Planning a holiday to the Kruger National Park?

There are several options when planning a holiday to the Kruger National Park (KNP).

Important to note: The Kruger National Park is situated in what is deemed a Malaria Area. You can purchase anti Malaria tablets over the counter at South African pharmacies.

 

Self-drive and mostly self-catering holiday

There are a host of travel agents on the internet with whom you can book a visit with transport, meals and a guide to the Kruger National Park. There are also many recommendations on Tripadvisor.

 

To make your own reservations and self-drive

You can make your own reservations and go on a self-drive holiday – which is done by thousands of visitors to the Kruger National Park (KNP) every year. (Remember to apply for an international drivers licence in your country of residence).

 

Recommended Camps

The Fusion2020 conference takes place during the South African winter-time. The best camps to reside at with the biggest chances of seeing the big 5 are at camps situated in the South of the KNP. We therefore recommend either Skukuza orLower-Sabie. Both camps are fairly full but there are constantly cancelations and new bookings being made.

Skukuza and Lower Sabie also currently have the best restaurants in the KNP – so if you don’t want to have a BBQ every evening, the restaurants are a good alternative (the restaurants serve breakfast, lunch and dinner).

All the Main Camps also have a shop. The shops are well stocked with food, beverages, alcoholic beverages and wonderful curios. Keep in mind that everything has to be transported to these camps and everything will be slightly more expensive than what you would pay outside the KNP.

 

Making a booking in the Kruger National Park

You can make a booking and pay online with a credit card or you can contact one of the reservation offices.

  • To book online:  Create a profile for yourself and read the Terms and Conditions. Please read the terms and conditions – as it does contain important information.
  • Select a Camp (We recommend the Main Camps for first time visitors on a self-drive holiday. There are also Luxury Lodges to choose from that offer all-inclusive packages they are fairly expensive, but include luxury accommodation, meals and game drives – these can also be booked online.

 You can stay at any camp but we recommend either Skukuza (which is the biggest camp in the Kruger National Park or Lower Sabie Camp) Both camps are situated in the South of the KNP, on the Sabie River. The Kruger National Park is one of the largest game reserves in Africa. It covers an area of 19,485 km2 (7,523 sq. mi) in the provinces of Limpopo and Mpumalanga in north-eastern South Africa, and extends 360 km (220 mi) from north to south and 65 km (40 mi) from east to west. (It is slightly smaller than Belgium). (Maximum speed limit is 40km per hour within the camp)

Once you’ve selected your camp you can go to “Where to Stay” and click on “Availability Accommodation”. I recommend you browse by “Calendar month” as you may, depending on the availability of accommodation decide to visit the Kruger National Park before or after the conference.

Once you have selected your preferred accommodation – book it immediately and pay the deposit. The booking site is busy and if you don’t confirm it quickly it can be snapped up by someone else while you were still thinking about it.

Please note: Camps in the Kruger National Park open at 06:00 and close at 18:00. You may not travel in the Kruger National Park beyond these hours. Roads are patrolled by traffic officers and all standard traffic rules apply.

On your way to the Kruger National Park you can stop and do your grocery shopping in either:

  • Nelspruit (Riverside Mall) – this is a large shopping mall. It also has a Woolworths Food Section (Similar to the British Marks & Spencer’s)
  • White River (White River Square) or (Pick & Pay White River)
  • Hazyview, shop at Checkers New Hazyview Junction (It’s brand new and lovely to shop at. Also remember to stock up on some lovely South African wines and some Amarula Cream for that after dinner treat to be enjoyed as the African sun sets).

This guide was compiled by Mongoose Communications & Design based on our own experiences – it is only a guide to making a booking and not nearly as comprehensive as SANPARKS’ website. For more information please visit the SANPARKS website https://www.sanparks.org/parks/kruger/

You may also e-mail us at rleroux@mongoose.co.za should you require any further assistance or information.

Travel Tips

Tip: If it’s your first visit to the Kruger National Park do yourself a favour and book a morning drive or a night drive or a bush-walk with a guide. You can also do this online on the same website and pay by credit card. (Dress warmly for these drives as it is winter and it will get cold on an open vehicle)

Tip: If you reserve accommodation by telephone you are given eight months within which to transfer the deposit – if the deadline lapses – the booking simply lapses. If you make a reservation online, you have to pay the deposit immediately with a credit card and will pay a cancellation fee.

Tip: Each type of accommodation has its own code – you will see the letters RV and BV in some of the accommodation codes – these stand for River View or Bush view – not all accommodation has a river or bush view. If you want to secure some of the best accommodation available in the camp download a map of the camp you want to stay at (it’s available on the SANPARKS website) – see where chalets are located in relation to the river. Pin the “Browse by month” calendar in your browser and visit it every morning to see whether any of your preferred chalets or tents have become available.