South Africa Guide
Mpumalanga
Kruger National Park
KRUGER NATIONAL PARK is arguably the emblem of South African tourism, the place that delivers best what most visitors to Africa want to see – scores of elephants, lions and a cast of thousands of other game roaming the savanna. A narrow strip of land hugging the Mozambique border, Kruger stretches across Limpopo Province and Mpumalanga, an astonishing 414-kilometre drive from Pafuri Gate in the north to Malelane Gate in the south, all of it along tar, with many well-kept gravel roads looping off to provide routes for game drives.
Kruger comes pretty close to fulfilling Out of Africa fantasies in the private game reserves on its western flank – where you get luxury accommodation and food, but, more importantly (especially if this is your first safari), qualified rangers to show you the game and the bush with only a tiny group of other guests. The ideal is to do a bit of each, perhaps spending a couple of nights in a private lodge and a further two or so exploring the public section. But whatever you choose, be sure to relax and don't get too obsessed with seeing the Big Five. Remember that wildlife doesn't imitate TV documentaries: you're most unlikely to see lion-kills (you may not see a lion at all), or huge herds of wildebeest migrating across dusty savanna. The element of luck involved is exactly what makes game spotting so addictive.
Walking in the wild is growing in popularity, so much so that in the Kruger Park all of the private reserves and some private operators offer escorted game walks. Note that Kruger National Park is malarial.
Kruger tour operators
1 Bundu Bus Tours and Safaris 
011 675 0767 
www.bundusafaris.com A range of safaris, all departing and returning to wherever you're staying in Johannesburg, Pretoria or Nelspruit. Most popular is a four-day trip, starting in the south (daily except Sun; R3600); after camping there for two nights (in tents with beds), you spending the third at Bundu Safari Lodge, 30km from Orpen Gate. Longer tours also taking in Swaziland, KwaZulu-Natal and Botswana are available.
2 Livingstone Trails 082 654 9478 www.livingstonetrails.co.za Four-day trips from Johannesburg, taking in the spectacular Blyde River Canyon, and day and night drives in Kruger Park. You can choose camping (R3250) or bedded accommodation in private lodges (R3950). The price includes full board on the middle days, plus dinner on the first day and breakfast on the last.
3 The Machampane Wilderness Trails Camp 012 426 5111 Three-night/four-day walking-trail experience on the Lebombo plateau, with an experienced and armed game ranger, staying in eight-bed, en-suite tented and fully catered accommodation in a forested area at the source of the Machampane River (R2700).
4 Outlook Small Group Explorations 011 894 5406 www.outlook.co.za Four-day trips in the southern section of Kruger, with three nights in National Parks accommodation. Groups are small (two to five), and you're collected and returned to your lodgings in Johannesburg. The price, R6050 per person, includes food, accommodation in chalets, game drives and guide hire.
5 Rhino Walking Safaris 011 467 1886 www.rws.co.za Three- to four-night stays, with morning and afternoon walks, based either at the Rhino Post Safari Lodge on the pretty Mutlumuvi River (R2750), or at Plains Camp, on the Timitene Plain (R2250), where accommodation is in luxury tents; the price for the latter includes a hike to an overnight camp in the bush consisting of sleep-out decks among tree-tops in tents raised 10m off the ground.
6 Shingwedzi 4x4 Eco-Trail 012 348 2708 Guided 4WD trail which departs from Punda Maria, entering Mozambique at Pafuri, and follows the Shingwedzi and Limpopo rivers, traversing the park from the east across Nwambiya Sandveld and back, to end at Massingir Dam. The cost is R3800 per vehicle per four-night trail (no vehicles provided; max 6 vehicles per trip).
7 Transfrontiers 083 382 5098 or 083 700 7987 www.transfrontiers.com One of the best and most reputable options if you want to walk in Kruger. On its four-night/five-day safaris (R5300), which depart regularly from Jo'burg hostels, you spend two nights in the Timbavati Reserve, and two nights in Klaserie. Accommodation is in large tents with proper beds, duvets and pillows. The guides are knowledgeable and fun.
8 Safaris 011 791 4238 or 011 792 2080 www.wildlifesaf.co.za Three-night Kruger trips (R4540 or R3920 economy option), which include one night at a comfortable safari camp, and two inside the park using National Parks accommodation. Worth thinking about is its four-day trip from Johannesburg, taking in Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park after Kruger, and ending in Durban (R5480 or R4860 economy).