Nuts and Bolts: Travel Tips for Visiting Kruger National Park
- Rand Blimes
- May 23
- 11 min read
Nuts and Bolts posts give you the practical information you need, but without stripping away the humor, mishaps, and little victories that make real travel what it is. These aren’t just guides. They’re how we actually did it—mistakes, triumphs, and all.
This page has some travel tips for visiting Kruger National Park, to aid in planning your own trip. My wife and normally travel primarily to eat, but we went to Kruger to see the animals. We were in Kruger National Park in for about a week in June, 2017. If your trip to Kruger is significantly longer/shorter/with a different focus, you may have a very different experience.
A Race to Kruger
We were in a race against the clock.
Our plane had landed at O.R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg just hours earlier, and we had a reservation waiting for us that night at Skukuza Camp in Kruger National Park. The catch? We were in serious danger of getting locked out.
Kruger is a fantastic place to do a self-drive safari. During daylight hours, you’re free to roam the park roads in your own vehicle. But the park runs on a strict curfew. Every visitor must be inside the gates of their rest camp by a set cutoff time—which varies by month—or they’re out of luck.
Our schedule was tight.
Thankfully, the plane landed on time, and the car rental process was smooth. Google Maps worked like a charm, guiding us out of Johannesburg and onto the well-maintained highways east.
But we were still cutting it close.
If we didn’t reach the Kruger entrance gate with enough time to make it to Skukuza before the 18:00 cutoff, we’d be denied entry and forced to find lodging elsewhere.
Oh, and did I mention we were coming off a flight path that went Hawaii → San Francisco → London → Johannesburg? That is more than a few hours on planes.
Also, I was driving a manual transmission on the left side of the road. I’d driven on the left before, but never while shifting gears with my left hand. (Fun fact: clutch, brake, and gas pedals stay in the same order no matter which side of the car you’re on.)
In the end, we made it—with just enough time to slow down and gawk at our very first zebras and giraffes. A welcome party worth the stress.
Travel Tips for Visiting Kruger National Park: Weather
Kruger National Park is open year-round, but the experience you’ll have can vary dramatically depending on when you go. South Africa’s seasons are flipped if you’re coming from the Northern Hemisphere, and understanding the seasonal rhythm here can make a big difference in your safari.
Dry Season (May to September): The Classic Safari Window
This is the Southern Hemisphere winter, and it’s the most popular time to visit Kruger—and for good reason. Days are mild, nights are crisp, and, most importantly, the bush dries out. That makes animals easier to spot as they cluster around watering holes and the grass thins out.
If your goal is classic game viewing—lions lounging under acacia trees, elephants lumbering through dry riverbeds—this is your best bet. The tradeoff? It’s high season, so camps and lodges book up, and you’ll be sharing sightings with more people. Mornings can also be chilly, so pack layers.
Additionally, if you plan to spend time in places like Cape Town, or the Garden Route while you are in South Africa, it will be downright chilly. Ocean conditions can also be quite rough during this time, so anything involving a boat can be touch and go.
Wet Season (October to April): Lush, Green, and Buzzing with Life
Summer in Kruger brings the rains. Afternoon thunderstorms roll in regularly, the landscape turns vibrant green, and animals don’t need to travel far for water—which means they’re more spread out and sometimes harder to find. The bush gets thick, and that can make spotting the big cats a bit more challenging.
But there’s a flip side: fewer tourists, lower prices, and incredible birdwatching. The park comes alive with migratory birds, newborn animals, and dramatic skies. If you’re into photography or just want a quieter, more atmospheric safari, this season has its charm.
The Verdict
If it’s your first time and you’re chasing peak wildlife sightings, go in the dry season. But don’t rule out the wet months—especially if you’re more into lush landscapes, birds, or budget-friendlier travel. Just be ready for the occasional downpour and a bit of a challenge in tracking animals. Either way, Kruger delivers.
Getting to Kruger National Park
There are basically two ways to get yourself to Kruger: fly close and drive short, or fly far and drive long. We went for the second option, and while it made for a hectic first day, it worked out just fine. Here's how the options shake out:
Option 1: Fly to Johannesburg and Drive In
This is what we did. We landed in Johannesburg (O.R. Tambo International Airport), rented a car at the airport, and drove straight to Kruger. The drive is long—anywhere from 4 to 6 hours depending on which gate you're aiming for and how fast you can get out of Joburg traffic. But the roads are good, and if you're on a budget or traveling as a family, it's a solid choice.
