Don't go to Kruger National Park without knowing this - 12 Insiders tips to go from Rookie to Kruger Boss

1. Choose what season you are going

South Africa has 2 main seasons : Winter is dry and Summer is rainy.

❄️  That means that if you choose to go in Winter time you will see the animals more easily as the park will not be lush, however the scenary will be less pretty and the park opens later and closes earlier so you have less time inside compare to summer. It's also cold but way less visitors will be with you.

☀️ Summer is high peak season the park is open longer during the day, the weather is warm, vegetation is lush and green but animal will hide more because of the heat. You will also have more cars with you on the road and queues at the gates to enter the park.

💦  Weeks in between those 2 seasons are muddy especially in end of March I would avoid it as it rains at lot and it's not warm enough to dry out the roads fast, most of the dirt tracks will be closed and you won't be able to explore much. 

 

2. It's quite a drive

Prepare that from Joburg airport you will have long hours of driving to reach the park if you don't take the N4 you can be with a lot of trucks on smaller roads, that can be overwhelming at first especially if you are not used to drive on the left.

🚗 The park is huge so expect long drives pack on water and snacks, electrolytes you can get dehydrated real fast in the car. In average you will drive around 200kms per day inside the park if not more if you decide to explore the whole day. That means +/- 10h in the car everyday.

💡 ⛰️ If you choose to explore on the way to Kruger the region and Mpumalanga with Blyde River Canyon, Lisbon falls and those beauties you will need 3days there

• It takes 4h to drive to Graskop and another hour to reach the canyon from Graskop and back. you will get exhausted and won't be able to drive early to reach the Kruger the day after that. So plan to stay at least 3 nights in Graskop if you want to do the canyons on the way.
• The roads are really damaged there due to the misty weather and wood trucks you have lots of potholes drive safely you don't want to pop a tyre.

 

3. Pack some goodies

👀  Bring binoculars you will be sad to miss on action going on in the distance and it always brings a sense a adventure doesn't it ?! 
🪫 Bring a power bank some lodges run on generators or there can be load shedding (scheduled power cuts) and you won't have electricity at night to recharge your devices.

🔌 Bring a South African adaptor (type M) to be able to charge your devices.

💡 Take the habit to charge your cameras and laptops when you have electricity don't push it to later because later might be too late.

4. Bring clothes for warm and hot and be mosquito ready.

🥶 In the morning and at night it's cold get a scarf especially if you go with a ranger in the elevated 4x4 you will get frozen, it's an open vehicle and he will speed to arrive fast at the gate you will get all the morning cool air on your throat. Get a puffer jacket and scarf.

🥵 Then the sun will rise and you will die of heat so bring a cap🧢 your sunglasses 🕶️  and wear natural fabric clothes in which you will sweat well, cotton tshirt / tank tops (mind the tan line that will come 🤣 ) or my favorite linen shirt : it's breathable you can roll up the sleeves in the day and be protected from mosquitos at night.

🦟 You have mosquitos in summer as night, black clothes attracts them wear light nude colors. Spray repulsive on your ankles in particular they will dive for it, and spray your clothes as well.

💡 In terms of Malaria the risk is low even in the summer months but it's not a zone at risk 0, the northern part of the park is more subject to it. Make your own research and decide for yourself if you want to take Malarone during your stay I won't tell you what to do on this. 

5. Choose what part of the Park you will explore.

If you want to do the whole park just know that it would take you at least 1 week.
I usually stick a a specific area of the park and explore it over 2-3 days.

⬆️ The northern part of the park is more famous for birds 
⬇️ The southern part of the park is renowned for big cats and predators 

😅 Mind that it is not a promise, they are alive and free so they move around. It's more of an insider tip. 

⛩️ Choose what gate you will come in through and exit by, that will be your entry and exit point if you stay outside the park.
🎟️ The permits are daily passes except if you sleep inside the park and have a overnight stays in that case you will need to pay conservation fees on top of your accommodation inside the park.
❕ If you sleep outside the park you can only get daily permits even if you plan to come back for couple days you will need repeat the process from the start everytime.

6. Choose your accommodation well 

You have plenty of options for all the budgets.

• If you stay inside the park you can book to either camp or even be in a luxury lodge. But you need a booking you won't show up or change plans last minute.
  ⚠️ You need to book way ahead to have a spot especially if you visit the south of the park. If you don't camp it can be quite costly. 
  💡 However you get to exit the camps inside the park 30mins prior to the opening of the entrance gates and you will already be immersed in the middle of the park as soon as you hit the road in the morning. 

• If you are more on a budget and you don't want to camp, you can also choose to also stay right outside the gates in a hotel or lodge for more reasonable priced rooms. They usually give you breakfast to go in the morning. So choose well at which gate you want to come in and at which one you wish to exit and book your accommodation accordingly.

