The Kruger National Park
Introduction

The Kruger National Park is a sanctuary for indigenous African wildlife, spanning nearly two million hectares of natural and untamed land. The Park is possibly the best wildlife experience available in Africa and hosts all of the species of animal, bird, reptile and plant native to the area that visitors could possibly want to see.

The Park was created in 1898 to protect the dwindling wildlife population of the South African Lowveld, and now holds 336 species of tree, 49 species of fish, 34 species of amphibians, 114 species of reptiles, 507 species of bird and 146 species of mammal. The Park is also of great historical and archaeological value, and guests can view the famous bushman paintings at different areas within the park, as well as the Masorini and Thulamela archaeological sites.

Accommodation within the Park consist of main camps (ranging from small and intimate to larger and slightly busier), as well as smaller private camps that offer a closer and more intimate experience with the bush. All camps allow day visitors, and there are also many picnic areas within the Park where guests are welcomed to relax and enjoy a meal outside of their vehicle. These picnic areas are not segregated from the Park, and so offer an exciting chance to ‘eat in the wild’. For a small fee visitors can hire gas skottels (gas heated frying pans) to cook a hearty meal, and the mess and washing are then dealt with by the on site staff.

Sightings within the Park depend on the season (during the wet summer months the vegetation is much thicker and can make animal spotting slightly trickier) and general animal movement within the Park. Each camp has an information board detailing where exciting animal sightings have occurred each day, and can give a good indication as to the location of some of the rarer animals.