Kruger National Park

During a holiday to the Kruger National Park, dining experiences should be tightly woven around the wildness of the terrain and its beasts. If the reserve were a country, its national dish would be a trio of ostrich, springbok and warthog ribs grilled on the braai and served with a fine Cape merlot. South Africa's most popular cooking method is barbecuing and every chef, whether amateur or studded with Michelin stars, has his own secret basting recipe. In fact, the most traditional way for visitors to enjoy a meal is around a Weber braai on their own hotel porch. For your viewing pleasure, find restaurants that seat you at a table overlooking a watering hole. Here, your dining experience will be accompanied by visions of ambling creatures gathering for their evening thirst quencher.

Every level of luxury exists in hotels in The Kruger National Park. Skukuza rest camp is a favourite amongst local holiday makers because of the diversity of its accommodation choices and attractions. Here, Kruger National Park holidays can be enjoyed close to the bush from a safari tent, or in casual riverside bungalows. Locals in the know choose their camps in accordance with the type of game that resides in their surrounding regions. Skukuza's nearby ecosystems are frequently graced by leonine visitors. The camp acts as the ideal base from which to spot all of the Big Five. For avid golfers, the rest camp offers a nine hole course, and escorted safaris provide foreigners with the professional skills of guides who not only track animals but educate visitors about them too.  Those in the hunt for a certain distance from the wilderness and its erratic tendencies can seek out more a more luxurious hotel in the Kruger National Park. Private reserves that fall on both sides of the park's borders offer premium accommodation with tailored safaris complete with champagne breakfasts, packaged itineraries and first world amenities.

The pure, unspoiled enormity of the reserve supports five diverse ecosystems, each with its own brand of magnificence. Lush jungle habitats are rare in the park, but the Mphongolo River's watery surroundings support one of the lushest vegetations in the reserve. Knobthorns and apple leaf trees gather in clusters around the riverbed. The looped trail that runs between Punda Maria and Shingwedzi is populated by lion, elephant, buffalo and leopard. The Central region is the home of half of the reserve's lion population. It is also one of the rare ecosystems habituated by cheetah. Its abundance of tasty browsing treats makes it popular territory for zebra and giraffe. The Far North Region is the black sheep of the park's ecosystem because its tropical forests and eerie sandstone formations are unheard of in other regions. Riverine forests and river banks are ideal territory for avid birders. The Northern region is renowned for its unusual flora, which includes Coral, chestnut and fever berry trees. Leopards are the most numerous predators in this zone, which is home to the park's more timid dassies and klipspringer. The sparse white rhino population is most commonly spotted near Sabie and the Mbyamiti River.

Most visitors to Kruger fly into Johannesburg. From there you can take a connecting flight to Nelspruit Airport/Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport (MQP) in Nelspruit which is the gateway to the most accessible and popular southern sector of the Kruger Park. Alternatively, you can fly to Hoedspruit for the central and northern sections or Palaborwa for the northern section. It is also possible to hire a car in Johannesburg and drive to the park. The park has 9 entrance gates, the closest of which are in the south between 420km and 500km from Johannesburg. The drive takes between 3.5-4.5 hours.

There are no undesirable seasons for holidays in The Kruger National Park; there are only variable highlights. The air is relatively arid throughout the year, with the chilly seasons pushing humidity down to an all time low.

Summer is often sweltering but occasional showers make the soaring temperatures more tolerable. Spring brings a lavish leafiness to the region, so those who are curious about the flora rather than fauna take their holiday in The Kruger National Park between October and March. Winter strips the trees of their leaves, which opens up vistas for easier wildlife viewing. Autumn and spring cool down the weather, making driving safaris pleasantly refreshing.

Winter Waterholes

Between April and September, the Kruger National Park offers its own fast food version of wildlife viewing: Predators and herbivores alike gather at watering holes throughout the day. Lazy safari goers needn't spend hours tracking spoor with a guide. A simple trip to the nearest body of water will deliver a visual wildlife viewing extravagance: the water hole is wildlife's version of the local pub, where several species put aside their differences long enough to rehydrate or take a soothing mud bath. 

Spring Courtships

The Kruger Park hotel grounds are set alight by the vivid palettes of the bush's growth period. Hot winds electrify the atmosphere and the first rains begin to resurrect dry flora. September greenery remains sparse enough for unconcealed wildlife viewing. Those staying at a hotel in The Kruger National Park during October will be treated to the most spectacular backdrops and floral fragrances Mother Nature has to offer. The heat can be escaped by relegating your travels to the cooler southern landscapes. Spring is birding season. The first migratory species begin to arrive to the tunes and dances of feathered courtship rituals.

Youthful Summers

November and December are the reserve's annual celebrative months. The park becomes animated with new life. The verdant greenery acts as a lush backdrop for the clumsy, gangly youths that have just been born. Cheetah cubs practice their viciousness by play-pouncing and attempting the occasional growl. Lumbering baby impalas attempt their first shaky steps and infant hippos spar with infinitely patient parents. Summer is the most desirable and dangerous season for walking safaris, since they can potentially offer front row seats from which to observe the cutest of creatures. Protective mothers present a significant risk to unwieldy hikers, so all walks are guided and fronted by armed guards. Between January and April, summer temperatures skyrocket, but avid birders are willing to tolerate the heat in exchange for the vivid display of migratory birds that flock to the reserve during this period.

Golden Autumns

During April The Kruger National Park hotels are surrounded by sparse bushveld that transforms into a golden palette of Autumnal flora. The daylight hours are cosy but cool, whilst morning and evening temperatures plummet. Shallower water holes vanish, causing a higher concentration of species in areas where evaporation has not taken its toll. This makes wildlife easier to spot for those who know where to go. Those in The Kruger National Park hotels take advantage of the keen sighting skills of professionally guided hikes and drives, since the bush is thick enough to obscure the view of less experienced observers.