South Africa · Southern Africa
Greater Kruger and the Lowveld.
The Greater Kruger is South Africa's principal safari region: the national park itself plus a belt of private reserves sharing unfenced boundaries with it.
Photo Joss Woodhead / Unsplash
The distinction that matters when planning is between the national park and the private reserves on its western edge. Kruger proper is self-drive country with rest camps, public roads and fixed hours. The private reserves — Sabi Sand, Timbavati, Manyeleti, Klaserie and their neighbours — are traversed by guided vehicles that may leave the road, drive after dark, and follow a sighting rather than pass it.
That is why a Greater Kruger itinerary tends to be built around the private reserves for the game viewing and, where the budget or the appetite calls for it, the national park for its scale and its self-drive freedom.
How do you get to the Greater Kruger?
There are three airports to choose from, depending on the reserve. Kruger Mpumalanga International near Mbombela suits the south, Skukuza sits inside the national park near the Sabi Sand, and Hoedspruit serves Timbavati, Klaserie and Manyeleti. All three have scheduled flights from Johannesburg and Cape Town. Many private reserves also have airstrips for light aircraft, and the drive from Johannesburg takes five to six hours.
How big is Kruger National Park?
About 19,500 square kilometres, running some 350 kilometres from north to south along the Mozambique border. The private reserves on its western side add a large area with no fences between them and the park, so animals move freely across the whole of it.
Is the Greater Kruger a malaria area?
Yes. The risk is generally considered low, and it is higher in the wet summer months. Travellers should take advice from a travel clinic before going. Those who would rather avoid the question entirely can see the Big Five in South Africa's malaria-free reserves, in the Eastern Cape and the north-west of the country.
How long should you spend in the Greater Kruger?
Three or four nights in one private reserve is usual, with a game drive each morning and evening. The most common pairing is with Cape Town.
What is there to see in Greater Kruger and the Lowveld?
What does Greater Kruger and the Lowveld pair well with?
- Cape Town and the Cape PeninsulaCape Town is the city most itineraries are anchored to, and the Peninsula gives it a coastline, a mountain and a wine region within an hour of the centre.
- The Eastern CapeThe Eastern Cape's private reserves are malaria-free and sit within reach of the Garden Route, which is why they so often close a family itinerary.
- Victoria Falls and Livingstone, ZambiaThe Zambian side of Victoria Falls gives the closest, wettest views, and Livingstone is the town that serves it.
- Victoria Falls, ZimbabweThe Zimbabwean side holds most of the panoramic frontage, and the town is the region's adventure capital.
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Elsewhere in South Africa
- The Cape WinelandsStellenbosch, Franschhoek and Paarl form the classic winelands triangle, about an hour inland from Cape Town.
- The Garden RouteThe Garden Route runs roughly from Mossel Bay to Storms River along the southern coast, and is the country's classic self-drive stretch.
- KwaZulu-Natal and ZululandKwaZulu-Natal combines a warm coastline, the Drakensberg mountains and Big Five reserves that are malaria-free or low-risk.
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