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Kruger National Park
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Kruger National Park Safaris and Tours

Kruger National Park

Overview

Take a trip to Kruger National Park on your South Africa Vacation

Encompassing nearly two million hectares and fourteen different ecosystems, Kruger National Park is one of the largest game reserves in Africa and a highlight of a South Africa vacation. The park is located in the provinces of Limpopo and Mpumalanga in northeastern South Africa.

Although areas of Kruger (named for former South African Republic president Paul Kruger) have been protected since 1898, it officially became South Africa’s first national park in 1926. Today, Kruger is run by the South African National Parks (SANP) and is considered by many to be one of the best-managed national parks in Africa.

There is no bad time to go on a safari. Kruger Park has seasonal variations. In summer, there is both sun and rain and it is a time when baby animals are born. In the fall, the land becomes parched and the rutting season begins. In winter, a lack of water forces animals to head to the waterholes. Spring is the height of the dry period and when the rains begin. This is when game viewing is at its best.

At a Glance

Languages

Zulu, Xhosa, Afrikaans, English

Currency

South African Rand (ZAR)

What do the experts say?

Shamsheer (Sam) Cottar

Shamsheer (Sam) Cottar

Destination Specialist
Learn More About This Expert
Skip the more commercial wineries and visit artisanal producers—you’ll find sparkling wines and small-batch reds that are absolutely world-class.
Shamsheer (Sam) Cottar

Shamsheer (Sam) Cottar

Destination Specialist
Learn More About This Expert
Djembe drumming at GOLD in Cape Town is an immersive African experience through their 14-dish food safari and unique live entertainment.
Shamsheer (Sam) Cottar

Shamsheer (Sam) Cottar

Destination Specialist
Learn More About This Expert
The game viewing in Kruger and Eastern Cape always draws me back—it’s truly superb.
Shamsheer (Sam) Cottar

Shamsheer (Sam) Cottar

Destination Specialist
Learn More About This Expert
South Africans are famously warm—when you’re new in town, you're often invited to a braai, our way of welcoming people through food.
Shamsheer (Sam) Cottar

Shamsheer (Sam) Cottar

Destination Specialist
Learn More About This Expert
South Africa is a wonderful starting point for Africa. It's got some of the top cities in the world, stunning food and wine, and exceptional value for money.

What to Expect

The main goals of Kruger National Park are wildlife conservation, education and tourism. To those on South Africa safaris, the park boasts “the Big Five”, the lion, the African elephant, the Cape buffalo, the leopard and the rhinoceros. The term “Big Five” was coined by big game hunters regarding the five most difficult animals in Africa to hunt on foot. Roughly 147 species of animals and 114 species of reptiles inhabit the park. There are cheetahs, hyenas, warthog, zebra, hippopotamus, crocodiles, giraffes, wildebeest and many species of antelope to be seen. Also, over 500 species of birds exist in Kruger and, of this number, around 250 are annual residents of the park. 

Offering a true African safari experience, Kruger is now part of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park. This project is a peace park that links Kruger with Gonarezhou National Park in Zimbabwe and with Limpopo National Park in Mozambique. Fences within the park are coming down, allowing games to roam freely in the way they did before the human intervention.

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