Kruger National Park

The enormous Kruger National Park is almost two million hectares of wilderness, a size similar to that of Wales. Proclaimed in 1899 thanks to the vision of President Paul Kruger, its size continues to expand as private reserves on its borders remove fence lines and more recently, international borders between the Kruger National Park and Mozambique and Zimbabwe have been removed to create the Greater Limpopo Transfrontier Park, effectively doubling the protected game reserve area.

The topography and vegetation changes dramatically from south to north in the Park, which in turn influences the game found in various sectors of the Park. The southern part of the Park sees the most rainfall and it is here that animal numbers are most dense - moving north, the rainfall becomes scarcer and animals are more centred on the river courses and waterholes. The far north sees typical African scenery with baobabs and grassland, and it is here that game such as cheetah and wild dog are more likely to be seen.

Accommodation in the park is widespread in simple, but clean, restcamps. More recently, private concessions have been granted within the park, where more luxurious camps offer open vehicle game drives and a private bush experience within their concession area.