Kruger National Park South Africa – Photo Essay

We first visited Kruger National Park back in 2003 during our five month adventure from Uganda to Cape Town. Going on safari and seeing African wildlife in their own backyard was a highlight of that trip.

There’s nothing like camping out under the African stars, listening to the roars of lions in the night, and then going in search of the BIG 5 the next day.

Kruger, and South Africa, gets under your skin.

A rhinoceros
Rhino

I have fond memories of cooking a traditional South African braai as the sun goes down, and rising early with the animals as they go on the hunt for their food. It has me craving for more, especially now we have kids as another excuse to go back.

Besides seeing the big cats in the wild, we love watching the elephants and can spend hours admiring them in their family units.

And of course there’s the hilarious baboons and the search for the rare African wild dog and getting close, but not too close, to the hippos.

After spending months rough travelling through east Africa and visiting many African game reserves, we finally, at Kruger, saw a leopard AND the very rare African wild dog.

Kruger National Park in South Africa is well known for having one of the best African wildlife viewing experiences, with a high concentration of animals and a developed park system of roads and accommodation.

And if you are a thrill seeker, then I highly recommend the Kruger walking safari. Nothing beats walking freely around as a guest in the animal’s kingdom tracking rhino and lion and learning first hand about their habits (accompanied by armed rangers of course).

We were fortunate to return to Kruger a second time back in 2006 during our visit to South Africa for Caz’s brothers wedding, but still haven’t seen it all.

Kruger is massive and it’s a good idea to choose one area to stay at and base your drives near there. We found the Lower Sabie area to be excellent for the concentration and variety of wildlife.

Below is a collection of our photos (unfortunately we weren’t into blogging back then so our photos are smaller than we’d now like)

Kruger National Park South Africa in photos

an animal in a grass field
warthog
an animal in a grass field
Kudu
A hyena lying on the grass
baby hyena
A giraffe standing in a field
Mr Giraffe on the move
a rhinoceros lying on the ground
sleeping rhino
an elephant in a grass field
I love elephants
A close up of a monkey
hello blue balls monkey
giraffes walking on a road
traffic jam Kruger style
a giraffe
hello Mr Giraffe
an animal
Heartebeast
an elephant standing in front of a car
elephant standoff
A rhinoceros standing in a field
rhino on the move
a herd of cattle walking down a road
buffalo holding up traffic
monkeys walking across a road
cheeky monkey
A zebra standing in a field
just another zebra
A hyena lying on a road
baby hyena keeping warm on the tar road
A lion lying in the grass
lioness
animals running in a field
Kudu on the move
a monkey
Mr baboon
lions lying in grass
lioness and her cub
a hippo in water
look at those teeth
A large elephant
elephant charge
an animal lying on a tree branch
leopard up a tree
zebras
family of zebra
an animal running on a road
rare African wild dog
animals running on a road
African wild do on the hunt
monkeys sitting on a dirt path
baboons being baboons LOL
monkeys on a road in front of a car
baboon alert
a monkey next to a car window
get off our car!!
A hyena standing on a field
hyena on the move
A lion standing in the grass
cute cub
A giraffe standing in the dirt
walking tall
Animal on the field
impala
A lion lying in the grass
lion keeping watch
deer in grass next to a pond
springbok
a hippo in water
sunset over the hippo pond
A person driving a car
early morning game drive
people walking in a grass field
Caz on our walking safari
people sitting in grass
picnic on our walking safari
food cooking on a grill
traditional South African braai
A tree in front of a house
our lodge

Safari Tips for Kruger National Park

  • Research the optimal season for viewing a Game Park. In the dry season the grass is short making it easier to spot wildlife and the choice of drinking water holes for the animals will be fewer, so your chances of watching them congregate at waterholes in any given area is easier.
  • Research carefully the optimal seasonal viewing of the Game Park. In the dry season the grass is short making it easier to spot wildlife and the choice of drinking water holes for the animals will be fewer, so your chances of watching them congregate at waterholes in any given area is easier.
  • Animals are most active at dusk and dawn. It is very hot in Africa, so during the day the animals are usually hibernating in the shade. Get up early to catch the animals at play, rest during the day, and then go out again just before sundown.
  • Lions like to sleep on the road at night to soak up the day’s heat trapped in the tar. If you’re up early enough you have a much better chance of seeing them up close and personal on the road. There were several times we turned a corner to find a lioness resting on the warm tar.
  • Do yourself a favour and buy a 600mm zoom lens (we didn’t and missed a lot of photo opps). Animals won’t deliberately come close for a portrait shot, and it’s not safe to get out of your car and pursue them. You’ve spent all the money, time, and energy to put yourself in a place of contact and you’ll want to have something to show for it.
  • Keep a safe distance when you encounter a wild animal and when in your vehicle keep your windows rolled up at all times.

More Africa travel tips

Have you visited Kruger National Park before?

4 Powerful Ways to Travel More & Create Better Memories
Want to know how we've made a lifetime of travel for 25 years? In
This is what gives us incredible memories to share around the campfire. Join our community for insider tips and updates!
Scroll to Top