Kruger National Park - the most famous and most profitable national park of South Africa. Located on the territory of almost 2 million hectares (no matter how much, and here could safely accommodate the whole of Israel), the Kruger Park is divided into 14 eco-zones, each of which can boast completely different representatives of flora and fauna. However, Kruger is especially indebted to the presence of a frenzied popularity among tourists with the presence of the Big Five: a lion, a rhinoceros, an elephant, a buffalo and a leopard.
History and modern times
The park was founded in 1898 by former President Paul Krueger to protect the environment and priceless endangered species .However, the park opened its doors to tourists only in 1927 .In April 2002, the Great Limpopo Transnational Park began operating, uniting Kruger Park in South Africa, Parks Gonareggio, Mangini-Pan and Malipati in Zimbabwe and Limpopo in Mozambique .To date, it is the world's largest national park .In addition, on the territory of the "Big Limpopo" state borders are abolished and tourists can visit it with a visa of one of the three countries .
How to get to Kruger
Near the park there are three airports:
Phalaborwa Airport, which is 2 km from the entrance gate and the town of Phalaborwa. It is convenient for those who booked lodges in the north (Letaba, Olifants, Punda Maria, Shingwedzi, etc.). The airport has a good connection with Johannesburg, usually two flights a day on weekdays, and one on weekends. There is a rent-a-car office at the airport.
Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport, which accepts flights from Johannesburg (1 hour), Durban (1, 5 hours), Cape Town (2, 5 hours) and Vilanculos. Offices for rental cars in abundance: Budget, Hertz, Europcar, Imperial Car Rental and National. From here to the entrance to the park through the gate to them. Paul Kruger 82 km, Maleleane - 63 km, Numbi - 40 km and the gate of Phabeni - 76 km.
Also operates a small airport Malelane for private and business flights (Malelane Regional Airport), located at the entrance of Malelane.
| Kruger Park |
| Leopard |
| Bugogolovaya Altsiona |
Search for tickets to the city of Johannesburg (the nearest airport to Kruger)
Transport Kruger
When buying a car, it is worth remembering that highway N4 - paid, all entrances to the park close with the onset of darkness, and gas stations do not accept plastic cards. Driving alone in the dark here is a small pleasure. Roads of poor quality, lighting or not at all, or rare, the local calmly walk along the edge of the road, and in some areas on the way wild animals can meet. But all these troubles end with the entrance to the park.
Kruger National Park operates from dawn to dusk, in simple words, with the onset of darkness, entry into the territory of the reserve ceases. As a rule, the gates work in the following mode: November-February from 5:30 to 18:30, March - 5: 30-18: 00, April from 6:00 to 18:00, May-July 6: 00-17 : 30, August-September from 6:00 to 18:00, October 5: 30-18: 00. Traffic on the car after sunset is fraught with high fines.
Maximum speed - 50 km / h on simple roads, 40 km / h on gravel and 20 - on the territory of the lodge. With such speeds, a trip from south to north Kruger will not take more than 10 hours.
On the territory of the reserve there is only one rent-a-car office of Avis, which is located in Skukuza Lodge.
Safety in Kruger
For your own safety in the park you can not:
- get out of the car outside the lodge
- feed animals
- bring pets with you
- ride in the dark
You can: comply with the speed limit.
Kruger hotels
In the park, many camps and lodges are broken up, in addition to direct accommodation facilities, there are supermarkets, restaurants, tourist offices, picnic places and barbecues, laundry facilities, public kitchens and swimming pools. Practically in all places of this kind accept plastic cards. In addition, you can find a refuge and outside the park (where, by the way, you can safely leave your car, not being afraid that anything will happen to him.)
The comfort and service of lodges depends on the size: from a simple tent to mini-cities with pools, libraries, restaurants and golf courses. On average, the concentration of lodges in the park is so great that the distance between them is no more than two hours drive.
Entertainment, excursions and attractions of Kruger
The park is divided into 16 separate sections with different "sets" of plants and animals. In total, it has about 250,000 animals (147 species), about 50 fish species, 33 species of amphibians, more than a hundred species of reptiles and 500 species of birds. In the park area there are ethnographic villages and several small private reserves. In addition, the park has more than 250 archaeological sites, including artifacts of the Stone and Iron Ages.
Arriving in Kruger Park for the first time, it is advisable to take a group tour with a guide who will talk about the rules of conduct, the main attractions and other important trivia. The tour can be booked at the lodges Berg en dal, Letaba and Skukuza, the cost is 170 ZAR.
| Transport for safari |
| Southern yellow-currant current |
| Warthog |