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hi all. we want to visit KNP in september(7-8 days). we have decided to stay from south to phalaborwa, driving with a car from JA and stay 2 days for 4 tented camps. we love nature surrounding, big cats and wild dogs. can advise a good itinerary with related camps that are not too expensive, but where we can do a good game drive?

regards

Welcome to the forum francescodelv.

September is a great time to visit. It is right at the end of the dry season.

There should be no surface water and the rivers that have flooded and caused such devastation should then be just pools of water.

2x4 days would give you a good overview of Kruger.

When you say 'not too expensive', the cost decreases by almost half if you are prepared to use communal ablutions, and kitchens. You would have to get your own cooking utensils and cutlery etc, but they sell all of that in the park.

Letaba is a good place for the first stop over. It is on the river with a great view and the safari tents no 4 - 8 are on the exterior fence, so you might have interesting visitors looking at your barbecue.

Satara next, but there is no 'cheap' accom. But it is lion country.

Then Skukuza, the main camp, like a small city, is an option. There are also safari tents, some along the fence, and many good roads to choose from. An alternative is Lower Sabie. There are 'cheap' huts there still, I think. also good roads around.

Lastly I would stay in the safari tents at Croc Bridge. 7 & 8 are on the fence and I have seen wild dogs in the CB area more times than the rest of the park.

Sunset/night rides from Letaba have disappointed a bit, but the other 3 should be great. No guarantees.

I am sure you will get a lot of conflicting advice to confuse you. Good luck.

btw, I have excluded my favourite camp, Tamboti, because at this time of the year it is far from permanent water and you might not be lucky there.

Hi francescodelv, a warm welcome to the forum.

BB has given you some excellent advice. I'll stick up for Skukuza because, out of peak holiday season, it is actually a very quiet camp and it has the Selati restaurant, which because of its opening times is only available to those staying in the camp. As long as you avoid the shop and cafe during the day when all the OSV vehicles and their passengers arrive and take over, Skukuza is actually a nice camp to stay in. Oh and easy access to Lake Panic bird hide.

And as for Tamboti, yes far from permanent water but that means the animals can use it as a highway. We spent a lovely two hours watching an elephant meander down the sandy river bed.

Keep an eye on this topic as hopefully it will give you some idea of what Kruger is like in September.

Hope you enjoy your trip.

hi and thanks for replies. we don't have a low low budget. we can try also to mix our tour from tented camps and mid level accomodations, dut in tent for listen nature. the target is: have high level game drive with open jeep for spot leopards, lions and wild dogs and a car for jump from a camp to another.

While the SANParks drives are useful, especially for first time visitors, we find that nothing beats going out on your own and spotting the animals for yourself. You can then decide how long you want to stay at any sighting and where you want to go next. Self-drive in Kruger is so easy, all the roads are numbered, the distances are accurate and the maps are excellent.

Well said Saraf, self drive is the way to go, we drive past so many "Safari" vehicles and they seem quite cramped and don't have that wonderful facility of sitting and waiting at a waterhole or a river or wherever and seeing who arrives..... It's a truly wonderful experience and as Saraf says very easy to do and safe if you are sensible and follow the rules. Enjoy ! We are also going in September and self driving again, feel free to PM me if you have questions, we have now done it three times, 4 x4 and motorhome/campervan.

Francescodelv

Great advice so far

Lower Sabi is regarded by many as the best game viewing area in Kruger! An excellent area for leopards, lion, wild dogs, and the best area to see cheetah in Kruger There are many routes to choose from at this camp, and each direction offers different terrain Lower Sabi rest camp has hut accommodation, and Safari Tent accommodation, which is middle price range, and many members here love these types of accommodation

As with Lower Sabi, Skukuza offers all types of accommodation There are many routes to drive, and it is a great area for hyena, leopard, and the best wild dog camp in Kruger

The open grasslands around Satara has plenty of game and as Bush Baptist said - is lion country! A great area to see cheetah as well

Letaba is a pretty and well kept camp, but the game viewing around there is usually slower than further South

