Planning a Kruger National Park Trip? 10 Things to Know Before You Go
I’ve been going to Kruger Park every year since I was born, usually more than once a year, and at this point I’ve stayed at nearly every camp in the park (there are still two or three bush camps I need to tick off 👀).
So while I definitely don’t claim to know everything about Kruger, I have spent a LOT of time there, and there are so many little things I’ve picked up over the years that make planning a trip so much easier.
From choosing where to stay and when to go, to understanding the maps, gate times and the things you really don’t want to learn once you’re already inside the park, these are 10 things I think are actually worth knowing before your next Kruger trip. 🐘🌿
01. BUY A MAP WHEN YOU ARRIVE
One of the first things we do when we get to Kruger is buy an official Kruger map book. You can usually find them at the entrance gates and camp shops, and even if you normally rely on Google Maps, we definitely recommend having one in the car.
Signal can be very patchy (or nonexistent) in parts of the park, and it’s surprisingly easy to get lost once you start taking different roads. The map makes it much easier to plan your drives, find camps, picnic spots and waterholes, and work out how far you still have to go before the gates close.
When reading the map: roads beginning with H are tar roads, while roads beginning with S are gravel/dirt roads. Don’t automatically skip the S-roads either. Some of our best sightings have happened on the quieter gravel roads.
We’d also recommend buying the official map book rather than just using any map. It has loads of extra information about the park, including animal and bird checklists, which we love ticking off throughout the trip.
And don’t throw it away when you leave! We keep ours and bring it back on our next trip, especially because we like marking where we’ve had good sightings. By the end, they usually look VERY well used.
02. BOOK EARLIER THAN YOU THINK
If you have specific camps, accommodation or dates in mind, book as early as you can. Kruger accommodation can fill up surprisingly quickly, especially during school holidays and other popular times of year.
We usually book our trips around seven months to a year in advance. That gives us a much better chance of getting the camps and huts we actually want rather than having to plan the entire trip around whatever happens to be left.
This is especially important if you want one of the smaller bushveld camps or a particular type of unit. There are far fewer of these available, so your options disappear much faster.
Our tip: if you already know when you want to go, don’t wait until you’ve planned every little detail before booking. Secure the accommodation you want first and work out your drives and daily plans closer to the trip.
03. CHOOSE YOUR CAMP CAREFULLY
Kruger is huge, and where you stay can completely change your trip. Don’t choose a camp based only on the accommodation. Look at where it is in the park, the roads around it and which areas you actually want to explore.
We also love moving between camps during a trip instead of staying in one place the entire time. It means you get to explore completely different areas of Kruger without having to drive huge distances there and back every day.
Different parts of the park can feel completely different too, from the landscape and vegetation to the animals you’re more likely to come across, so staying in more than one area gives you a much more varied trip.
Our tip: don’t try to squeeze in too many camps either. Give yourself enough time at each one to actually explore the surrounding roads rather than spending your whole holiday packing up and moving. 🐘
04. KNOW WHAT YOU’RE PAYING FOR
Your accommodation isn’t the only cost to think about when booking a Kruger trip. You’ll also need to pay daily conservation fees to enter and stay in the park, and these are charged per person, per day.
If you visit SANParks regularly, it’s also worth looking into a Wild Card. We use ours a lot because we visit Kruger and other national parks throughout the year, so depending on how often you travel, it can work out much better than paying conservation fees every time.
Just remember that your accommodation booking and conservation fees are separate, so factor both into your budget when you’re working out what the trip will actually cost.
Our tip: work this out before you book, especially for a longer stay. A daily fee might not seem like much at first, but over several days and multiple people it can add up quickly 🐘💸
05. CHOOSE WHEN YOU VISIT
There really isn’t a bad time to visit Kruger, but the time of year can completely change what your trip feels like, so it’s worth thinking about what you actually want to see before choosing your dates.
May to September is generally cooler and drier. The vegetation is less dense and animals tend to gather around water sources, which can make wildlife easier to spot. We also love this time of year for those chilly early-morning drives when you’re bundled up in the car with a coffee.
October to March is much hotter and greener, but Kruger is absolutely beautiful in summer. It’s a great time for birding, summer migrants and seeing lots of young animals, and the whole park feels completely different after the rains.
Also check South African school holidays and public-holiday weekends before you book. If you’re visiting from overseas, our main school holiday periods are generally around late March/April, late June/July, late September/early October, and December into January. The exact dates change each year, but Kruger can be noticeably busier during these periods, particularly the popular camps, gates and main roads.
December and January are especially worth keeping in mind, as this is our main summer holiday period and many South Africans travel over Christmas and New Year.
Our tip: don’t just search for the “best month to visit Kruger.” Decide whether you’d rather have cooler weather and generally easier game viewing, or a lush green park with incredible birdlife and summer scenery, and plan around that 🦁🌿
06. DON’T TRY TO DO THE WHOLE PARK
Kruger is much bigger than it looks on a map, and one of the biggest mistakes you can make is trying to squeeze too much into one trip.
