6. Kruger National Park
We were supposed to spend a week in Kruger National Park (KNP from here on or just Kruger). Unfortunately, when I was planning this trip, I somehow forgot to factor time difference in when making the reservation. When we checked in, the kind people at the Letaba registration desk brought this to our attention. They had not cancelled the reservation, but we missed out on one night’s lodging and viewing.
I should explain KNP to you. It is one of the finest game preserves anywhere in the world and is one of the largest and most diversified in terms of animals. It is 217 miles long from north to south and 37.2 miles wide from east to west. It borders Mozambique and has a common border with Mozambique and its Limpopo National Park. You can cross from one to the other at two gates.
Kruger Park has been left as natural as possible. The philosophy is that the Park is for the wildlife and not the visitors. Most roads are not paved and there are strict speed limits enforced.
Accommodations range from camping to permanent tents to bungalows with no bathrooms that share communal bathrooms to fully equipped bungalows to luxury accommodations with many bedrooms. What I love about KNP is that there is no television and such. Even phone reception is minimal since there are no cell towers.
We stayed at two different rest camps. The rest camp gates are closed at a certain time each day near to sundown. All visitors have to be inside the gates by that time.
The gate we entered Kruger Park is called the Phalaborwa gate. Each gate has a thatched check-in building, restrooms and usually a petrol pump. We checked in an began to head toward Letaba, our first stay.
We immediately began to see game, something that is really exciting for people who have never been there. We saw baboons, an elephant and giraffe, if I remember correctly. It was a great beginning.
It is hard to explain the setting. Kruger Park is so enormous that it feels like you are just driving through open countryside. So when you first start seeing animals, it is as if you are seeing them in open country. It is something of a great surprise for first timers. Ours were no exception. Some animals, like impala (a small antelope) are everywhere (There are over 200,00 impala throughout Kruger). Others are rarely seen. Many people visit and never see lions, leopards, elephants, cheetah and rhinos. Many folks visit Kruger and never see those animals ever. Part of the success is of course, just luck, but part is going out at the right times of day and knowing where and how to look.
