Africa,  Country Guides,  South Africa,  TDM,  Tips

A Practical Guide to Kruger Park Self Drive Safari (South Africa)

We went to the Kruger Park in June 2016 (see our travel diary here). It is the best destination that we can choose to start our world tour. If it made you want to do the same (we highly recommend it), here is our guide & tips for the Kruger Park.

Why choose the Kruger Park for your first safari?

Because it is a park where you can enter by car and visit as you wish. No need for a guide, hence the cost is much cheaper than other safaris, and the park is very, very large. It is one of the largest wildlife reserves in Africa. Among the large number of wild animals that it hosts, it is possible to mention the “Big 5”: lions, leopards, rhinos, elephants and buffaloes.

We were surrounded by about forty elephants on the first day, watched about fifteen lions and lion cubs play and witnessed a massive migration of about a hundred buffalo before the great cold. A MAGICAL journey!

How to get there

We chose to rent a car from O.R. Tambo Airport in Johannesburg, and go to Kruger Park via Hazyview. The road takes 5 hours, the highway is in very good condition and driving on the left isn’t a problem.

The second option less tiring and allowing you to enjoy an afternoon in addition to the park is to buy an additional flight from Johannesburg to Skukuza or Cape Town to Skukuza (the airport is 5km away one of the restcamps within the park), there are 2 flights per day including one at 13h10 so perfect for those who arrive in Johannesburg at 9h30. You can rent a car with AVIS from Skukuza to visit the park (be careful, the park can only be visited with a car so book the plane and the car at the same time).

In both cases, remember to take your GPS, which proves to be much more useful than we thought! We bought a GPS with maps from all over the world and it was a great help because it also displays the tolls and service stations available on the way as well as the roads between restcamps

Our itinerary

For more information, consult our travel journal

  • Day 1: Arrive in Johannesburg and drive to Hazyview. Overnight in Hazyview
  • Day 2: Hazyview -> park entrance via Phabeni Gate -> overnight at Skukuza Restcamp
  • Day 3 : Skukuza -> Lower Sabie -> Tchokwanke -> overnight at Skukuza Restcamp (but we recommend an overnight at Lower Sabie for the 2nd day)
  • Day 4 : Skukuza -> Satara -> overnight at Orpen Restcamp
  • Day 5 : Orpen -> Satara -> night at Orpen Restcamp
  • Day 6 & 7 : Orpen -> night at Olifants Restcamp
  • Day 8 : Last day at Kruger Park, Olifants -> Johannesburg

