SANParks.org Forums

Hi Everyone
My (new!) husband and I are planning our camping honeymoon to Kruger for 2013. We are planning on travelling the whole park south to north and back again over the course of 10-15 nights.
We would much prefer to pick an 'off-peak' time of year when there aren't too many people visiting the park (i.e. school holidays and long weekends are OUT!). Rainy season doesn't bother us other than from the point of view of accessibility and visibility through the bush. Likewise winter is fine because, well, that's why we buy big warm jackets and nice thick sleeping bags!
I'd like to get some feedback from other Forumites as to what they feel are the 'best' times to visit?
Many thanks!

Hi TheMiggies, I cannot think of a better honeymoon than the one you have planned

There are two different seasons I like, both quiet.

May

November

May is after summer, after the rains and should not be too hot.

November can be very hot, can have rains, but is a very special time with the birds returning and impala lambing.

So it depends on which season you will prefer.

January and February are also quiet months due to the heat.

Colder months, which are mid year are peak holiday season.

I do not do the bird watching thing. So, do that. We have been there in Jan and it was great.

Here we go again!

Welcome to the forum Miggies.

You will get foncused by the variety of answers here, but here is mine.

Early October to later November. It will be hot and the rainy season should start. But the bush will be dry and see through until the rain greens it, which takes a while. There is no/not much surface water yet and the animals gravitate to the waterholes and permanent rivers. So do the predators.

The migratory birds are returning also.

That is this time of the year, so look out for people on the site who are there now, or going soon.

I would second both DB and BB on the suggestion for October to November. Out of season, could get warm but last year when we visited it was rainy and cold a few days as well.

August/September is also a good time to visit if you are not too concerned about the migratory birds.

August might have cold nights, but hey, you are on honeymoon, so you won't mind snuggling up

Thanks everyone for your tips so far! Just to clarify, we are both locals, we'll be meandering up from Grahamstown stopping along the way.
We're not concerned with seeing the Big 5 or spotting as many animals as possible. For us, it's more about just being in the bush; anything we get to see is a bonus!
I was more curious about when the park was quietest. We made the mistake once of going to Addo on a long weekend. Never again!

We are birders, so we'll remember the tip about the returning migratory birds, thanks! I'm beginning to think it might be a 1st Anniversary present!

Very warm welcome to the forum!
My choice would be May especially if you are camping!
Its a lovely time of year, warm days and cool nights, rains are mostly over, bush is thinning out and unless there are late rains animals starting to migrate to waterholes and rivers.
I would also advise you try for closer to 15 days if you plan on doing the North and South, not so much packing and unpacking all the time.

Welcome Miggies

MAY is wonderful for all the reasons already mentioned

Happy planning.

A very warm welcome Miggies

What a wonderful way to start a married life together.

I love May for the balmy weather and beautiful scenery. It has not always been my best sighting months, but it has a special beauty.

November is special because of the baby animals everywhere. If the heat is no problem, watching the growing impala nurseries is something very special. It has also been the month of my best predator sightings.

I have experienced a heat wave in November and a drop from 44 degrees to 15 degrees in 24 hours. It is only predictable in its unpredictability.

Hi there

One thing about the Winter months though, the gates open late and close earlier so you don't have as much time as you do in Summer to get out there and explore.

Also, it can get pretty damn cold, so it's not really as pleasant as it is during the summer months to have a drinkie or two around the braai. I recall a trip we made with our kids to Biyamiti during the 2010 Soccer World Cup. It was so cold we had to huddle inside to eat our dinner.... Not cool.

Our family has a "boys only" trip every December (Grandad, two Dads and four Boys). And the gathering around the braai at the end of a long, hot, sweaty day is a highlight which is difficult to replicate in any environment.

My SO and I (and 3 sprogs), usually visit the KP Every April and then in August. We'll not do the May/June/July thing again.

We sort of start out dating by going camping! An AMAZING 6-week trip through Zim, Bots, Namibia & KTP. Magic. So camping is sort of our 'thing'.

@Elsa...packing and unpacking? You only need at most 2 t-shirts and 2 pairs of shorts and 2 brookies each? Right?

Thanks for the suggestion to aim for 15 days if we want to do North & South. I'm beginning to think of skipping the larger rest camps (e.g. Skukuza) and aiming for spending longer at the smaller camps. Less packing up and more time to really explore all the areas. And time to sit at a waterhole if we want to. We had amazing sightings by doing just that in KTP. Up at the crack of the gate with a thermos of coffee and our travel mugs packed with CocoPops. Park off, having breakfast at a quiet waterhole watching Burchell's sandgrouse coming in, then a lion meandered down for a drink. Belly bulging from last night's hunt. We watched to see where she went back to and LO! there was the rest of the pride. Dead to the world. Not even tails twitching to give them away. Peregrine falcon catching a Namaqua Dove.

Yeah, no breakfast has ever quite lived up since.

I'm liking May because a.) it's not quite so long to wait and b.) it fits in with our up-in-the-air plans a bit better!

Lovely to have a honeymoon in Kruger - that's what we did 45 years ago! Having been many, many times since then, the best and quietest time is after school holidays in October going into November - every day you see new life -plants and animals. Enjoy

Right, I think!
but I was also thinking of all the camping equipment!

Also might like to have a read Here

Just a word (or 50) about May Miggies.

The bush is still thick and green, turning brown.
There is still a lot of surface water and the game is still dispersed.
Migrant birds are gone.
It can be quite cold at night, and the viewing days are shorter.

But still, it is all about right place at the right time.