Accommodation South Africa Kruger National Park

The Kruger National Park, which measures a whopping two million hectares, is approximately the size of the whole of Wales. Although there are still fences between parts of the Kruger National Park and Mozambique and Zimbabwe, so the planned Greater Limpopo Transfrontier Park is not quite yet a reality. When it is, it will be spectacular. Actually, Kruger already is. Most of the park is situated in the Lowveld. Restricted to broad valleys below 1 000m above sea level, the Lowveld is what many people consider to be the 'real' Africa. In this low-lying subtropical climate, broad-leaved trees and thorn trees co-exist happily in relatively open woodland, interspersed with long grass - and, of course, game. Lots of game.

In the far north, it gets hotter and the vegetation changes to mopane woodland and, right in the northern part of the country, huge baobab trees dominate the landscape. The rivers here tend to be broad and slow-moving and may consist of no more than a few unconnected pools at the end of the dry season but that's when the game congregates around the few known water sources - so it all evens out. You may have heard the cynical remark that Kruger is 'too developed' with loads of town-like camps and other infrastructure. Well, yes. The park does have a number of good accommodation options - more than 20 SANParks camps and a few private luxury lodges as well. That may sound like a lot - but remember that Kruger is the size of Wales - and in all that space there is one town - the main camp, Skukuza, is virtually a small town - about a dozen tiny hamlets with less than a hundred families and a few out of they way camps that would probably relate to a small farmstead. That leaves an awful lot of real wilderness.

You can do Kruger as a self-drive or as a guided tour. Other exciting options include walking safaris, mountain bike trails and a self-drive 4x4 trail. The nearest airport to the park is the Kruger-Mpumalanga International Airport, just outside Nelspruit. The southern, more popular, part of Kruger is about four hour's drive from Johannesburg, and a little less from Pretoria. The drive to the more remote, far less utilised, northern part, takes a few hours longer, but it's not on the same route. You could do a great circular tour if you had ten days or so to spare. Fly in to KMIA and enter the park in the south, drive very slowly to the north, spending a day or two at different camps en route, and then drive back to Johannesburg. (Or the other way round, of course.)

Strangely - and contrary to expectations - the northern part, which is truly wild, has less wild animals than the south so don't feel you're missing out if you've only got a few days in the more busy part of the park. As well as the Kruger National Park, the lowveld is well endowed with private nature reserves, most of which have luxury lodges, where guests are subjected to an outrageous level of pampering and taken on fantastic game drives and optional walks by very knowledgeable and attentive guides. Many lodges even have attached wellness centres where you can fill in the time between morning and evening game drives with a massage, facial treatment or some other indulgent treatment.

ACCOMMODATION KRUGER NATIONAL PARK

Spot the ‘big five’ from your luxury safari vehicle or go tracking on foot in the most famous game park in the world. The northern Kruger offers excellent game-viewing and world-class accommodation with an African feeling.

The world-renowned Kruger National Park offers a wildlife experience that ranks with the best in Africa. Established in 1898 to protect the wildlife of the South African Lowveld, this national park of nearly 2 million hectares, SANParks - Kruger National Park is unrivalled in the diversity of its life forms and a world leader in advanced environmental management techniques and policies.

The Kruger National Park is an enormous nature reserve stretching three hundred and fifty kilometers along the Mozambican border and being sixty kilometers wide on average. On general most of the park exists out of grassy and bush covered plains, better known in South Africa as the savanna or bushveld. The border with Mozambique is clear because of the ever-present Lebombo mountain range that forms a natural barrier. There are a number of rivers flowing from east to west within the park, being the Limpopo, Luvuvhu, Shingwedzi, Letaba, Olifants, Timbavati, Sabie and Crocodile river from north to south.

Truly the flagship of the South African national parks, Kruger is home to an impressive number of species: 336 trees, 49 fish, 34 amphibians, 114 reptiles, 507 birds and 147 mammals. Man's interaction with the Lowveld environment over many centuries - from bushman rock paintings to majestic archaeological sites like Masorini and Thulamela - is very evident in the Kruger National Park. These treasures represent the cultures, persons and events that played a role in the history of the Kruger National Park and are conserved along with the park's natural assets.