Video recap

Tips

  • It is best to land in Johannesburg in the morning. You will have more time to rent a car, drive, shop, buy a SIM card, exchange or withdraw money etc.
  • For the SIM card, go to MTN which is really cheap compared to other operators, if I remember correctly we paid R350(21€) for 2G and 100 minutes call
  • Prefer automatic cars. A car like Hyundai IX35 or Nissan Qashqai is sufficient (cheaper, less noise), no need for 4×4. The important thing is to find high points and not necessarily be in a 4×4
  • Remember to ask for your international permit free of charge before departure
  • If you prefer to drive from Johannesburg, plan a night near the Kruger (Hazyview is cheap and convenient) as you may arrive too late to enter the park (which closes between 5:30 and 6:00 pm)
  • Fill up (gas and food) at Hazyview as it is a 2 hour drive on average from the park entrance to your restcamp. Buy barbecue gear if you wish, otherwise it’s also on sale at the camps
  • Book the camps in advance (we booked in February for June), especially if you are leaving during the South African vacation periods (mid-December to the end of January). The rates on sanparks.org are cheaper than Booking.com. I also recommend you not to stay in the same restcamp from the beginning to the end, Kruger Park is 200 bigger than Paris, you have to change restcamp to be able to explore different areas. Here are the recommended restcamps: Skuzuka (1 night), Lower Sabie (2 nights), Satara (2 nights) and Olifants (1 night)
  • To see all our videos in South Africa (including restcamps videos), please visit our YouTube playlist: https: //www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aJUF89yPVQ&list=PLUUmte7bl1H0lFfuLbBwf2PS3PkzOM6Z2
  • Restcamps do not provide maps of the Kruger Park. I strongly advise you to buy the “Map & Guide” of Kruger Park at the restcamps shop for R80, the maps are detailed with water points, lakes & distances, very useful
  • For lunch, simply go to another restcamp. Go to the Day Visitor’s Area for a picnic or to the camp restaurant if you prefer the easy way out. Otherwise, you can go out to the Get-out Points or Picnic Area, which are unfenced areas, usually at the top of the mountain so there is little risk of being attacked by lions. These points usually have toilets.
  • Don’t forget to take binoculars with you, otherwise buy them at the shop (R630 for the cheapest ones is 37€)
  • Look at the table of “animal sightings” updated every day with the places where the big 5 have been spotted
  • As far as animals are concerned, they can be seen at any time of day and anywhere so drive slowly, be careful and let the luck and magic happen. You can nevertheless multiply your luck by driving early in the morning or just before sunset. If you want a car to stop, chances are it has spotted an animal, so stop too. If necessary, you can even ask the driver what to look for.
  • Guided 4×4 tours are very affordable and the guides are experienced. You are more likely to see a leopard or see a “kill” (a predator chasing another animal) with guided tours, especially around Satara Restcamp or Lower Sabie Restcamp. We recommend the “Sunset Drive” tour where you will spend 1h30 in sunset light and 1h30 in complete darkness, where you will use lights to spot the animals’ eyes. This is the only way to see the animals in the evening because it is forbidden to ride without a guide after sunset. And it is also the only way to spot very small animals such as rabbits, wild cats or small monkeys.
  • If you stay more than 5 days, or if you come with your family, buy a Wildcard online or directly at the park, valid for 1 year, for couple/family, in order not to pay daily conservation fees (profitable card from 5 days of park visit for a couple). If at the park entrance you are asked to pay the daily conservation fee, insist that you want to pay your WildCard at the restcamp later. Besides, this same Wildcard gave me discounts for the cable car in Cape Town.

Budget (period: June, high season)

  • Plane ticket: included in the round-the-world ticket
  • WildCard All Parks for Couple : R3005 or 180€ otherwise it’s R280 per person per day
  • Car rental: 22€/day at Hertz
  • Gasoline: R1680 or 100€ for 1700km + R280 toll for the return trip
  • Hotels
    • Mackers Riverband Cottage in Hazyview : R500 or 27€/night. Beautiful but far from the city center and no restaurant
    • Skukura Rest Camp : Bungalow type BD2, R1159/night or 65€/night -> I recommend
    • Orpen Rest Camp: Bungalow type BD2, R1116/night or 62€/night. Not bad but if there was room left, I would have booked Satara’s one instead
    • Olifants Rest Camp: Bungalow type BG2, R992/night or 56€/night -> I recommend
    • Terrylin Guesthouse and Backpackers Hostel near Johannesburg International Airport, R370/night or 22€/night + R50 for unlimited Wifi -> I recommend, exceptional service (link Booking)
  • Food: between R120 and R160 including tip (10%) per meal per person in the Kruger Park (7€ to 9€)
  • Examples of prices at Kruger Park: R100 = 6€

    • Burger with fries : R89 + 10% tip
    • One Coke: R22 (restaurant) + 10% tip
    • One Coke: R12 (shop)
    • Sun cream : R55
    • Water bottle: R12 (shop)
    • Postcard : R8
    • Stamp for France : R9,5
    • Tip for employees at the gas station (they fill up the gas tank for us and also wash the windows): R5

TOTAL: 1100€ for 8 days, 2 adults, plane tickets from Paris not included. The two nights of “transit” in Hazyview and Johannesburg included.

It is quite possible to considerably reduce this budget by staying shorter (the mandatory daily storage fees are very high), by choosing to camp in restcamps (you have to bring your tent though), and by cooking yourself (some camps are equipped with a common kitchen).

depenseskrugerpark

Useful links

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