Destinations / Mpumalanga / Kruger and Private Game Reserves >>

Mpumalanga shares the mighty Kruger with Limpopo Province, but the most popular (and most accessible) areas are found in here.

With its origins as a nature reserve stretching back to 1898, Kruger has long been synonymous with African big five safari. It is a truly enormous Park – more than 35,000 square kilometres when you include the recently opened up areas in Mozambique – and you can tackle it in many ways: from self-drive trips along the network of tarred roads and staying at bush camps or eco lodges to multi-day wilderness trails to five-star luxury camps like Londolozi and Thornybush.

The up-market private game reserves in the south allow for a more private and luxurious experience. Most international tourists opt for this exclusivity and their wallets take an appropriate hit. Safari can be very, very expensive and there’s no easier way to save money on a trip to SA than to look into the alternatives the locals are using.

Further north, our favourite reserve is Timbavati Private Game Reserve. There are a range of accommodation alternatives, so you don’t need to sacrifice luxury, but we find the bush experience most rewarding when you get the right balance of low impact tourism and comfort (the food, service and accommodation are usually very good on all safaris). These camps are typically right in the middle of the bush so you fall asleep to a chorus of cicadas and indeterminate grunting.

For first-timers, we don’t recommend a self-drive – you’ll miss most of the action and won’t know what it is when you see it. Also, consider anti-malarials, especially during the summer time.