What to do and Where to Stay in Kruger, the Sabi Sand & around

Extraordinary Africa>South Africa>Kruger and Reserves

The Greater Kruger ecosystem is one of the world’s finest game viewing destinations. If you want a world class safari, with top notch game viewing, this is pretty much it. This is an unfenced, unfettered wilderness, spilling out into Mozambique and Zimbabwe, and stuffed full of wildlife.

The main park is primarily used by self-drive visitors, though there are number of luxury lodges in private conservancies within the national park itself. Surrounding the Kruger park are a number private conservancies that offer some of the very best game viewing in all of Africa. While it’s impossible to guarantee anything when it comes to wildlife, it’d be astonishing if you spent a few days here and didn’t see most (if not all) of the Big Five.

The wildlife sightings here are truly spectacular: families of ellies moving silently through the bush, giraffe cantering elegantly down dusty tracks, and great herds of buffalo grazing on the plains. In the heat of the afternoon sun lions snooze in the spreading shade, but best of all are the leopard. These shy and elusive cats are rarely glimpsed elsewhere in Africa, but in the Sabi Sands they’re spotted on a regular basis- this is a photo opportunity not to be missed!

Elsewhere head to Manyeleti (gloriously named “The Place of Stars”) for a wild, rugged, and little-visited feel, Klaserie for adventure, Timbavati for white lions, and Kapama for elephant-back safaris. And that’s before we get on to the other reserves…