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Good advice in the above





I agree with Sharifa. Duke Ellington driving Ms Sharifa Francolin through the National Parks is most appropriate, it just have that classy jazzy swing to it

Stay Longer, although I make quite a few trips a year they are all around the 4 day mark. Unfortunately with myself just getting into the working world leave is scarce and having 2 teachers in the family doesnt help

After 45 years of "Krugering", there is little left to do differently.

Do not pack in the whole wardrobe. Except for a light jacket, my clothes fit into a Checkers shopping bag.
Do not chase after reported sightings, find the animals yourself.
Check out the roads less traveled.
Go as slow as possible without stalling the engine.
Take every third day off, make a moerse breakfast, and explore the camp area and all the perimeter fences.
At public sites, chat to strange people, especially foreigners. Some of the foreigners don't feel free to chat to anybody because they cannot speak one of the languages properly. My brother who worked in Kruger actually received a pair of Zeiss binoculars from a German couple who visited Kruger for the first time, because he put time and effort into explaining everything to the Germans.

What would I do differently next time? Walk through camp during the night, check out if there are any yellow ribbons around and arrange a 'tamaai braai' for the next night.

I agree, the less baggage the better, only take what really is needed and that you know will be used - no mights or if's



To us that is part of the ultimate Kruger magic and experience.

I personnaly think some of the magic will be lost if we exactly know where to go to see this or that. But many other visitors might prefer, or perhaps most people, prefer to know exactly where to go to see what they would like to see. Nothing wrong in that. We chatted to a a guy in Satara and he says he just go where he reads about a sighting on his computer or cell phone. He does not like to drive around in vain. He gave us an impressive list of what he saw and I have to admit we could nor nearly compete with his sightings as we prefer not to use technology while in Kruger, even cell phones to a minimum. But different people prefer different experiences when in Kruger

Oh, what I forgot to mention in my previous post is that I must still try and convince SANParks to sell me a bungalow, or better still, a guest house somewhere. Think about all the meets and greets we can have there.

Spot on Rooies.

In the 'norties' when I took my octagenarian father, even us hard core rooineks slept in one day in the middle of the week. 5h00 to 18h30 and then braai daily can get to even the toughest.

One thing we have done differently for our 2012 trip is to "downgrade" our camping equipment. Instead of taking duvets/blankets and comforters, we have bought 3 really good sleeping bags and 3 really sensible blankets, by doing this we will be saving a whole lot of space in the trailer.

I will give myself at least 1 trip a year without the SO (he is not as pasionate as the rest of us, and although he tries, he can spoil a trip)

I wonder what would be included in a basic starter kit with essentials for someone who wants to do camping in Kruger for the first time for a few days to try it out just for the experience? (not at the level for the sophisticated and experienced campers that I have seen in Kruger).

dont think i would change anything sometimes slow sometimes bit quicker..if there was anything i would change about trips to sa then it would be making an effort to meet a few people...but then as you know i like to plan trips down to last detail........lololol

Keep my head longer out of the cooler box Never drive the S127 and S40 again ... and ... try to introduce Sable in KNP

We as a family are very HAPPY campers, but this year due to the fact that the drive home is about 6-7 hours, I have booked the last two days in accommodation and not camping sites. This gives one time to pack up at leisure and move to the next camp and *rest* before the long trip home. I have found that with the packing up and the long drive home, is just not good for the mental state and it tends to spoil our drive out of the park, because you tend to try and rush because of the long road ahead and so much time was spent in packing up.

This is doable for sure. But if a first timer has a bad experience because the camping is a bit 'rough' it might put them off. But if you have great weather, one can manage with very little. A tent, comfy bed (mattress and sleeping bag, pillow), a little table, chairs, and a few utensils. Obviously clothes ....

Yeah well, Sable live in the bush, not the cooler box

Tell that to the people who claim to see them in KNP