Bonus tip: stop for snacks and a bathroom break before you hit the rural stretches. Once you’re out there, services get sparse.
Option 2: Fly Direct to One of the Regional Airports Near Kruger
If you’re short on time or just don’t want to mess with long-haul driving, this is your move. There are small airports right near the park, including:
Skukuza Airport (SZK): Inside the park itself. Tiny, but incredibly convenient if you’re staying near Skukuza Camp.
Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport (MQP): Located near Nelspruit, about 45 minutes from the southern gates.
Hoedspruit Airport (HDS): Good access to the central region of Kruger.
Flights to these smaller airports are often more expensive and run less frequently than flights to Johannesburg, but they’ll save you hours of travel. You can usually rent a car at these airports too, or arrange a transfer if you’re heading to a private lodge.
Getting Around
If you’re doing a self-drive safari (highly recommended), you'll need a rental car no matter how you get to Kruger. A standard sedan is just fine for most park roads—4WD isn’t necessary unless you plan to stay outside the park on rugged back roads. GPS or Google Maps works well, but keep an eye out for poorly marked roads and those notorious surprise speed bumps.
Choosing Camps in Kruger National Park
One of the best parts of staying in Kruger is that you don’t need to book some five-star private lodge to have an incredible safari experience. The park-run rest camps are clean, affordable, and perfectly located for wildlife viewing. You can even braai (barbecue) under the stars while hyenas call in the distance. Or right outside the gate, and they eyeball you and you dinner. It’s a vibe.
And there is just something fun about the idea that at night, the animals run wild while the human are all trapped behind high fences. You get to see what the other side of being in a zoo is like for a night.
The camps vary quite a bit in size, amenities, and location — so it’s worth thinking a little strategically.
This is the park’s biggest and most developed camp — it is basically a small town in the bush. It has a restaurant, a shop, a post office, a bank, and even Wi-Fi (spotty, but usable). It’s located in the southern part of the park, where the wildlife density is especially high. That means your chances of seeing the Big Five in a single game drive are actually decent. But it also means more people and more cars at sightings.
We stayed here several nights, and it was a great intro to Kruger. The camp feels secure and comfortable. And if you’re nervous about jumping straight into a more remote area, it’s a great first stop.
Satara is smaller than Skukuza but still one of the larger camps. It’s centrally located, which makes it ideal for covering lots of ground and seeing a wide range of habitats. It’s especially known for big cats. The plains around Satara are prime lion and cheetah territory, and we had some of our best sightings near here.
The is the other camp we stayed at, and it is charmingly low-key. There's a shop, a restaurant, and rondavels (round huts) with basic kitchenettes. You may see monkeys in camp. You might hear lions at night. It’s everything you want from a Kruger camp without feeling crowded.
Other Camps to Consider
Lower Sabie – Just east of Skukuza, this camp sits right on the Sabie River and has some of the best waterhole views in the park. Great for photographers and sunset lovers.
Olifants – Perched on a bluff above the Olifants River in the northeast, this camp has stunning views and more of a remote, wild feel.
Tamboti – A small tented camp near Orpen Gate. Rustic but atmospheric, with the chance to fall asleep to lions roaring.
Letaba – Beautiful setting on the Letaba River, good for birding and elephant sightings.
Mopani or Shingwedzi – Good options if you want to head north. Fewer crowds, different ecosystems, and a more off-the-beaten-path experience.
Tips for Booking
Camps fill early in peak season (especially June–August), so book well in advance. The best way to book is through the park’s website.
Mix it up. If you have several nights, consider staying at two or three camps in different areas to maximize your wildlife variety.
Look at the camp maps online — some units face the river or have better privacy. You can often request a specific unit when booking.
Kruger vs. Private Game Reserves: What’s the Difference?
Kruger National Park is one of the best places in the world to do a DIY safari. You rent a car, grab a map, and off you go — just you, the open road, and a chance at spotting a leopard snoozing in a tree. It’s affordable, flexible, and deeply rewarding.
