For big game viewing it doesn’t get much better than Kruger National Park in South Africa. This is a well loved park and to avoid some of the crowds try to visit during the weekdays. The southern part of the park is the most visited and there is accommodation both inside the park and next to its borders. Accommodation outside its borders tends to be cheaper. The National Park Service of South Africa maintains a number of lodges within the park. During busy weekends these should be booked in advance however, often you can book at any of the park’s entrances. If you plan to stay in the park you must stay at one of these rest camps. Note that the park is closed each evening at a certain time depending on the time of year and the rest camps shut their gates and may not allow you to enter if after hours. To respect the wildlife, no headlights are allowed at any time. Food is available at select rest camps and locations within the park.

There are a number of tar and dirt roads that lead through the bush – and these are all suitable for self drives (weather permitting) four wheel drive vehicles are not necessary. Kruger boasts an amazing variety and amount of wildlife. One is guaranteed to see animals in this park, regardless of the time of year! The one animal that is prolific is the impala – elephant and giraffe spottings are fairly common and you have a decent chance of seeing rhino, cape buffalo and perhaps a lion. This is also a park born for “bird lovers”! For more information visit the official guide: http://sanparks.org.za/parks/kruger