Budget self-safari in Kruger National Park, Southafrica

An elephant crossed the road right in front of us

LOCATION

The Kruger National Park lies to the east of South Africa, in the Mpumalanga and Limpopo provinces, and extends beyond Mozambique’s border to the east and Zimbabwe’s to the north.

HOW TO ARRIVE (FROM JOHANNESBURG)

To get to the Park, first we had to travel to the nearest city, Nelspruit. From Johannesburg there are several bus companies that travel there directly. We chose Intercape, the ticket cost ZAR$ 200 (CLP$10,000 or USD$15) and the ride took about 5 hours. Other alternatives are Greyhound and Translux.

It is very important to BOOK ACCOMMODATION BEFORE ENTERING THE PARK, since the flow of tourists is very high and the accommodation options are limited. We went in May - June (winter), which is the driest period and when more animals can be spotted.

The same day we arrived to Nelspruit we went to the National Park Tourist Information Office, which is next to the Mica Home & Garden (N4 Crossing Center, Cnr Samora Machelle & Madiba Roads, West Acres.) We booked a camping site in those camps where there was still availability: Satara and Cocodrile Bridge. With our booking ready, the next step was to rent a car to get to the Park the next day. We chose to do a self-safari, as it is much better to ride without the hassles of a safari and so we could take all the time in the world to appreciate the animals.

The Park was full of birds of diffrent colors and sizes

COSTS

Car

We went to Simplify Vehicle Rentals (1A Emnotweni Avenue, Riverside Park x 6, Nelspruit.) The cost for three days of car rental (Chevrolet Spark) was ZAR$1665 (USD$129) plus a ZAR$3000 (USD$233) deposit, which is charged to the credit card and refunded when the car is returned without damage. The price includes a full gas tank and unlimited mileage, but you do have to return the car with the tank full to avoid additional fees. We drove without trouble through the Kruger, as it main roads are paved and being dry season, the tar roads were in very good condition.

Gasoline

We used a full tank. Filling it cost us ZAR$490 (USD$55.)

Park Entrance Fee

For foreign tourists, the daily fee is ZAR$304 (USD$23.) For some reason, the last day is free of charge (possibly, because the fee is for 24 hours and they just give you some hours the last day.)

Accommodation

The cost is per person and depends on the specific place you chose to sleep in. We camped, which is the cheapest alternative and paid approximately ZAR$140 (USD$11) per person per night.

Night Safari

It lasts approximately 2 hours and we completely recommend it because a lot of the animals are nocturnal. The tour costs ZAR$232 (USD$18) per person, and can be booked at each camp.

TOTAL COST

Taking into account that we bought the food in Nelspruit’s supermarket, and cost us around ZAR$280 (USD$22), the total cost per person was ZAR$2338 (USD$176.) Excellent for a three-day safari.

3 DAY ITINERARY

Day 1

We left Nelspruit at 5:40 am towards the north and entered the Park through the Phabeni Gate at about 7 am. The best thing about arriving early to the Kruger is that you can appreciate the animals when they are most active, stop the car all the times you wish to and for as long as you want to. It is usual to spend long hours inside the car, so it is important to have water and snacks in it. There are many rest points in the Park where you can go to the bathroom and eat (spot them on the map before). Lastly, it should be noted that the maximum speed allowed within the Park is 50 km/h.

It is difficult to describe the happiness we experienced when we saw our first impalas. We even stopped a few cars that were driving on the opposite direction to tell them about our discovery, but little did we know that impalas are like pigeons, all over the park and after some time you become tired of seeing them.

After two or three hours, it was Tania’s turn to drive (just because we have insurance and driving at 20km per hour didn´t seem risky) and she had been driving for 5 minutes when an elephant with its calf crossed the road in front of us. Why do we like travelling so much? Because as adults we get used to what surrounds us and stop being impressed by the world. When we travel we experience the world as when we were children, an exciting waiting to be explored.

Along the way, we found different animals such as antelopes, zebras, baboons, giraffes, buffalo, kudus, ostriches, elephants, lions, crocodiles, hippopotamuses and different types of birds.

After a long day, we arrived at Satara camp just before sunset. The camp is fully equipped and the sites are adapted for RVs and tents. The camp also has a shop that sells everything you might need: water, food, souvenirs, clothes, etc. and there is even a restaurant! (ALL camps are in excellent condition, have shops and one or more restaurants.)

One of the shops inside of the Park

Day 2

From Satara Camp we drove south in direction to Crocodile Bridge Camp. We started at 7 am and stopped at Lower Sabie Camp to rest for a while. The landscape was very different to the one we had seen the day before and found some new animals besides the ones we had already seen the previous day: a waterhog and some rhinos.

We recommend traveling the unpaved roads, which are less traveled; thus, more frequented by animals, which can be appreciated at a very short distance.

At Crocodrile Bridge we hired a night safari, which usually starts around 8 pm. That night was quite cold, so we could not see the animals we eagerly wanted to (lions, cheetahs or leopards), although we did see white rhinos, a genet and a couple of porcupines.

Day 3

We started our last drive, from Cocodrile Bridge to Paul Kruger Gate, stopping shortly in Lower Sabie Camp. One of the most beautiful routes we travelled through was bordering the Sabie River Road (NH4-1 Route), which starts in Lower Sabie Camp and ends at Skukuza Camp. Simply wonderful, it was precisely on this road that we spotted two lions resting under the shade of a tree and hundreds of elephants drinking water from the river. We left the park at about 1 pm and headed to Nelspruit to return the car.

We liked the Kruger National Park so much, that we plan to go back later on the year to keep exploring it.

General Tips

• More animals are spotted in the southern part. • It is best to visit in winter (June - July - August), which is the dry season, as the animals congregate around the few water sources found in the Park. • Book accommodation ahead. • Do bring binoculars and also a book that allows you to identify the animals. • There is a smartphone app where park visitors can tag the animals they spot, so you know their exact location. (We did not use it since we found out later that it existed but surely you can google it).