Celia

I've been thinking about the Kruger portion of your trip, Cokie, and wanted to tell you what we did last May. Essentially we drove from the north end of Kruger to the south, staying in 3 different rest camps. We drove from Johannesburg (about a 4-hour drive) to the north end of Kruger and entered the park there at the north end. We stopped at Punda Maria camp and had a picnic lunch. It's very restful, quiet and pretty there, but we stayed at Shingwedzi Camp for that night and the next. The northern camps don't have nearly as many visitors as the central and southern ones, so you have more of a bush feel there. After 2 days we moved on to Satara, in the central section of the park. We stayed three nights in Satara, and then moved on to Lower Sabie where we stayed two nights in the safari tents.

We really enjoyed this itinerary, because of the different ecosystems in the different sections of the park, and also because of the differing ambiance at each rest camp. We especially enjoyed the food at Shingwedzi's restaurant; at Satara, the drums used to announce dinner; and at Lower Sabie the verandah with its great view of hippos and crocs on the river.

The game viewing was incredible; we saw everything imaginable except leopard.

We stayed in the middle price or low price accommodations on this trip, and found them comfortable but in no way luxurious. However, on a previous trip we stayed in one of the expensive houses that all the national parks have, and it was elegant -- huge ebony dining table, private verandah with leather sofas overlooking the waterhole, two bedrooms and two baths. So the private camps aren't the only option if you want some luxury.

cokie

Thanks, Celia. I would like to do something very similar to what you did last May in Kruger. However, we will only have 4 or 5 days. Which of the rest camps you stayed at would you recommend? Does it make sense to go up to the Northern section - or should we do a couple of nights in the middle and a couple of nights in the South? Also, how far in advance do we need to reserve. In looking at the web sites, it looks like Olifants and Lower Sabie might work. We could afford to stay at mid-level accomodations. What do you recommend?
Thanks again.
Cokie