... This review will cover the whole park, including Skukuza, because if you decide to go, it's the whole experience that counts, not just one camp. This is a place I've visited more than 20 times, and have loved since childhood.
CAMPS
Skukuza in the main camp in the park, and although that ... Read review
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Advantages: You're in the heart of the park Disadvantages: It's in the Malaria zone, risk in summer
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CAMPS
Skukuza in the main camp in the park, and although that makes it the busiest, it is one the most animal rich areas as well. Serviced by an airport, it's easy to get to and from Johannesburg and you have all the comforts of restaurants, a library, shops and cottages and huts for any budget and comfort level. We stayed in a cottage with a separate bedroom, bathroom, living area with fold out beds for kids, if you have them, and ... ...cottage; an amazing experience.
Skukuza also has a new day visitor area, if you'd rather stay in a quieter camp and just stop there for the day, and that also has a swimming pool and barbeque facilities.
The other camps are generally quieter than Skukuza, which is like a little town. The main camps all have shops and petrol stations, mobile phone reception and restaurants. Some have swimming pools. Most camps now run night drives with ... more
There is a book titled 'Kruger, A Supreme African Wilderness' and that title about sums up the experience you will get in this game park. The largest in South Africa, it has the largest biodiversity and a huge network of roads that allows the public access to most areas. The only negative is that Mpumalanga is in the malaria zone in South Africa. Citronella candles or mosquito repellent are a must anytime in the year and in the summer months (October to March) you should really be taking tablets like Malarone as well, which pushes up the price of a holiday unfortunately. And they can have some unpleasant side effects. But I've only ever had mild nausea from them, and not every time I've taken them, and I've been holidaying here since I was a baby!
On the whole, there are only positive points to review. This review will cover the whole park, including Skukuza, because if you decide to go, it's the whole experience that counts, not just one camp. This is a place I've visited more than 20 times, and have loved since childhood.
CAMPS Skukuza in the main camp in the park, and although that makes it the busiest, it is one the most animal rich areas as well. Serviced by an airport, it's easy to get to and from Johannesburg and you have all the comforts of restaurants, a library, shops and cottages and huts for any budget and comfort level. We stayed in a cottage with a separate bedroom, bathroom, living area with fold out beds for kids, if you have them, and fully equipped kitchen, but there are camping options and huts with communal kitchens and bathrooms too. All camping spots and huts come with a barbeque; evening meals are generally flame grilled meat on a game holiday! The cottages are beautifully decorated, fabulously cool in the African heat, and if you're lucky enough to get one on the river, you can have a view of the Sabi and the animals that walk and drink there! We saw elephants right from the cottage; an amazing experience. Skukuza also has a new day visitor area, if you'd rather stay in a quieter camp and just stop there for the day, and that also has a swimming pool and barbeque facilities. The other camps are generally quieter than Skukuza, which is like a little town. The main camps all have shops and petrol stations, mobile phone reception and restaurants. Some have swimming pools. Most camps now run night drives with rangers, allowing you access to the roads after gates have closed, and when different animals are awake and active. Walking trips are also available, and biking from Olifants camp. And if you don't feel like driving around, there are organised day drives too!
ANIMALS The Kruger Park has the Big Five, but there's also much more than that. There is a great diversity of birds from the quirky, always lovely to watch Secretary bird and ground Hornbill to the lovely Lilac Breasted Rollers or Malachite Kingfishers. It's best to get yourself a bird identification book (and maybe a mammal one as well, because there are many different types of antelope and the pleasure of the park lies in knowing what you've seen and also knowing where to go to see what you want! It's also possible to miss an extraordinary sight if you don't know that the animal you've spotted is rare, or unusual or endangered). In summer the camp gates open at 4:30 am, and if you're out there early, you will almost always see lions, and maybe cheetah and leopard if you're lucky. The best sights are to be had early in the morning though and late in the evening, and you can always hide out the midday heat in camp! Having said that, we've seen cheetahs in the noonday sun, ground hornbill mating at midday and African wild dogs running along the road in the hottest part of the day, hunting impalas.
ROADS There are books about the best roads to take, and it may be useful to get one, but mostly it's best to follow what other people say and to keep an eye on what's happening. All camps have a sightings board and people can mark their sightings for the day. In personal experience, we've found the best roads to be the gravel roads around Biyamiti, and along the Biyamiti river in the south of the park, the main road south from Skukuza,and north from Skukuza to Tshokwane picnic site. There are a lot of drinking holes and dams along this main road, all worth visiting. As you get to the middle of the park, the main road between Satara and Orpen gate and the S100 are both excellent game areas, to name but a few. Roads are generally in a good condition, with main roads tarred and a larger network of gravel roads. They allow access to the best parts of the park in many cases, and a dirty car is a small price to pay! We don't have a 4x4, and although the height afforded by one would be nice for spotting, it's not necessary for most of roads, including gravel ones. Air conditioning in your car is a necessity most months of the year though! Remember though, if booking different nights in different camps that travel is slow in the park; speed limits are 40km/p/h on gravel roads and 50km/p/h on tarred ones, and most people go more slowly in order to spot animals.
PREPARATION Many things are available in the park, but some things are much more expensive than outside, and some things are just hard to come by. In general, it's best to treat it as a self catering holiday and to remember to get a lot of things you would take along for those, including the all-important insect repellant! Things like charcoal for the barbeques, and meat in cooler boxes is also a good idea, unless you dedicate yourself to the restaurants (but remember that bush camps don't have restaurants!)
The best time of year to go is in Spring, I think, which is around August - October, when there are usually baby animals, relatively cooler days, and the bush hasn't yet become so thick that you can't see two metres from the road.
All in all, this is the loveliest place for a holiday, whether you just want to relax and enjoy a campside river or birdhide, or spend all day chasing game. My husband and I even spent our honeymoon in the park!
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