Car Hire Kruger National Park - Mini guide to Kruger National Park

Proclaimed a national park 1898, Kruger stretches 381kms from the banks of the Crocodile River in the south to the Limpopo River in the north. The park encompasses 2.5 million hectares of land and houses 16 eco-zones with their own geology, rainfall and altitude. Kruger National Park’s southern (Malelane) gate is 428kms northeast of Johannesburg.

The massive park is home to more than 500 bird species and 147 mammal species. There are approximately 2,000 lions, 1,000 leopards, 1,800 rhinos, 8,000 elephants, and 15,000 buffaloes, along with cheetahs, wild dogs, hyenas, zebras, giraffes, hippos, crocodiles, warthogs, and antelope.

Additionally, the park boasts a few archaeological sites, the most prominent being Thulamela, a 12th century stone-walled village overlooking the Luvuvhu River in the north.

There are designated sites dotted throughout the park where visitors can leave their vehicles. Facilities available at the sites include: restrooms, barbecues, picnic tables, shaded areas, and shops selling refreshments. The most popular sites are Nkulu and Tshokwane. Guided game drives and walks are available and recommended.

Also in the area are a number of other attractions. Pilgrim’s rest is a delightful museum town, preserved to indicate the gold mining communities whole settled in the areas at the turn of the 20th century. Bourke’s Luck is a remarkable gorge at the Blyde River Canyon, where water action has carved out intriquing pot holes in the deep rocky gorges, and the scenery here is spectacular as the river wends it’s way though pictureque hilly scenery. Nelspruit and Hazy View are two sleepy ‘lowveld’ towns found in the region and worth stopping over night in.

The nearest major city is Johannesburg, Africa's richest city. Attractions here include Gold Reef City, a restored century-old mining village. Johannesburg is also home to several good museums, plenty of galleries and theatres, as well as a good selection of bars, restaurants and music venues offering international and local food and entertainment.

For those heading to Kruger National Park, there are three airports nearby: Kruger-Mpumalanga International Airport, Eastgate Airport and the Kruger Park Gateway Airport. Flights arrive from Capetown and Johannesburg. For those travelling by road, there are nine entrance gates, most of which can be reached via a five- to six-hour drive from Johannesburg or Pretoria. The closest gate, Malelane, is 428kms from Johannesburg.