South Africa     •       Cape Town      •      Cape Winelands     •     Garden Route      •      Kruger National Park      •     North West

Kruger National Park and its Adjacent Private Reserves: An Authentic African Safari

Kruger National Park and its adjacent private reserves are home to some of the best-known and exclusive safari lodges in the world, including places like Singita, Londolozi, and Mala Mala. This area offers some of the best game viewing in all of southern Africa. Why? Size and age. The combined geography of Kruger National Park and the private reserves of Sabi Sands and Manyleti are an area the size of Wales. Animals roam freely in the sprawling land. In addition, hunting and poaching have been relatively controlled for many years, creating generations of wildlife accustomed to the human species, as long as it comes in the form of sitting in a Land Rover.

Kruger National Park is South Africa's flagship National Park. It was the first wildlife reserve to be established in southern Africa and was done so to provide a safe haven from hunting. Since the park itself is a government-run national park, it’s a popular spot for locals and the accommodations tend to be simple. If travelers are self-driving, they must stay on the roads and in closed vehicles. In addition, there is always the chance you will see other cars, especially around sightings of The Big Five, of unusual game, and in the vicinity of a kill.

Private Game Reserves of Sabi Sands and Manyeleti

The high-end, exclusive, and luxurious safari experiences that make the cover of well-known travel magazines will be found in the private reserves adjacent to Kruger National Park, such as the Sabi Sands, Manyeleti or the Timbavati. For the most part, there are no fences between the Sabi Sands, Manyleti and Kruger National Park.

The area is one large physical entity and the animals roam freely between all three. The private lodges within these private reserves offer those on their South African honeymoon safari and those on their South African family safari all the accommodations and luxuries needed. Many of these camps cater to guests with large, individual thatched chalets, private plunge pools, designer décor, fabulous food, private wine cellars, and spas. These camps also provide 3-hour game drives, twice a day, in their own, open-top vehicles with the services of a licensed guide.

There are some camps in the private reserves that don’t offer as many bells and whistles, but still offer a premiere game-viewing experience. Guests at any of these camps are completely wowed by their wildlife sightings. No matter how luxurious the camp, if it’s located in one of the private reserves, they are able to charge a premium for being located on this real estate.

Guests have two options for traveling to Sabi Sands camps:

• Fly in directly from Johannesburg to Mpumalanga or Hoedspruit airports, followed by an escorted drive to the camp
• Fly on scheduled charter flights to many of the camps’ private airstrips, saving a great deal of time but at a slightly higher cost

Kruger National Park Wildlife

• One of the largest variety of birdlife in Africa with over 450 species
• 137 animal species
• 114 reptile species
• 40 fish species
• 33 amphibian species
• 227 butterfly species

A trip to South Africa is a life-altering experience, which will create memories that will last a lifetime. Our expert team will take care of all your travel needs, allowing you to explore the magic of a South African honeymoon safari or South African family safari. View our exclusive and detailed itineraries today.

Experience the sheer thrill of South African safari tours with Hills of Africa Travel, and call us today at (877) 845-4802.