Kruger National Park is one of South Africa’s most famous game reserves. Local and international safari tourists visit this popular destination frequently. With an abundance of wildlife, diverse landscapes, and a variety of accommodation options to suit everyone’s budget – we can see why Kruger is a top choice!
We all know that Kruger is famous for the Big 5, but here are a few useful facts that you might not know:
Kruger is bigger than you think
Stretching across Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces, and bordering Mozambique and Zimbabwe in the north. Many visitors do not realise that the Kruger National Park is massive at 360 kilometres long, 65 kilometres wide, and 2.5 million hectares in the total land area! To put that into perspective, Kruger is about the same size as Wales, or nearly as big as Belgium.
A large variety of wildlife
Kruger is home to the Big 5 and has around 17 000 elephants, 1500 lions, 1000 leopards, and 48 000 buffalos. So, it is not uncommon to see all five of them in one day. There are also approximately 147 mammal specials, over 500 bird species, and over 2000 plant species.
It’s over 120 years old
Paul Kruger was the President of the South African Republic from 1883 to 1900, and opened the park in 1898 which is named after him. The Kruger officially opened to the public in 1927 and the entrance fee was only £1.00 per vehicle.
Kruger is a popular holiday destination
Over a million tourists visit Kruger Park every year. There are a variety of accommodation types with over 17 rest camps and 15 luxury lodges to choose from. Hazyview, Hoedspruit, Malelane, Phalaborwa, and Komatipoort border the Kruger and are also popular destinations.
Thing to do
There are loads of activities to do in Kruger National Park! Game drives, wilderness trails, bush walks, Skukuza Golf Club, and even 4×4 trails. Many of these activities are also available for day visitors not staying inside the Kruger. Making this the perfect safari destination for first-time travellers and repeat visitors.
Tours & Tickets South Africa offers fantastic safari activities for day visitors planning to visit the Kruger. The most popular activities are: