Kruger National Park, Should You Go?

Is the Kruger National Park all that it’s made out to be?

Yes, the Kruger National Park is absolutely all that it’s hyped out to be… but,

Logistically, it can be quite a burden to get to as it’s located way up in the North Eastern Part of South Africa, largely away from most of the countries other well-known tourist attractions.

If you’re visiting South Africa on a budget and limited time do you want to sacrifice seeing so many other sights and spending valuable cash on transport just to say you ticked off the Kruger National Park? There’s a wealth of other well-known and equally beautiful national parks dotted all over the country that are more conveniently located to places like Cape Town and the Garden Route (sights we consider absolute musts on a first time trip to South Africa).

Prioritise what you’d like to see in South Africa and then plan around those, if the KNP is high up on that list then you’ve got to do it. If not, we suggest considering some of SA’s other National Parks.

Why are You Visiting South Africa?

Is it your first visit to South Africa? Are you totally set on the outdoors and a safari holiday? Then book your flights for Johannesburg and head for the Kruger National Park, but if…

Beaches, shopping, nightlife, road-trips, wine, food and a bit of the outdoors and a safari too are more your thing? Many first time visitors try to squeeze in as much into their trip as possible. The stress and extra travel to include Kruger isn’t always worth it, unless you’re heading to SA for over 3 weeks then we say it’s probably worth excluding Kruger this time.

Anything less than that and you’re going to lose valuable time and cash figuring out how to get all the different places crammed into your short itinerary, not to mention leaving feeling more stressed than when you arrived. And who says you can’t still have a safari experience somewhere else in the country?

Why Not Kruger?

We’ve been going to the Kruger since we were babies and love it but South Africa has other places equally worthy for a safari experience. These are some of the arguments we think you need to consider if you’re unsure whether to include Kruger or not:

• It’s in a pretty random area which makes travelling long hours and buying extra flights necessary,
• Who says you’ll go there and see the Big 5? It’s not a zoo, we’ve been before and only seen Impala. It’s big and requires multiple day stays.
• Nightlife and beaches are far away. Unless you’re after solitude and bush TV, then skip the KNP.
• Ever heard of Addo Elephant Park (our fav), Table Mountain National Park, Cape Point National Park or Tsitsikamma National Park, they’re pretty good too.
• It’s become pretty commercial and you’ll often see big tour buses cruising around which kinda ruins the whole safari feeling. During high tourist season animal sightings often seem more like a traffic jam.

But you still want to Safari!

Like we said earlier:

“Ever heard of Addo Elephant Park?”

It’s SA’s 3rd biggest National Park and home to the Big 7, well that’s their marketing spiel. Basically they’ve got the Big 5 plus 2, the Humpback Whale and Great White Shark swimming in the ocean next door and it’s at the end of what we consider the most epic road trip ever! So why not get the traditional safari experience during an epic 780km road trip along SA’s coast plus some of SA’s most idyllic sights along the way?

The Addo Elephant Park is also considered one of the best to see large herds of elephant in a pristine natural environment away from the crowds.

Still not convinced? Then we think you’re pretty serious about seeing the KNP and it’s time you booked your campsite. You’ll love it!

Still reading this?

Maybe we’ve swayed you into considering some of SA’s smaller National Parks, especially if your trip to SA is shorter than 3 weeks. We think it’s possible to see most of SA’s best on a trip under 3 weeks long. If you’re doing it alone, plan it thoroughly and budget well.

If planning isn’t your thing, then why not look into joining our epic 17 day trip across South Africa? Cape Town to Port Elizabeth with awesome sights and experiences dotted along the way, we’ve balanced the travel and activities plus included the transport, meals and accommodation. Oh and there’s definitely a safari experience included. Check out our itinerary for more and get in touch with any queries about joining.

Let us know your thoughts, what are some of South Africa’s absolute must-see sights and attractions? Or are there some that you’d recommend giving a skip?