I would suggest that instead of stay 2 nights at four camps, you rather stay at three or even two camps. Packing up, checking in, and packing out again takes time and effort. You could rather be relaxing or out on a game drive

hi and thanks to all for support. for september i have tried to check if my tour is ok, but some of lodge are full. i'm tryng to organize for another period with the support of a local agency. when i decide, update topic with itinerary. regards

Hi there!
I'll visit the Kruger in September 2013 (6 nights: from 7th to 13th or from 9th to 15th). We are couple, backpackers, not looking for luxury, we want to experience real nature and see animals. It's our first time in KNP (but it's wont't be our first experience in the wild).

We will spend 3 nights in the Metsi Metsi trail (I sent the booking form yesterday because the trail was still available on 8th or 11th, hope to receive a reply soon) and I'm trying to figure out where to stay during the other days. Obviously, we will rent 4x4.

Do you have some suggestions for our itinerary? Which is the best itinerary to see the big five during the first part of September? During the trail we probably won't see them, so we will try to "catch" them driving around (and also with some activities organised by the rangers).

I was thinking to stay one or two days in Satara (and enter from there, if possible the adventure trail by 4x4). And maybe we can spend one night in one of the hiding points (Sable). But I still don't know where to go during the other days.

Thanks a lot!

Martina

Welcome to the forum Martina.

If you are looking for the (overrated) big 5, Satara is lion county, Croc Bridge/Lower Sabie for rhino and leopard, elephants are all over and so are buffs. Just drive the tar roads and you should come across them. the only elusive one is leopard. I would gladly swap 50 lions for a serval sighting (H10 is your best bet), or a pack of wild dog (H7 is a good doggie road), but I have been many times before and for first timers the sight of lions in the wild is awesome, even if they are doing what lions do best during the day - sleeping.

September is a great time for predators. It is nearing the end of the dry season, there is hardly any surface water and the animals, and therefore the predators, hang around permanent water.

On the Metsi Metsi trail, there is a good chance you might encounter eles, buffs, even lion or rhino, amongst other game.

Good luck!

Thanks a lot!
So it could be a good idea to spend the other 3 days around Lower Sabie and Satara.

What's about the adventure trail (4x4) "near" Satara Camp? It's a good point to observe lions in September?
And Sable hide? Could be interesting to spend a night there?

It's our first time in KNP, that's why I hope to see at least the Big Five, but we would like to do the best we can in 6 days (3 of trail and 3 of selfdriving and parks activities).

I have been to Kruger 22 times Martina, and never dipped on lions. If you are there for 6 days and you don't see eles, buffs and rhino, you can consider yourself extremely unlucky. Leopards are a matter of timing.

The S100 east of Satara to Nwanedsi picnic site is considered by many to be the best lion road in the park, but in recent years I have had more luck on the H7 west to Orpen gate, and seen the other 4 there plus wild dog. There was also a pair of cheetah brothers whose territory is around the Timbavati/S36 turn off.

I have never stayed overnight in a hide.

Hi Martina,

Have a look here.........Sable hide

Thanks again!

Finally, I booked the first night in Olifant, the second and the third in Satara. We are still trying to figure out which camp could be okay for the 4th night, because the day next, at 2 pm, we have to stay in Skukuza (for the Mesti-Metsi trail)!

If you want a cross section of all the big cats as well as wild dogs and the rest of the Big 5 then the roads that radiate out from Crocodile Bridge have to be some of the most productive in the Park. On the S25 (Crocodile river road) there are 4 known prides of lion. The S28 has always given us both cheetah, lion and leopard sightings and some of the biggest herds of buffalo are to be seen in the Southern section. A couple of years ago we saw a herd on the Mlondozi loop that has to have been three thousand strong. The other advantage of this area is the number of dirt roads where frequently there is less traffic and one can actually get to a point where you are desperate for a car to come along so that you can pass on a leopard sighting. The area around Mpondo dam has been very good to us in latter years and the Nhlowa road has to go down as one of the best roads in the Park!