Kruger National Park South Africa Safaris

SOUTH AFRICAN SAFARIS AND THE KRUGER NATIONAL PARK

The Kruger National Park is the largest reserve in South Africa and the most famous one in Africa. Measuring an enormous 18 989 km2 (350 km length x 60 km width!) – the park is the perfect area for an adventurous South African safari. Mozambique and Zimbabwe border on the Kruger National; the main area of the Kruger Park however lies in South Africa (Limpopo and Mpumalanga).

There are 8 main gates in the Kruger National Park they are; Paul Kruger, Numbi, Malelane, Crocodile Bridge, Punda Marila, Orpen and Phabeni. The Park boasts 6 ecosystems, 517 different bird species and, of course, the Big Five game. The Big Five safari animals are; lion, elephant, buffalo, leopard and the black rhino. In 2009 a study was conducted and the amount of safari animals were recorded in the Kruger Park, the results (rounded off) are; 1500 lions, 11 600 elephants, 27 000 buffalos, 1000 leopards and 350 black rhinos, There are also other safari animals in this South African National Park such as; the white rhino, cheetah, giraffe, hippo, kudu, hyena, waterbuck, African hunting dog, zebra, eland and the list goes on!

In 2002 the Kruger National park became part of the Greater Limpopo Transfrontier Park – which links the Gonarezhou National Park in Zimbabwe and the Limpopo National Park in Mozambique with the Kruger National Park. The park is also part of the ‘Kruger to Canyons Biosphere’ which is an area designated by the UNESCO!

Many years ago the park was used by hunters and gathers that lived off the land and the game. In 1898 Paul Kruger (who was the president of the Transvaal Republic) created the ‘Sabie Game Reserve’. The Sabie Game Reserve was formed to protect the diminishing safari animal population; this area also has the Sabie River flowing through it… In 1902, Steverson Hamilton became the first warden for this area. The Northern part of the Kruger National park was proclaimed (in 1903) the Shingwedzi Reserve. In 1926 the Sabie Game Reserve and the Shingwedzi Game Reserve were combined to form the impressive and world renowned Kruger National Park!

The Kruger National Park has a subtropical climate with the summers being very hot and humid. The rainy season is between September and May which provides for interesting safari viewing. The best time to visit the Kruger National Park is in the dry season as most of the Big Five safari animals gravitate towards the watering holes, additionally the risk of malaria is lower.

Have a look at our South African safaris that pass through the Kruger National Park below. There are also other South African attractions beneath that you might want to visit on your South African Safari.

• Garden Route
• Cape Town
• Winelands
• KwaZulu-Natal
• Addo Elephant National Park
• Greater St Lucia
• Hluhluwe-Umfolozi National Park
• Overberg
• Pilanesberg National Park
• Ukhahlamba
• West Coast
• Aquila
• Table Mountain
• Cango Caves
• Cape Point, Cape Agulhas
• Drakensberg
• Gods Window
• Kapama Game Reserve
• Kirstenbosch
• Knysna
• Madikwe Game Reserve
• Pilgrims Rest
• Robben Island
• Soweto
• Sun City
• Karoo South Africa
• Wild Coast
• V&A Waterfront
• Johannesburg
• Gansbaai
• Tsitsikamma
• Valley of a 1000 Hills
• Inverdoorn
• Cederberg
• Kimberley
• Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park
• Zululand
• The Battlefields