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  1. #1
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    Default Kruger National Park for "Beginners"

    I hope this is in the right place.

    So its been many years since I have been top the Kruger National Park, I was a kid last time my parents took me.

    Now I have some money saved up and want to take my 2 little kids and wife next month but I have no idea how it works...

    Im looking at a half decent hotel right by the Phalaborwa gate, 4-5 nights at a decent price, now my main question is, is it worth staying just outside Kruger Park and doing daily self drive game drives through the park for a few days?
    Will I be wasting diesel and money by not even seeing anything because I have no clue were to drive and were to look ect, or do I take an expensive game drive through a tour company?

    Is it better to stay Inside Kruger National Park at a more expensive place and use their game drive facilities?

    Any advice would be appreciated, I have no idea were to stay and were to drive.

    Thanks in advance!!

  2. #2
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    Default Re: Kruger National Park for "Beginners"

    Self drive is perfect. Myself try to travel on the "dirt" or "Back" roads. Get a map (paper or electronic) and you are good to go away from the tar roads.

    Lodging outside of KNP is what we as a family also do, but I would not plan to stay in Phalaborwa and drive from there everyday. You have 4-5 days. Move around outside as well. Stay in Phalaborwa 2 nights and then maybe to Hazyview etc. In this way you can see more of the park than doing the same roundabout trip everyday.

    Pack a gasstove and kettle and make coffee and breakfast at a site for this. Then move on and for lunch have a quick braai on your packed small gas braai. Stop at waterholes, walk around in the camps etc. All of above to keep the kids occupied.

    As a family when we go to KNP we camp somewhere outside, plan our days and routes and stops and food etc beforehand and have really nice and relatively cheap breakaways from time to time.

    Sighting of game? Some days are excellent, others not so, but in general the centre and south are more populated with game than the far North. It is about availability of grazing.

    Also be warned: There are "poepholle" a lot that will stop in front of you when an interesting sighting is made. They will drive right behind you, they will overtake you on the dirt roads and have you driving in their dust. The best solution for me is to go into "holiday mode." If they irritate you, just drive on. If they overtake you, just stop for a while, their dust will settle and they will be gone and you will have a relaxed slow drive and see all the beautiful nature that they have missed. It is like hunting. The more km you walk per day is not equal to how successful you hunt.

  3. #3
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    Default Re: Kruger National Park for "Beginners"

    Great thread, I am also contemplating a trip, but trying to keep it relatively cheap.

  4. #4
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    Default Re: Kruger National Park for "Beginners"

    We do Kruger annually and KNP is never a wasted experience! We prefer camping inside the park so I cannot recommend places outside sorry. If you have camping equipment or can borrow, kids have a blast in camp at night and worth it for that alone plus I would imagine cheaper than accommodation outside the park.

    Regarding Phalaborwa as an entrance, lots of options on roads but the roads that are not around the river have restricted sight due to the mopani bush - we've found the river roads to be more enjoyable. Phalaborwa to Satara is a full day of driving and doable & Satara area has great game viewing. You could exit at Orpen gate but its quite a drive back to Phalaborwa outside the park.

    Oliphants is pretty camp and worth the visit.

    I like the self drive options as kids can sleep, read, make a noise and no issue with open vehicle.

    We always plan to have a brunch somewhere at a picnic site / hide - pack a skottle plus coffee equipment.

    Wildcard will be cheaper option than paying daily entrance fee.

  5. #5
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    Default Re: Kruger National Park for "Beginners"

    We go to KNP quite regularly. We stay inside the park as it gives you more time in the day when you do not have to travel the access roads to the interior. Self driving is most certainly the way to go. You decide where to go and for how long. One thing, keep to the speed limit. If you are caught speeding, you can be in for a world of financial hurt. Thus planning is key. While the distances might not look too far on paper, you can travel at 50km/h max and that is if you do not have to contend with traffic. Bare in mind, a day can get very long for the kids in the car. Make sure to keep them well occupied.

    If you are looking at the Phalaborwa area, the nearest camp is Letaba. While it is an old camp, it is well run and the accommodation is clean and well maintained.
    There are a number of very nice roads in the area and it is not nearly as busy as in the southern parts of the park. Also because of its central location you have a very large area that can be covered from a central point.

    It is also an option to move from one camp to another. It is common practice to stay 2 nights in one camp and then move to another and so on.

    To Adoons' point, in terms of game, some days are better than others. We have been lucky enough to see the entire big five in one day, other days nothing but sky, grass, rocks and trees. Both are better than being in the office IMO.
    In general the best general area for game viewing is around Satara.

    The SANParks website has a full online booking system that works very well and shows availability and pricing throughout the entire park. Remember to budget for the conservation fees.

  6. #6
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    Default Re: Kruger National Park for "Beginners"

    The further north you go, the more remote and further away the stops tend to get. Any particular reason you are looking at Phalaborwa Gate?
    You might want to stick to down south and move between Berg-en-Dal, Pretoriuskop, Skukuza, Lower Sabie and Croc Bridge. These camps are closer (to each other) and there is more opportunity for stopping and letting the kids get out and run around in the rest camps and picnic spots.
    There a loads and loads of BnBs down south in Malelane town and Marloth Park, with the camp sites in each mentioned above (Malelane Gate has a camp site but is not a rest camp per se').
    If you're going in winter time, you can likely get away with a non-aircon unit, or tents for camping.