It’s really tempting to look at the distance between two places and think, “Oh, that’s only 50 km,” but 50 km in Kruger is not the same as 50 km on a normal road. You’re driving slowly, stopping for sightings, taking little detours and, if you’re anything like us, spending 30 minutes watching an elephant that you definitely said you’d only stop at for five.
Rather choose one or two areas of the park and actually explore them properly. Take the smaller roads, stop at the waterholes, visit the viewpoints and give yourself time to sit at a good sighting instead of constantly watching the clock because you still have another camp to reach.
We’ve been going to Kruger for years and there are still roads we haven’t explored properly. You really don’t need to see the entire park in one trip.
Our tip: when planning your routes, think in time rather than kilometres and always give yourself more time than you think you’ll need. In Kruger, getting distracted along the way is kind of the whole point.
07. CHECK THE GATE TIMES
Kruger’s camp and entrance gate times change throughout the year, so always check the opening and closing times for the dates you’re visiting.
If you’re staying inside the park, you need to be back at your camp before the gates close. And trust us, you do not want to be 20 km away from camp with 20 minutes to spare.
Always leave yourself more time than you think you need to get back. A drive that should take 30 minutes can very quickly become an hour when you find lions next to the road, get stuck behind elephants or hit one of those sightings where there are cars everywhere.
We normally keep the closing time in mind throughout our afternoon drive and start making our way back with plenty of time to spare. You can always take a little detour if you’re running early, but you can’t magically make Kruger kilometres go faster when you’re running late.
Our tip: check the gate times when planning your trip and then check them again when you arrive. They’re also usually displayed around the camps, so take a photo of the times on your phone for easy reference.
08. KNOW THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF CAMPS
Not all camps in Kruger are the same, and this is definitely something worth understanding before you start booking. Where you stay can make a pretty big difference to the type of trip you have.
Main Rest Camps are the larger camps and generally have the most facilities, like shops, restaurants, fuel stations and a bigger range of accommodation. If it’s your first Kruger trip, these can be a really easy option because you have pretty much everything you need nearby.
Then there are Bushveld Camps, which are much smaller and quieter. They have fewer facilities and feel a lot more secluded, which we personally LOVE. If you’re looking for more of that peaceful, middle-of-the-bush feeling, they’re definitely worth considering.
There are also Satellite Camps and Bush Lodges, as well as a few more unique accommodation options throughout the park, so don’t assume every camp is going to have a restaurant, shop or fuel station just because another one did.
Our tip: when you find accommodation you like, check what facilities that specific camp actually has before booking. Sometimes having fewer facilities is exactly what makes a camp so special, you just need to know beforehand so you can come prepared.
09. KNOW THE DIFFERENT ACCOMMODATION TYPES
Once you’ve chosen a camp, you still need to choose what type of accommodation you want, and there are quite a few different options in Kruger.
Depending on the camp, you’ll find everything from campsites and safari tents to huts, bungalows, cottages and larger guest houses. They can differ quite a lot in terms of space, bathrooms, kitchens and what’s actually included, even within the same camp.
This is where we really recommend reading the accommodation description properly before you book. Don’t assume that because one bungalow had a kitchen or private bathroom, another one will too.
We also always look at the unit codes when booking. They can look like complete gibberish at first, but the letters and numbers tell you more about the specific unit and its features. Sometimes there can be multiple versions of what looks like the same accommodation type.
Our tip: click into the actual unit you’re considering and check exactly what’s included before booking. If there’s a particular view, location or feature you really want, pay attention to the specific accommodation code rather than just choosing “bungalow” and assuming they’re all the same.
10. DRIVE SLOWLY + STICK TO THE SPEED LIMIT
This one might sound obvious, but slow down! You’re in Kruger to look for animals, and the faster you drive, the more you’re going to miss.
Some animals are incredibly well camouflaged. A leopard lying under a tree, a lion tucked into the grass or even something right next to the road can be surprisingly easy to drive straight past. We’re constantly scanning both sides of the road while we drive.
There’s also a practical reason to slow down. Animals can step into the road without warning, and elephants, buffalo and other wildlife regularly cross or walk along the roads.
And yes, there are speed cameras in Kruger 👀 The speed limits still apply even when it feels like you’re in the middle of nowhere, so don’t assume there’s no enforcement just because you’re in the bush.
Don’t let other cars pressure you into speeding either. If someone wants to drive faster, let them pass when it’s safe and carry on at your own pace.
Our tip: the goal isn’t to cover as many kilometres as possible. Drive slowly, keep your eyes moving and enjoy actually looking for the animals. Spotting something yourselves is half the fun.
AND THAT’S JUST THE BEGINNING... 🐘
Kruger is one of those places you can visit over and over again and somehow have a completely different trip every time. We’ve been going for years and we’re still learning new things, finding new roads and discovering parts of the park we haven’t properly explored yet.
These are the things we think are most helpful to know before you go, but there’s a whole other list of things worth knowing once you’re actually inside the park, so we’ll be sharing that next 👀
In the meantime, save this guide for when you start planning your trip, and if there’s anything you want to know about Kruger, leave us a comment below. Chances are, we’ve probably made the mistake already!