is in the southernmost part of KNP and is a camp as well as an entry gate. The proximity to the SA civilisation one stone throw apart from the camp means that there is no wilderness romantic, but it serves you well if you are a late comer and the KNP gates are about to close. Facilities include a small shop and laundry service. There is a great amount of game around this camp / gate, consider yourself very unlucky if you do not spot any lion in this area. Lions are also known to be "hanging" out in trees in this area, the only place in KNP where this can be seen.
• Letaba - +27 13 735-6636 - One of the more beautiful camps, Letaba is in the central section of KNP next to the Letaba River in the middle of elephant country. Accommodation ranges from tents to huts catering 2-4 persons per accommodation. The camp is known for its elephant sightings and has a permanent exhibition about the elephant life cycle. Camp facilities include: cafeteria, fence perimeter, guided game drives, laundry, restaurant and a swimming pool.
• Lower Sabie (south) - +27 13 735-6056 - The most luxurious camp, renovated after it was destroyed by fire a few years back. Lower Sabie is in the south east of KNP on the banks of the Sabie River, and offers superb game viewing. Therefore it is one of the most wanted camps by the locals. You can often spot white rhino, lion, cheetah, elephant and buffalo around the camp, because these animals come down to the river daily to drink. Accommodation is superb in Lower Sabie, there are campsites available with ample shade, as well as some of the best safari tents in Kruger as well as equipped huts and chalets.
• Mopani - +27 13 735-6535 - The newest and most comfortable rest camp in the KNP. Mopani has been built next to a dam that attracts a lot of wildlife into the monotone northern mopani-dominated shrub veld vegetation. Wildlife spotting from the camp is superb and you would have to drive for hours to see more game from your car than in this camp. Enjoy a splash in the swimming pool after a game drive and be prepared for dinner in the local restaurant which is far better than in other camps as it offers dinner à la carte. Accommodation in this camp offers fully equipped kitchens and accommodates up to 6 persons in a chalet.
• Olifants - +27 13 735-6606 - Probably the best known camp among South African tourists. Olifants is in the centre of the KNP on top of a hill overlooking the Olifants River. You can see Africa unfold from your terrace as Olifants Camp has the best settings from all camps. You can see kudu, elephant, lion and giraffe from your room when they come to the Olifants River to bath and drink. A must visit for astrology enthusiasts, with amazing star gazing, this is the only Kruger camp that offers drives at night focusing on stars instead of game viewing.
• Orpen - +27 13 735-6355 - the smallest camp in the park, situated at Orpen Gate. Orpen offers basic accommodation for 2-3 persons in a hut without bathroom. Consider to stay there if it is too late to reach another camp before darkness.
• Pretoriuskop - (south) - +27 13 735-5128 - A large and luxurious rest camp close to the Numbi Gate located in the southwest of KNP. The landscape consists of rocky mountain and steep ridges supporting klipspringer, reedbuck, rhino, giraffe and wild dog in the surrounding shrubs. Accommodations are traditionally thatched rondawels for up to three visitors without bathroom. Other camp facilities include a swimming pool, laundry, shop, filling station, restaurant and cafeteria.
• Punda Maria - (north) - +27 13 735-6873 - the most northerly camp, also the second smallest of KNP. Punda Maria camp sits on top of a hill and whitewashed thatches are arranged in terraces. The camp offers a rich flora and famous for its huge variety in birds. The camp facilities include a restaurant.
• Satara - +27 13 735-6306 - A bushveld camp that is situated centrally in the park, surrounded by hot plains that offer good grazing opportunities and attracts a lot of game and predators. It is the second biggest camp in the KNP and offers various accommodation, restaurant, cafeteria and laundry facilities. This also big cat country, so expect busy roads and crowded sightings during South African holidays.
• Shingwedzi - +27 13 735-6806 - a nice quiet camp in the far north of the park. Shingwedzi lies in the middle of the mopani shrub veld and benefits from the proximity of the Shingwedzi River and the Kanniedood Dam which attract most of the game in this area. The camp facilities include accommodation, park shop, restaurant, swimming pool, cafeteria and laundry. Nyala country!
• Skukuza - (south) - +27 13 735-4152 - Located in the southwest of the KNP and serving as the Headquarters of KNP, Skukuza is located 20 minutes from the Kruger Gate and is the biggest camp inside the KNP. It has more than 140 huts/chalets and some 100 camping sites available. It offers a gas station (pump), library, post office, car rental, grocery store, a-la-carte restaurant, youth hostel, 9 hole golf course (the hottest one in the world) and swimming pool. Skukuza is situated directly on the Sabie River and animals often come here to drink.
• Tsendze - The newest camp in the park, opened to visitors in November 2006. Rustic layout offering very basic camp sites in a natural environment. There are no shops nor electricity, and visitors are requested to check in at Mopani. Hot water in the bathrooms are provided by gas geysers with open-roofed showers to gaze at the night sky. No electricity available, also no generators allowed, to keep to the tranquility of the bush.

Bush Lodges

• Boulders- one of the larger private camps.
• Roodewal - another small private camp.

Satellite Camps

• Balule - A satellite camp of Satara, Balule is a rustic bush camp with little luxury, but a lot of bush romantic. It is in the centre of the KNP near Olifants Camp where you have to check in and then drive 11 km to get to Balule camp. The camp is on the banks of the Olifants River and it suits you best when you are prepared for self-catering and if a you are happy to share a communal kitchen and bathroom.
• Malelane - A satellite camp of Berg-en-Dal, situated near the Malelane entrance gate on the very southern border of the park. A very nice camp with basic chalets and camp sites, but the view of sugar plantations opposite the river is a bit of a spoiler.
• Maroela - A satellite of Orpen, the camp is situated on the banks of the Timbavati River. This is the only camp in the park that solely caters for caravans, camper-vans and tents.
• Tamboti - A satellite of Orpen, Tamboti is a tented camp situated on the banks of the seasonal Timbavati River where you can see the beasts from your tent coming to the river. Facilities include tented accommodation, communal ablution and communal kitchen without cooking utensils. Some units are accessible for wheelchairs.
• Pionier - A tented camp, administered by Letaba.

