johan

We are going to South Africa in oct/nov. 2001 and will arrive in Johannesburg 29 Oct. We would like to go on a Kruger Park Tour for about 5 days. We are not looking for a expencive/luxury tour, but would like to stay in a campsite/tent. What do you recommand? We are interested in any kind of information!

Tim Parker

Try www.parks-sa.co.za

Lisa

Kruger has very reaonably-priced accommodation. I don't remember if there are tent campsites but the URL that Tim gave you will give you all the information. You will need to hire your own car. You can hire it in Johannesburg and drive 5 hours to Kruger or you can fly from Johannesburg to Skukuza (the main camp in Kruger) and hire a car there. Avis and Europcar or Budget have offices there. <BR> <BR>You will then drive to whichever camp you get accommodation in. I don't know if the camps in the Northern part will be open at that time of year but if you do go far North, it is quite a long drive at a very low speed limit. You may want to try for accommodation at Skukuza, Lower Sabie,or Satara or a combination of these. If you do want to go north and it is open, try for Satara for your first night and then go on north after that.If you stay at Skukuza or Lower Sabie, try to get bungalows that are on the riverfront. <BR> <BR>Kruger does offer options of ranger driven night drives but they still stick to the road and do not go offroad.But you will be driving yourselfduring the day. No offroading. <BR> <BR>You have another option of going with an organised tour but you will more than likely be doing this on a big tourbus which in my opinion limits the experience enormously. It is great fun to spot the animals yourself and stay for as long as you wish at sightings. <BR> <BR>At the time that you are going, you will not have a problem getting accommodation as it is not school holidays. <BR> <BR>Don't forget to take malaria prophylactics. <BR> <BR>Accommodations are self catering but there are restaurants. Some aaccommodations do not provide utensils but you can hire them on a daily basis. this may have changed though.

Nigel

In October there is no need to plane anything, just hire a car at Johannesburg and GO! <BR>Kruger Park is extremely well organised, and you can just cruise around at your will, and check in to one of the numerous Camping areas wherever you find yourself. <BR>Prices are very reasonable, both for Camping and chalets (around US$50 for a rondeval). <BR>I wouldn't bother booking anything in advance, leave yourselves as flexible as possible.

Bert

My first recollection of a visit to the Kruger National Park dates back to the late 50's when I was but a bright-eyed little boy in the back of my dad's VW Bus, scanning the veld in keen anticipation of finding lions. Sometimes, I had to settle for elephant, but I soon got bored looking at Impala, of which there were thousands. <BR> <BR>Not much has changed. Kruger is not as inexpensive as it used to be, and there are more visitors from overseas, but impala are still ubiquitous. In fact, visitors soon realize that spending too much time videotaping impala is considered faintly amusing by the locals. I'm still looking for lion - who isn't - but I've overcome the boredom factor by developing an interest in birds, of which there are just as many in Kruger Park as there are impala, the difference being that the birds come in about 400 different species. <BR> <BR>It used to be said about advertising that it's about as much fun as you could have with your clothes on. I'd put a visit to Kruger Park in the same category. It's all very well to be pampered at a 5-star private lodge, and to be shown this leopard and that lion, but discovering your 'own' animals on a Kruger game drive is eminently satisfying. Another facet of the Kruger Park experience is meeting other visitors, and if you're the least bit gregarious, you'll soon find yourself exchanging sightings & experiences with people from all over the world. <BR> <BR>Kruger Park is famous for its wide variety of mammals, and on our last trip we did pretty well, spotting Impala, Burchell's Zebra, Blue Wildebeest, Cape Buffalo, Southern Giraffe, Tsessebe, Bushbuck, Lion, Cheetah, Spotted Hyena, Black-backed Jackal, Kudu, Waterbuck, Warthog, Chacma Baboon, Vervet Monkey, Steenbok, Duiker and Klipspringer. Mammals in Kruger Park are habituated to the presence of vehicles, so while other African parks may have bigger concentrations of certain species, Kruger Park allows one the opportunity to get really close up for some excellent photographs. Among my favorite camps are Lower Sabie, Olifants, Letaba, Shingwedzi and Punda Maria. <BR> <BR>The ultimate Kruger Park experience, though, is to go along on one of the 4-day wilderness trails, operated twice-weekly in several different areas. The thrill of a 'Big 5' encounter on foot will stay with you for the rest of your life. Being close enough to an elephant to hear its stomach grumble and see the dust fly when it flaps its ears, is exciting when you're in a vehicle. On foot, in an environment where man is at a distinct disadvantage, it can be a life-changing experience. <BR> <BR>Bert <BR>Houston, TX