Kruger National Park

Kruger National Park in north-eastern South Africa is one of the largest and best-known reserves in the world, about 19,500 square kilometres, proclaimed a national park in 1926. It offers the finest safaris for the Big Five: lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo.

Inside the park and along its edges, private reserves offer the most refined safaris: small luxury lodges and twice-daily drives in open vehicles with a ranger and tracker, at dawn and late afternoon when animals are active.

You reach Kruger by air from Johannesburg to nearby airports or lodge airstrips in about an hour to an hour and a half. The best season for viewing is May to September, when the grass is low and animals gather at water.

We suggest at least three nights in a safari lodge, for about six drives and a good chance of seeing the Big Five.