But surrounding Kruger are a number of private game reserves (like Sabi Sands, Timbavati, and Manyeleti), which offer a very different kind of safari. These reserves are adjacent to Kruger, with no fences in between, so the animals roam freely between the two. But the guest experience is next-level different.
In private reserves:
You can go off-road, which is a huge advantage when tracking predators.
Guides and trackers do the work for you — you just ride along and watch the magic unfold.
Lodging is typically more luxurious (and more expensive).
You won’t see many other vehicles. Sightings are more intimate and less crowded.
So which is better?
If you want luxury, curated experiences, and an expert guiding you to the action, go private. If you want independence, a lower price tag, and the joy of spotting a rhino on your own — Kruger is your place.
What to Do in Kruger (Besides Try Not to Get Trampled)
Let’s not pretend — the number one reason to come to Kruger is the animals. Everything else is gravy. And the best part? You don’t need a guide, a jeep, or a six-syllable safari lodge to see them. Just rent a car, grab a map, and go on a self-drive safari.
We saw so much. And we did it ourselves. Mostly.
There were tense moments, like the time a bull elephant decided we didn’t belong on his road and challenged our little car with a look that could kill. We tried to inch past. He moved closer. We reversed. He followed. Somewhere in there was some frantic gear shifting and a panicked three-point turn. Eventually, he let us go. But there is nothing like being stared down by an elephant to remind you that you are the visitor here.
We saw lions — not super close, but close enough to feel that hush that descends when apex predators are near. We found a hyena den just off the side of the road, and sat, totally still, windows down, hearts racing, watching a mother hyena nudge her tiny, tiny pups. I swear they looked like they were smiling.
One day, we got stuck in a traffic jam in the middle of nowhere. I rolled down the window and asked the car next to us what was going on. The driver didn’t look at me — just whispered one word: “Leopard.” We waited ten minutes. Then, like a whispered secret, I caught a glimpse of the most beautiful spotted coat I’ve ever seen, disappearing behind a bumper and into the bush. That was our only leopard sighting.
We also saw zebras, giraffes, massive crocodiles at the waterholes, and so many birds — including one kingfisher that put on a personal show, diving again and again while we sat watching from the car.
And the elephants. There are so many elephants. They’re impossible to miss, unforgettable to watch, and sometimes deeply intimidating (see above: reverse gear incident). The elephants travel in massive groups in Kruger. So when you see them, you don’t just see an elephant or two. You see a river of elephants, swarming through the open plains.
We were even lucky enough to see uber-threatened rhinos a couple of times. The camp sightings boards (posted near the rest camps) are a great resource for tracking animals — though you’ll notice no rhinos are listed. Their locations are kept secret due to threat from poachers. And poaching is a real threat. While we were in Kruger, at least one elephant was killed by poachers, it tusks removed and its body left to the scavengers.
I was sad we never saw a cheetah, though we missed them by minutes a couple times.
Kruger has a variety of guided activities you can sign up for at the camp you are staying at, and we participated in a couple. Our walking safari was incredible — and a little unnerving. We were skirting an open field when a bull elephant in the distance perked up, turned our direction, and went on full alert. The guide had warned us: “Stand still. Don’t move. Don’t talk.” Elephants don’t see well. But they are smart. We froze like it was Jurassic Park. For ten minutes we stood mostly still, until the bull lost interest and wandered off.
The night safari was another highlight. We saw hyenas prowling (I developed a real soft spot for those mischievous scavengers), and watched hippos lumbering around on land, far from the water. Strange, silent, and somehow hilarious.
Kruger isn’t a zoo. You’re in their world, and every encounter is a gift. You may not see everything, but what you do see will stay with you forever.
Kruger gave us more than just sightings. It gave us moments. Moments of awe. Of stillness. Of wild beauty and unfiltered adrenaline. Some were grand — like standing a few feet from a hyena and her pups — and some were quiet — like watching a kingfisher hunt, over and over, in perfect concentration. Every day felt like opening a gift, and you never knew what you were going to get.
If you’re looking for a safari that’s accessible, flexible, affordable, and unforgettable, Kruger delivers. You won’t always get what you came for — because travel is unpredictable. But if you let it, Kruger will give you something better: the thrill of the search, the joy of discovery, and the wild, messy wonder of nature, on its terms.
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