When it comes to safari, Kruger is the crown diamond of South Africa. One of the largest game reserves in Africa, Kruger covers an area of 20000 square kilometres. It is not exactly close to Johannesburg, so if you are based there you either need to fly to Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport or drive during about 5 hours. The park is not malaria free, so you may end up getting a nasty ride out of Malarone pills. Because of the distance, I did not manage to cover this park during my two week visit but I leave you with some shots of Enrique's days there.
Doing a safari in a natural environment is quite different from seeing the animals in captivity. It is interesting to get to see them interact with each other according to their instincts. Did you know that giraffes, zebras and warhogs often go together? Giraffes can see on the distances, zebras have good sense of smell, so they can collaborate and alert each other when predators are coming. Nature is as much cruel as beautiful. While you may get some cute views of mumma elephant with some babies, there will also be corpses, guts, blood and fights, specially during mating season.
You should book a weekend to visit Kruger. Either staying inside or outside the park. If you plan to stay inside, you need to arrive before 6PM which is the time when the park gates close at night. It is possible to go with private tour (up to 10 people) but they all start very early and last for 12h, from 5AM to 5PM. There will be picnic included as part of the tour - typically prepared by your hotel, but make sure to bring warm clothing. Even if you visit South Africa during summer, mornings and afternoons are chilly.
Enrique stayed at Nabana Lodge which is outside the park, but only 4 hours away by car from Sandton. Quite a good combination for those of you working in Johannesburg and want to spend a weekend in Kruger, but have no possibility to take days off. The private safari tour was with Private Kruger Safaris, but they booked both things by writing to some local travel agency called reservations@hazyviewholidays.co.za that provided several options.
Did you know that South Africa's notes are marked with the big 5 (lion, leopard, buffalo, elephant and rhinoceros)?? The highest value note is 200 ZAR, marked with the leopard as it is an extremely rare sight ;)
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