4-Day Kruger Glamping Safari from Johannesburg

Kruger National Park

Kruger National Park stretches for about 350 kilometres along South Africa's border with Mozambique and is the country's largest and best-known wildlife reserve. It was first protected at the end of the nineteenth century and became a national park in 1926. Its savannah, riverine forest and rocky hills support an extraordinary variety of animals, including all of the Big Five, as well as cheetahs, wild dogs, hippos, crocodiles and a remarkable variety of birds.

Is Kruger worth visiting? It is the classic African safari destination, with excellent roads, well-run rest camps and some of the best game viewing on the continent. Sightings are never guaranteed, but a few days in the park usually bring a wide range of animals, from elephant herds at the rivers to lions resting in the shade.

The Greater Kruger and your glamping camp

The Greater Kruger is the large conservation area around the national park, including private reserves on its western side where the fences have been removed so that animals move freely between them and the park. Your bush camp lies in this area, surrounded by wild bushveld, so the safari atmosphere continues even when you are back from the game drive.

Glamping means you sleep in a spacious safari tent with a proper bed and an en-suite bathroom, combining comfort with the feeling of being close to nature. Evenings are spent around the camp with an African-style dinner, and at night you may hear the calls of hyenas, lions or nightjars. Wi-Fi is available at the camp.

From Johannesburg to the Lowveld

How to get to Kruger from Johannesburg? The drive covers roughly 450 to 500 kilometres and takes about six to seven hours, crossing the high grasslands of Mpumalanga and descending the Drakensberg escarpment into the warm Lowveld. Along the way the scenery changes from farmland and mining towns to forested mountains and finally the bush.

A Kruger safari from Johannesburg with transfers included saves you the long self-drive and the planning of park entry, accommodation and meals. The route also brings you close to the Panorama Route and the Blyde River Canyon, a spectacular gorge of red cliffs and waterfalls, which you can see on the longer version of this safari.

Wildlife and the rhythm of a safari day

Safari days start early, when the bush is cool and animals are most active, and the best sightings often come in the first hours after sunrise and in the late afternoon. In between, the hot middle of the day is a time to rest at camp. Your guide plans the activities around this rhythm, as set out in the itinerary.

Look out for elephants and buffalo at the rivers, giraffes browsing the acacias, zebras and wildebeest on the open plains, and predators such as lions and leopards. Birdwatchers will love the colourful rollers, bee-eaters and eagles. Always remember that these are wild animals and sightings are a matter of luck and patience.

Best time to visit Kruger

The best time to visit Kruger for game viewing is the dry winter, from May to September, when the grass is short, trees lose their leaves and animals gather around rivers and waterholes. Days are warm and sunny, but early mornings and nights can be cold. Summer, from November to March, is hot and green, with newborn animals, migrant birds and afternoon thunderstorms.

Kruger and the surrounding Lowveld are in a malaria area, with a higher risk in the wet summer months, so speak to your doctor before travelling about precautions. Pack light, comfortable layers: a fleece for the cold dawn drives, a sun hat for the warm afternoons, and a rain jacket in summer. The camp is in the bush, so a torch is useful at night.