💡 I personally like to stay in Marloth park when I visit the south of Kruger, it adds up 30 mins of driving before I reach a gate to enter the park, but the view over the river is amazing and you also get to see zebras or giraffes in your garden sometimes. And that fits more to my budget.

7. Choose if you want to self drive or get a ranger. 

Both are good options

• I usually self drive because I like to spend the amount of time I want on each spot and not depend of the rhythm of others. I like to have my own freedom of driving and I am usually very lucky on my own but again I don't mind the long drives.
  ⛽️ If you self drive make sure your gas tank is full before you come inside, the distances to the next gas station inside can be too far depending on where you enter.

• But getting a ranger can be more relaxing they also have a radio and can warn each other of the different sightings around. The tours with them are shorter usually morning drive and evening drives only. But it's more expensive and you depend on the personality of your ranger. It goes from feeling like another group of tourist to meeting the most passionate guide ever who will be super fun and teach you everything they know about the bush. 

💡 You can do both by self driving most of the time and book 1 drive for sunset for example with a ranger, the elevated vehicle gives you a good viewpoint and you can rest more.

😒 I don't particularly recommend night drives you see the same animals at night sleeping with big lights flashing them. I did it once expecting to see nocturnal animals but the tour is too short or not patient enough to encounter a lot of them.

8. Get to know the opening hours prepare for the gate the night before.

🌅 The park opens with sunrise and closes with sunset. Check what month you are going to visit and the according opening hours of each gate.

💡  I pick up forms from the gate the night before, one for each day that I plan to visit and I fill out all the data the night before.
You will need to enter passports details, registration of the car, names, nationality etc... it's not long but it saves you a lot of time in the queue in the morning to arrive with everything ready while everybody else is looking for their passport, a pen and so on at 5am before coffee... 😆  if you have everything ready you will just fly there pass in front of everyone and hit the road to the wild smoothly 😉 

💡 You can also pay the entrance permit online now, if I know that it's high touristic season (Oct-Mar) I will do so to avoid the queue and waste the precious morning minutes. 

9. Get up early

⏰ Animal and especially predators are most seen before 8:30am-9am. And then from 4:30pm until the park closes.

💨 The faster you go in the park in the morning as soon as the gates open the better. You don't want to miss out because you didn't get up. During the day you will see Zebras, Elephants, Giraffes, Wildebeest and other herbivores even at noon, but your chances to see active predators will be slim so set up the alarm and jump in the car to see the morning magic. 

10. Get the Kruger map booklet 

🗺️ Buy the Kruger park map booklet in one of the boutiques in the camps, the signal is not reaching everywhere in the park and your GPS might not always be the most accurate or can try to orient you on 4x4 only roads.
This map shows you all the roads you can take, how long it will take you from a point to the other and will help you to stay oriented on the crossings. Plus you get to tick each animal you saw and who doesn't like that?! 😊 

💡 When you are in the camps or the gates you want to take photos of the sighting boards look at the difference of the animal sighting between the day before and today. That can give you an idea if the predators for example went up or down in the park. Or where the Elephants were seen etc...You can also try your luck on smaller tracks if you see a lot of animals where marked there.

11. Don't waste too much time on dirt roads 

🏁 When I first started safaris I always thought that animals would hide in the tiny dirt roads away from the main tarred roads. Experience proved to me that it's not the case. They actually enjoy those wide open spaces that makes it super easy to circulate. So I try to do 80% of main roads and 20% of dirt tracks if I got a tip or if the boards showed sighting on them. But then if you want to eat some dust and try your luck you are free to make your own experience.

💡 I check the sighting boards or ask tips from the rangers I meet to decide if I want to spend my next 2h on a little dusty road. Otherwise I stick to the main tracks and will look for water spots.

12. Check the water holes and water pans.

💦 Animals will come drink especially from 4pm as the day ends, so spend some time there admire the view and be patient a lot can happen in a split of time. It's worth to try them out and see if something happens. 

💡 If you see a Hippo in the water trust me 90% of the time it won't really move until the end of the day will come, they are real chillers 😆  

Don't go out of the car, don't leave late.

❌ No you cannot leave your car except in designated areas for bathroom breaks and inside the camps to refill on gas or eat.
⌛ Make sure you exit the park or join back your camps on time because if you do not you will get heavily fined. Don't be late they don't joke with that.

Conclusion

Visiting Kruger National Park is a thrilling and rewarding experience, so be well-prepared for the adventure. With these 12 insider tips, you’ll be equipped to handle the challenges and make the most of your safari adventure. From planning the right time to visit to skipping most of the queue, these tips will help you transition from a rookie to a true Kruger boss. So pack your bags, prepare your camera, and get ready for the adventure of a lifetime in one of Africa’s most iconic wildlife destinations.