One of the most commonly asked questions is what time of year is the best time to visit the Kruger National Park. Of course anytime is the right time and that’s because our climate is temperate all year round and the reality is that because its not a zoo you can never guarantee any sightings…BUT.

Whilst you cant predict what the game is going to do, you can give yourself the best odds by being in the know of what the seasons do. Summer (October to April) is very hot with regular thunderstorms and as a result the bush is beautifully green and thick. This of course makes game viewing very difficult but on the other hand the conditions are wonderful and the savanna is bursting with life. There are regular sightings of most general game from antelopes to Elephants but Lion, Leopard and Cheetah are more challenging, as the grass is high. That said it’s an amazing season to experience with over 500 birds, all the flora in full bloom and the insects fill the airwaves. 

Winter (May to August) is more bland in its color and the savanna is far less vibrant but the low rainfall and high visibility make for great game viewing as the animals are drawn to what water is available. This of course means the predators are in close pursuit and with vegetation you have a far better opportunity of seeing them.

The truth is that the more time you spend on Safari the better your chances are of seeing the Big 5. All our Safaris are Privately Guided aboard luxurious Open Safari Vehicles and our hand picked Guides will do their absolute best to get all the sightings your heart desires. That’s said, a Day Safari in Kruger wont offer you the kind of sightings a 2, 3, 4 or 5 Day Kruger National Park Safari will.

On a Day Safari in Kruger we recommend the Full Day Safari or Sunrise Safari and to be honest the chances are still pretty good that you will see 3 of the Big 5 but nothing will compare with spending 3 or 4 nights in the Kruger. Kruger National Park is so much more than just a place to view wildlife. The real Kruger experience lies in the destination itself. It offers guests the opportunity to explore a timeless savanna that has been protected for over 100 years. It’s the diversity of Eco-zones, the sheer magnitude of fauna and flora, the incredible views and look out and calm tranquility of its many wonderful camps.

So if you had to ask us we would suggest that you set at least 4 nights aside so that you could truly experience the vast wonderful of the beautiful destination.

The Kruger National Park offers guests a wide variety of accommodation options from a simple Safari Tent to a Bungalow, Family Cottage or the large Guest Houses. All of the accommodation provided for by Kruger is based on a self-catering basis and is considered 3 star. What Kruger lacks in stars though it makes up for in ambience and experience and there is no other nature reserve in Africa that will offer you the same level of infrastructure at such affordable rates.

Kruger National Park has 12 Main Camps spread across the length and breadth of its 20,000 square kilometers. Each one of these camps offers the traveller a well stocked Shop which offers a variety of groceries as well as basic household items and curio.

Apart from the Parks own accommodation, there are 7 privately owned concessions in the Park that offer guests a 5 star experience but at an increased overnight rate from $500pppn sharing upwards to $2800pppn sharing.

 From experience we have our own preferences to which camps we use base don location, landscape, game viewing and access to amenities such as shops, curio and restaurants.

All of our overnight Safaris are personalised and whilst we have a basic outline for each safari, we can tailor make according to your preference.

 Within the Parks 12 Main Camps, which are spread out across the length of the Park, each camp has accommodation that ranges from a basic Safari tent with on-suite bathroom to a Bungalow which can sleep 2 or 3 guests to family cottages that sleep 4 to 6 and then the Guest Houses which can sleep 6+ guests. The type of accommodation that we select for our clients will be based on the size of the group and each one offers a fully serviced unit with bed linen and towelling daily.

 Our preference is to units with an on-suite bathroom, kitchenette, ceiling fan and air-conditioning. All bungalows have power and guests can charge devices. Also all of the main camps in Kruger have a shop which offer a wide variety of food, beverage and personal supplies. For the guests who prefers a quitter setting there are 5 Bushveld Camps in the Kruger Park that are spread out in the more remote regions of the Park. These are smaller camps that offer greater exclusivity with usually less than 20 cottages and the focus is on a more intimate Kruger Park experience. These bushveld camps also have the same Bungalows and Cottages as the larger camps but due to their size feel more private. They don not however have a shop or restaurant but are within an hour of most main camps.

 New to the Kruger National Park is the Skukuza Lodge, which is based at Skukuza Camp. This is a 4 star hotel based inside Skukuza camp that offers all the regular amenities of your typical hotel. It is however smaller and more intimate and situated in such a way that you feel apart of the bush and not a busy hotel.  A further addition is the new and unique Kruger Shalati Train Hotel which is a luxury 5 Star Train hotel with fixed cabins positioned on the old Shalati Bridge overlooking the Sabie River.  This is a very unique and beautiful destination that is well worth the experience.

 All of the 12 Main Camps in the Kruger National Park have a main sit down restaurant as well as take-away and a Park shop that has a wide variety of food and beverage as well as self-catering groceries which you can take back to your bungalow and prepare. There are also two outpost kitchens in the southern Region named Tshokwane and Afsaal, which offer a bush kitchen menu with local South African breakfast favorites.

 All of the Main Camps restaurants have a menu which caters for breakfast, lunch and dinner and also provide a vegetarian option. The Park unfortunately does not cater for a Halaal option so this you would need to provide for yourself.

 On our overnight Safari we include 2 meals a day as part of the itinerary with a 3^rd meal being lunch as optional. We have found from experience that a morning coffee stop with biscotti and rusks (local dipping biscuit) along with a brunch stop around 10h00 and then dinner from 18h30 is usually the preferred option for guests exploring Kruger.

On our Day Safari is Kruger we will stop around 08h30 to 09h00 for breakfast and then 13h30 for lunch at one of the Camps or Outposts. Guests should budget on around R140pp for a full breakfast and cappuccino.