Kruger covers 19,485 square kilometres along the Mozambique border, roughly the size of Wales, and was proclaimed as Sabi Game Reserve in 1898. It holds around 12,000 elephants, 1500 lions, 2000 hyenas, and populations of white and black rhino that have been reduced by poaching to numbers the park does not publish precisely.
Self-drive
Kruger is unusual among major African parks in being designed for independent visitors. Tarred main roads run the length of it, gravel loops branch off, and an ordinary car is adequate. You may not leave your vehicle except at designated points, and gate and camp times are enforced with fines — they are set by sunrise and sunset and change monthly. Driving at 40 km/h and stopping often produces far more sightings than covering distance.
Rest camps
Twelve main rest camps offer bungalows, safari tents and campsites, each with a shop, fuel, a restaurant and a fence. Skukuza is the largest and has an airport; Lower Sabie and Satara are the favourites of regular visitors for their game density; Olifants sits on a cliff above a river. Bookings open eleven months ahead and South African school holidays sell out immediately.
Where the animals are
The southern section between Skukuza, Lower Sabie and Crocodile Bridge has the highest density of predators and rhino and the most traffic. The central grasslands around Satara are lion country — the name means enough water. The north beyond the Olifants River is drier mopane woodland, quieter, with large elephant herds and the best birding. Waterholes and river crossings in the dry season concentrate everything.
Guided options
Camps sell sunrise and night drives in open vehicles, which get you out before the gates open and after they close, when predators are active. Guided morning walks with two armed rangers are limited to eight people and are worth booking well ahead. Private reserves adjoining the park, such as Sabi Sand and Timbavati, have no fences with Kruger, allow off-road driving and offer far higher leopard sightings, at several times the price.
Season
The dry winter from May to September is the best game viewing: grass is short, leaves are down, and animals gather at water. Nights are cold, down to 5 degrees, and mornings on an open vehicle require a jacket. The green summer from November to March brings newborn animals, migrant birds and dramatic storms, but dense bush and dispersed water make sightings harder.
Malaria and practicalities
Kruger is a low to intermediate malaria area, with risk highest in the wet summer months; consult a doctor about prophylaxis and use repellent at dusk. Entry is by conservation fee, and the Wild Card pays for itself on a stay beyond about a week. Fill up in camps rather than relying on the next one.