    Dig around this link and explore options....https://www.sanparks.org/parks/kruger/
    Go to "Where to stay" and look through accommodation types and respective rates, and punch in dates you're thinking of being in the Park to see what's available.

  7. #7
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    Default Re: Kruger National Park for "Beginners"

    Quote Originally Posted by Adoons View Post
    Self drive is perfect. Myself try to travel on the "dirt" or "Back" roads. Get a map (paper or electronic) and you are good to go away from the tar roads.

    Lodging outside of KNP is what we as a family also do, but I would not plan to stay in Phalaborwa and drive from there everyday. You have 4-5 days. Move around outside as well. Stay in Phalaborwa 2 nights and then maybe to Hazyview etc. In this way you can see more of the park than doing the same roundabout trip everyday.

    Pack a gasstove and kettle and make coffee and breakfast at a site for this. Then move on and for lunch have a quick braai on your packed small gas braai. Stop at waterholes, walk around in the camps etc. All of above to keep the kids occupied.

    As a family when we go to KNP we camp somewhere outside, plan our days and routes and stops and food etc beforehand and have really nice and relatively cheap breakaways from time to time.

    Sighting of game? Some days are excellent, others not so, but in general the centre and south are more populated with game than the far North. It is about availability of grazing.

    Also be warned: There are "poepholle" a lot that will stop in front of you when an interesting sighting is made. They will drive right behind you, they will overtake you on the dirt roads and have you driving in their dust. The best solution for me is to go into "holiday mode." If they irritate you, just drive on. If they overtake you, just stop for a while, their dust will settle and they will be gone and you will have a relaxed slow drive and see all the beautiful nature that they have missed. It is like hunting. The more km you walk per day is not equal to how successful you hunt.
    Well said. We go to the KNP 4 time a year. For sanity purposes avoid peak times like Easter, Xmas and public holidays. If you go in quiet times it is not necessary to prebook. Just arrive at the gate for opening time. Look at the sighting boards and don't be shy to speak to other visitors about sightings.

  8. #8
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    Default Re: Kruger National Park for "Beginners"

    Quote Originally Posted by JhbBoy View Post
    The further north you go, the more remote and further away the stops tend to get. Any particular reason you are looking at Phalaborwa Gate?
    You might want to stick to down south and move between Berg-en-Dal, Pretoriuskop, Skukuza, Lower Sabie and Croc Bridge. These camps are closer (to each other) and there is more opportunity for stopping and letting the kids get out and run around in the rest camps and picnic spots.
    There a loads and loads of BnBs down south in Malelane town and Marloth Park, with the camp sites in each mentioned above (Malelane Gate has a camp site but is not a rest camp per se').
    If you're going in winter time, you can likely get away with a non-aircon unit, or tents for camping.

    Dig around this link and explore options....https://www.sanparks.org/parks/kruger/
    Go to "Where to stay" and look through accommodation types and respective rates, and punch in dates you're thinking of being in the Park to see what's available.
    100% we tend to mostly go to the Croc Bridge / Marloth area. Game viewing is very good. I would not advise going to the Southern areas in peak time. it can become very claustrophobic with lots of traffic and even road rage. There are Kruger Park facebook sites where people are happy to share advice.

  9. #9
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    Default Re: Kruger National Park for "Beginners"

    Quote Originally Posted by Adoons View Post
    Self drive is perfect. Myself try to travel on the "dirt" or "Back" roads. Get a map (paper or electronic) and you are good to go away from the tar roads.

    Lodging outside of KNP is what we as a family also do, but I would not plan to stay in Phalaborwa and drive from there everyday. You have 4-5 days. Move around outside as well. Stay in Phalaborwa 2 nights and then maybe to Hazyview etc. In this way you can see more of the park than doing the same roundabout trip everyday.

    Pack a gasstove and kettle and make coffee and breakfast at a site for this. Then move on and for lunch have a quick braai on your packed small gas braai. Stop at waterholes, walk around in the camps etc. All of above to keep the kids occupied.

    As a family when we go to KNP we camp somewhere outside, plan our days and routes and stops and food etc beforehand and have really nice and relatively cheap breakaways from time to time.

    Sighting of game? Some days are excellent, others not so, but in general the centre and south are more populated with game than the far North. It is about availability of grazing.

    Also be warned: There are "poepholle" a lot that will stop in front of you when an interesting sighting is made. They will drive right behind you, they will overtake you on the dirt roads and have you driving in their dust. The best solution for me is to go into "holiday mode." If they irritate you, just drive on. If they overtake you, just stop for a while, their dust will settle and they will be gone and you will have a relaxed slow drive and see all the beautiful nature that they have missed. It is like hunting. The more km you walk per day is not equal to how successful you hunt.
    Staying outside and driving in for the day can be done we do it often, if you are planning on driving around from Phalaborwa to Hazyview via bushbuck ridge try and get some info not sure what that road is like, have not driven there for a few years. You also need to be aware driving through some of the rural areas you go through to the gates between Hayzyview and Nelspruit, there have been incidents of tourist being attacked

  10. #10
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    Default Re: Kruger National Park for "Beginners"

    Quote Originally Posted by gary-t View Post
    100% we tend to mostly go to the Croc Bridge / Marloth area. Game viewing is very good. I would not advise going to the Southern areas in peak time. it can become very claustrophobic with lots of traffic and even road rage. There are Kruger Park facebook sites where people are happy to share advice.
    I am going with my wife and kids to Marloth park in 2 weeks time for a week, we have booked a day hike with a park ranger in the Kruger park, always wanted to do this.

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