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 hairdriers.

• Bateleur - A camp in the northern area of the park. It has 4 and 6 bed cottages, a mini shop and cottages have basic television facilities.
• Biyamiti - In the southern area of the part, this camp has a mixture of 1 and 2 bedroom cottages. It has a mini shop and offers game drives and walks.
• Shimuwini - This camp is in the middle of the park. Its name means "Place of the Baobab" and is situated along the banks of the Letaba River which is lined with these trees.
• Sirheni - In the northern areas of the park, this camp is situated near the Sirheni dam.
• Talamati - Located in the "lower-middle" area of the park, it offers 2 and 1 bedroom cottages, a mini shop, a bird hide and a game hide.

Exclusive Private Lodges

• Imbali Safari Lodges
• Jock Safari Lodge
• Lukimbi Safari Lodge
• Rhino Post Safari Lodge and Walking Safaris
• Shishangeni Private Lodge
• Singita Lebombo Private Game Lodge
• Tinga Private Game Lodge
• Pafuri Camp

Outside Kruger National Park

• Pestana Kruger Lodge, R570, Malelane Gate, ☎ +27 13 790-2503, fax: +27 13 790-2503, e-mail: [email protected]. Luxury accommodation, from the apartments you have a nice view over the Crocodile River bordering the KNP. From R900 per person.
• Malelane Sun Lodge, R570, Malelane Gate, ☎ +27 13 790-3304, fax: +27 13 790-3303. Luxury accommodation next to the Malelane gate into the KNP. It is well situated next to the Crocodile River and close to the most attractive game viewing opportunities in the KNP. Its facilities include 9-hole golf course, tennis, swimming pool, restaurant, car park and bar. It has a high viewing deck onto the Crocodile river, from which one can often see hippos, elephant, crocodiles, antelope and other wildlife. From R800 per person.
• Protea Kruger Gate, On the Sabie River at the Kruger Gate, ☎ +27 13 735-5671, fax: +27 13 735-5676. Elegant lodge in front of the Kruger gate situated in the banks of the Sabie river offers good access to the most attractive part of the KNP, apartments are designed as tree huts and are connected by raised wood walkways. Facilities of the lodge include play area for kids, swimming pool in scenic area, spacious car park, electric security fence, several bars, pool service an enormous park like garden with some kind of wildlife such as green monkeys, springbok, bush babies and occasional visitors such as a rhino and cheetah have been spotted. Dinnertime is announced with a traditional African drum and it sound like “tam-tam” and a fabulous display of exquisite South African food is then waiting for you. You have the choice between a big salad buffet supplemented by barbecued meat. The service is generally very good and staff is very friendly and charming, nevertheless sometime slow by hectic European/American standards and order can be delivered by piecemeal, first the scones, 15 minutes later the coffee, 20 minutes later the bill, 20 minutes later collecting the money for the bill, 30 minutes later bringing the change. R1500 per room.
• Mvuradona Game Lodge, ☎ +27 83 326-2835, e-mail: [email protected]. Nestled on the Crocodile River and only a few minutes from either Malelane and Crocodile Bridge Gate. The Lodge has its own population of giraffe, zebra, lion and other animals. Transfers from the surrounding airports and game drives can be arranged. They four-star lodge offers breakfast, lunch and dinner. All rooms are equipped with satellite TV and MNet and coffee/tea facilities. From R450 to R1200 per person.
• Khaya Umdani Kruger, Korhaanlaan 2907, Marloth Park, ☎ +27 84 565-5916, e-mail: [email protected]. Located in Marloth Park Conservancy Area, which borders Kruger National Park to the South, this wildlife lodge offers luxury four-star self-catering accommodation for up to ten guests . Marloth Park is home to a wide variety of African wildlife, including a range of bird species and many different small animals, ranging from Zebra and Warthog, to Giraffe and Kudu. Animals roam free within the park, and come right up to the lodge's veranda. The Krokodilbrug Kruger National Park gate is less than half an hour's drive from Marloth Park. R3000 per night for the entire lodge.
• 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.
• Masodini Private Game Lodge, Maroelalaan, Balule Nature Reserve, ☎ +27 82 563-3323, e-mail: [email protected]. Ideally situated in the 40,000 hectares Balule Nature Reserve, part of the Greater Kruger National Park. A bush lover's paradise within this 'Big Five' Conservation area, the lodge is surrounded by Fever trees and evergreen African date palms creating the perfect oasis. The lodge overlooks the water hole, is safe and fenced-in, providing protection against unwanted animal intruders. Masodini is exclusive and intimate, able to provide guests exclusive use of the camp and facilities for up to 12 guests. Ideal for honeymooners, singles or families with children of all ages. Awesome game walks, Game drives in open 4x4 Game drive vehicles and wonderful birding opportunities in and around Masodini with friendly and experienced Nature Guides. There are many places to visit using Masodini as a base, such as the Kruger National Park, Khamai Reptile Park, Moholoholo Rehabilitation Centre, the Cheetah Project, the Panorama Route, local villages and so on. From R750 per night/per person full board incl. tea and coffee.

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