Kruger National Park
Kruger National Park is the premier destination in South Africa. Established in 1898, Kruger National Park is the most famous and best-known wildlife park in the world. The park was named after Paul Kruger, President of the Transvaal Republic, who as early as 1884 campaigned for the conservation of nature without hunters in the area. He ensured that this part of South Africa became a national nature reserve.
James Stevenson-Hamilton (born in 1867) became the first park warden on 1 July 1902. Kruger National Park contains 254 cultural heritage sites, 130 of which are rock paintings. Archaeological research and finds, at no fewer than 300 sites, of Stone Age artefacts date back 100,000 years.
Today, Kruger Park covers an area of 21,497 km², roughly the same size as the Netherlands. Nine of the world’s largest ecosystems converge in the Kruger National Park. The first visitor to arrive by car in Kruger was in 1927. Despite the extensive road network and rest areas, this infrastructure has little impact on the natural environment. The total road network running through the park is just under 9,000 km, including tarmac roads, dirt tracks, border control areas, maintenance roads and firebreaks.
You can drive to Kruger Park in 15 minutes from the Mhofu holiday home. Create your own safari route. Take our cool box with food and drink and enjoy a picnic at one of the many picnic spots. Or visit one of the 12 main camps, where you can also enjoy the views whilst having a bite to eat and a drink in a camp restaurant. The camps are great for walking, shopping and barbecuing. Be sure to visit the bird and animal observation posts too.
Set off in your own car to track down and spot the ‘Big Five’: rhino, elephant (around 13,000), buffalo, lion and leopard. You’ll also find kudu, impala, wildebeest, giraffe, zebra, crocodile, hippopotamus and nyala. The southern part of Kruger is home to the most wildlife! Cheetahs, leopards, lions, hyenas, jackals and baboons – try to spot them for yourself.
There are approximately 23,000 plant species in the park. Kruger Park is home to 336 species of trees (including the five most important trees you’ll want to see: the baobab, fever tree, acacia, marula and mopane), 34 species of amphibians, 147 species of mammals, 114 species of reptiles, 49 species of fish and 507 species of birds. No other wildlife park in the world is home to so many animals. Malaria is present in Kruger and Marloth Parks.
Click here for maps of KNP.
Click here for the official website of Kruger National Park.
Click here for outdoor activities in Kruger Park.
Click here for WildCard for national parcs in South-Africa.
Trails in Kruger Nationaal Park
You’ll be staying for 5 days (3 nights) with up to 8 people at a remote cabin camp.