There are seven entrances or gates to the Kruger National Park, with Malelane and Crocodile Bridge in the south, the Numbi Gate and Paul Kruger Gate (the best when traveling from Johannesburg). There are also Orpen, close to Blyde River, Phalaborwa, Punda Maria and Pafuri more north.

The Kruger National Park can be divided in three separate sections. These are the southern, central and northern sections.

* The South - Also named the hill country of Kruger National Park. Easy access, a large number

of camps and game drives.

* Central - The open grassy plains. An unique experience for visitors. The large predators and

herds roam the plains.

* The North - The remote Kruger National Park. The mopane plains less busy with visitors and

thus offering more rest.

Camps:

All the 12 major restcamps have electricity, a first-aid centre, a shop, braai and communal kitchen facilities, a laundromat/laundry tubs, a restaurant and/or self-service cafeteria, public telephones and a petrol station. Information centres manned by information staff are at Letaba, Skukuza and Berg-en-Dal. Holiday programmes and evening film shows of wildlife and conservation are arranged in many of the restcamps. Please enquire at reception.

* Berg-en-Dal (with satellite Malelane)

* Crocodile Bridge

* Letaba

* Lower Sabie

* Mopani

* Olifants

* Orpen (with satellites Maroela and Tamboti)

* Pretoriuskop

* Punda Maria

* Satara (with satellite Balule)

* Shingwedzi

* Skukuza

* Tsendze

Bush lodges:

A bush lodge is an exclusive, private lodge with a unique style and atmosphere providing the opportunity for tourists to enjoy complete privacy, as only residents are allowed entrance to the camp. There are no shops or restaurant facilities, but the kitchen has a gas stove with oven, refrigerator, freezer, cutlery and crockery. Gas braais and barbecue facilities are provided and wood may be purchased.

* Boulders

* Roodewal

Luxury lodges

This option is for the lover of creature comforts. No luxury is spared in these 5-star accommodation Bush Lodges. So stretch out in the comfort and style you are accustomed to.

* Tinga Private Game Lodge

* Jock Safari Lodge

* Singita Private Game Lodge

* Lukimbi Safari Lodge

* Imbali Safari Lodge

* Rhino Walking Safaris

* Pafuri Camp

* Pafuri Wilderness Trails

A possible danger when inside the Kruger National Park is the threat of malaria. Since the park is located in the Lowveld it is important to consult your general practitioner on medication before planning a visit. Some malarial prevention medicine are known to cause serious side effects.

The Northern Kruger is a fascinating confluence of biological diversity and history. At Thulamela there are the remains of a late Iron Age settlement that has been restored and preserved. The old stone walls and giant baobabs evoke an ancient African gold trading civilization that predates European exploration by centuries.

Researchers have speculated that Thulamela was linked to a great African ivory and gold trading civilization that first started in Mapungubwe near Musina a thousand years ago, and then moved north to Great Zimbabwe and later south again to Thulamela.

Masorini, near the Phalaborwa gate, is far more modern, dating back to the 19th Century. It shows foundries where this Iron Age settlement smelted the metal and forged iron artifacts that they may have traded.

Northern Kruger is also where the fences have been dropped with neighbouring Mozambique as part of the creation of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park, which will be among the largest wilderness areas in the world, stretching over 35 000 square kilometres.

In the late afternoon along the Pafuri, Shingwedzi or Limpopo rivers, you stand an excellent chance of seeing a huge array of animal life. Watch hippos twiddling their silly ears, yellow-billed storks wading in the shallows, imperturbable Egyptian geese, crocodiles on every sandbank, pied and malachite kingfishers, antelope making their cautious way to the water for a drink, goliath herons , three banded sandplovers and elephants as playful as children in the river.

Fantastic Facilities

The rest camps (Satara, Shingwedzi, Mopani, Letaba, Olifants and Punda Maria) are very well maintained. All major rest camps have electricity, first-aid centres, barbecue and communal kitchen facilities, shops, restaurants, filling stations, laundromats and public telephones.

Within each camp you will find a range of accommodation options, from camping to budget to family chalets. Some even have swimming pools or conference facilities.

There are a number of smaller bushveld camps with fewer facilities where you can really feel part of the wilderness.

For those wanting more pampering, there are privately run luxury game lodges within Kruger.

For those looking for a bit more edge, there are wilderness camps, and the hugely popular wilderness trails, often booked up more than a year in advance.