Kruger National park, Kruger, Kruger holidays

Check out all our holiday offers in the Kruger area - prices from R1 637 per person sharing

In the heart of the Lowveld, stretching for 352 kilometres from north to south along the Mozambique border, one of the world's foremost national parks can be found. This is the Kruger National Park, a wildlife sanctuary. Covering 19 624 square kilometres and averaging 60 kilometres in width, Kruger provides a refuge for 147 mammal species, 500 species of birds, 116 reptiles, 34 amphibians, 49 fishes, 457 types of trees and shrubs, 1 500 smaller plants, and countless insects. The Kruger park is home to the Big 5. Each year approximately 950 000 people visit the Kruger Park. The Park's rest camps are connected by a 2 600-kilometre network of all-weather roads, which allow visitors to explore its diverse habitats on their own and without the need to hire a guide. Purely in terms of facilities and the range of accommodation offered, no national park anywhere in the world can match what Kruger has to offer.

Protea Hotel Kruger Gate

This superior lodge style 4-Star Hotel on the banks of the Sabie River in Mpumalanga offers an affordable luxury getaway. The ambience of comfort is unforgettable in the context of the African bush

Casa Do Sol

Situated in the beautiful Mpumalanga Region, Casa do Sol is a little Eden of tranquil pools, deeply shaded glades and lush flower gardens

Protea Hotel Hazyview

In the heart of the lush Mpumalanga Lowveld and only 15 minutes drive from the Kruger National Park, the Protea Hotel Hazyview is perfectly positioned for exploring this enchanting region.

Camp Shawu

Camp Shawu named after the most famous of the African elephants, the Magnificent Seven. 'Shawu bull' roamed the valley here for sixty years.

USEFUL INFO
On arrival at OR Tambo airport, shuttle companies offer transfers to the Kruger Park, the journey is approximately three hours. Alternatively car rental is a good option for a self drive to the Kruger Park area. Kruger is a malaria area and precautions are therefore recommended, in particular in the summer months December - April. The conservation fees payable on entrance to the park is about R40-00 per person for SA residents and approximately R160-00 per person for non residents. The South African currency is Rands and cents. Foreign currency can be exchanged at any bank or foreign exchange outlet. Most stores, restaurants and hotels accept credit cards. Banking hours are 09h00 - 15h30 Monday - Friday and Saturdays 08h30 - 11h00. The same standard voltage and frequency as in most European countries, 220/230 Volts at 50Hz even though the type of plugs varies. You can usually borrow an adapter at your hotel. It is normal to tip golf caddies, taxi drivers, hotel and railway porters, chambermaids, stewards, waiters, barmen and tour guides. The accepted average is 10-15%. Useful Information

ATTRACTIONS
Safari - there are a number of safari companies offering escorted safari tours through the park offering insight into the wildlife. There are also a number of routes for self drive through the park making wildlife viewing the natral attraction of the Kruger National park.
Cultural Heritage Sites:
Thulamela Hill - On the basis of preliminary discoveries, it became clear that further excavations were necessary to reveal the secret past of the region. With the sponsorship by the Gold Fields Foundation, the Thulamela project was officially launched in July 1993 with the intended purpose of restoring the site and turning it into a museum. The reconstructed stonewalled settlement was officially opened as cultural heritage site museum on Heritage Day, 24 September 1996.
Masorini Heritage Site - Research has revealed that the site was inhabited by a group of people belonging to the baPhalaborwa clan and that they made a living by manufacturing and selling iron artifacts during the Stone Age era. The picturesque Masorini Hill is situated about 11km from Phalaborwa entrance gate, along the road to Letaba restcamp. This village offers an example of a specialized economy and well-developed technology that existed before the arrival of the white man in South Africa. It also offers the interested visitor insight into the livelihood of the hunter-gathering society of the Stone Age era that formed an integral part of the natural environment and made use of whatever nature offered in a unique way.
Arts & Crafts - The Skukuza Arts and Crafts Alliance was initiated with individual woodcarvers who were selling their artifacts along the roads leading to the southern part of Kruger Park. These woodcarvers were organized into an alliance, and a sales outlet was built for them at Numbi gate. Training was arranged to improve their skills in business management. Since then training, their income and product quality has improved and they are now supplying their products to wider markets. Their products range from grass mats, carved animals and pottery bowls to other interesting artifacts.
Kruger surrounds ; there are a number of attractions nearby the Kruger area, such as elephant sanctuary, Jane Goodalls Chimpanzee Eden, quad biking, horse riding, microlight flights offering magnificent views, etc.

CLIMATE
The climate of the Kruger National Park and Lowveld is truly subtropical. Summer days are humid and hot with temperatures often soaring to above 40 degrees C. The rainy season is from September until May. The dry winter season is the ideal time to visit this region because there is less chance of contracting malaria and the days are milder. Viewing wildlife is more rewarding as the vegetation is more sparse and animals are drawn to the waterholes to drink every morning and evening. Maximum temperatures in midwinter average 23° C and the minimum average is 6° C. Midsummer maximum temperatures average 30° C with evening temperatures of 19° C. Climate