SANParks.org Forums

Hi everyone
My husband and I are planning to spend six weeks in Knp next year .
I would appreciate some advice on how will be best to divide our time in the park and where to stay since it's been twenty years since we visited the park .

Thanks for your help

Hi, and welcome to the forums TITITITI

What time of the year are you planning to visit? And will you be staying in bungalows, or camping?

I suggest you cover the whole park, start south, go north, spend about 5/6 days per camp, skip camps going up and then visit those on your way back down.

Hi Dinky
Thanks for answering so fast .
Last visit to South Africa was last May , the weather was fantastic but we were staying in a private lodge and the guides were able to go off the beaten track and deep into the bush and we saw everything very close up .
I would like to travel in May but am not sure if May would be a good month for self driving in Kruger - (vegetation hight and game viewing etc)
Would love to hear some opinions on the best season month to travel since we are flexible .
We are not planning to camp but are not too sure what kind of accommodation to choose in the different camps and are still looking into that (prices and space etc) .
So many details ... but will keep me busy for a few months .

That sounds like an incredible trip, wow! I have only been to KNP in August although have been to reserves in the area in December and April.

Given the amount of variety we experienced in just 4 days last August, I would have thought you should see some wonderful sightings in a 6 week period whenever you decide to visit!

PS Welcome to the forums - people are so helpful and informative round here I have found.

Planning is such fun!! Enjoy it, and take lots of time.

We are in the park now - and it is very, very green and the bush very thick with lots of water all around. From south to north. So it is not good for game viewing - we have seen lovely stuff, but not a great deal. A hugh ellie walked across the road and into the mopani outside Letaba, and within a metre of him going into the bush, we could not see him, so thick is the bush now. So maybe a drier time of the year will be better for your next trip.

The weather now is mild, cool at nights and there is little wind.

We also love October/Nov - it is hot then (can be very hot), but the bush is still dry after winter and comes alive as the birds arrive and the baby impalas are born.

For me, one cannot beat self drive.

Welcome to the forum TITITITI.

Now stop making the rest of us

November is my favourite time in the park as the beginning of November is when the gate times change again to the earlier opening in the mornings and they close later at night. Also its neither hot nor cold, it is great to spend time in the car. Our last trip in November 2012 we were too excited to wait and left after work on Wednesday instead of Thursday morning and drove through the night to arrive at Croc bridge gate just in time for a cuppa tea before the gates opened on Thursday morning.

In terms of sightings we were very very lucky. our highlights were 2 Cheetah on the S28. A pride of lion on the H1-3, Serval in the middle of the day in the road on the S41. Sable on the S36 not far from the Muzandzene picnic spot, 4 male lions lying in the road on the H7 and a leopard attempt a kill while we were sipping on our morning tea at bobbejaanskrans. And im not sure if it counts but we saw a herd of Roan antelope on our way back to JHB on one of the farms outside Orpen gate.

This was all in 3 nights at Tamboti!!

Very Lucky Indeed.
And I agree on doing the South to North and back again - what a great trip it is going to be!!

TITITI and a warm welcome to the forum!

Wow, 6 weeks is everyone's dream trip.

I agree with what DB has said so far, we did a month long trip and did the South to North skipping camps on the way up and filled them in on the way back down again and it worked beautifully.

As for which is the best month, I think a lot of us will say there is NO bad month in the park!

We go every Feb and also May/June.
Usually the latter time is good but I think the last few years the park has received a tremendous amount of rain hence the lushness and amount of water available.

Have a read through This Topic its a long read but you will be able to gauge the various feelings on which is the better time to visit.
I think it also depends on what sort of temperatures you prefer and if there is something specific you want to see, eg like the newborn antelopes, birds in breeding plumage, summer migrants etc.
or maybe you don't mind and are happy to see whatever you are shown!

Enjoy the planning and please do ask if there is anything further you need to know.

A very warm welcome to you TITITI excuse me while I wipe off the envy

In terms of accommodation, I tend to find the permanent tents good value and a good compramise if you want the best of camping, but without the hassle of too much packing.

Enjoy your planning

Wow
Thank you all for all your answers and the warm welcome .
I will definitely take all the details into consideration .
The idea of working our way up , skipping some camps then filling them in on the way down is great .
I think we will indeed choose a drier month as we can only do this once and we would want to see as much game as possible .
Should I go all the way up North and how far ? I understand that the North is less busy with visitors which could be fantastic but I was wondering about the abundance of wildlife .
Also how long do you think I should stay in the North sector ?
(never been farther north of Satara)
All of you lucky South Africans that can drive to Kruger - now it's my time to be envious
It must be heaven to be able to get in the car and drive without giving all your $$$ to the airlines .
Thank you again for all your help .

I would definitely go all the way up to the north especially with so much time available!
You are right in your assumptions of less visitors and that's one of the things that makes it even more special, you tend to have any sightings to yourself.
We absolutely love the north and try and include it in every trip we can.
The animals are generally a bit more sparse but one can get to see the rarer ones, like Eland, Roan, Tsessebe, Nyalas etc.
We have never not seen Lions up north, had a few Leopards and our special of all time, 2 little Caracal kittens.
Often seen Cheetah in the Mopani area.
Lots of the lovely big tuskers up there as well.
The scenery is very special and a trip to Crooks Corner and the Nyala drive is not to be missed.
I would say maybe spend a few nights at each of the camps up north, explore the area, be amazed at the massive Baobabs and I am sure you will not be disappointed.
Punda Maria, a wonderful camp which has retained its old world charm, Shingwedzi, devastated by floods but being restored.
Mopani, one of my favourites, get a bungalow overlooking the Pioneer dam, just beautiful.
But have a read through some of those specific topics and you will get a general idea.

Like This one and another very special road Mahonie Loop

I definitely agree that going right up north is a must. If you book about 4 nights at Punda (their safari tents are very special), you'll get time to go up to Pafuri to visit Crooks Corner, the magical fever tree forest and the Pafuri picnic spot. Also consider a night drive, you may see leopard, hyena, owls, etc. Also do the Mahonie loop, which is a great drive from Punda. Shingwedzi is (was) very special, our favourite camp. We hope it will soon re-open after the floods.
Mopani is great for plains animals like zebra, etc, also lots of ellies and buffalo, the resident leopard at Shipandani dam is a good possibility to find
I'd suggest September, before the rains start, and the bush won't be so dense.
I wish we were going for 6 weeks... do you perhaps need a cook/guide? I'll volunteer

Right. Now that I have got over the ,

I would go in the secind half of the year and avoid school holidays.

In the first half, it is the rainy season, or the results of it (thick bush, surface water) make viewing a bit more difficult.

Late July to early September would be a good time, as would late October to early December, but that might get hot, which is ok if you can handle it.

42 nights, I would split into say 6 camps, a week in each to 'do' each area thoroughly.

Great info thank you so much everyone .
Lonehill from your answer I get you travel to Kruger more than me ..... you have a favorite camp !!!
So if you guys take me as a volunteer cook every time you go we will take you too , how is that for a deal ?

Unfortunately, there was not much left of the Fever Tree Forest on the SANParks side even before the recent floods. Not sure what it looks like now, but the Forests on the Makuleke side are still there.

November is my favorite month. Late spring / early summer is when the bush comes back to life, the birds sing, trees and shrubs come into leaf and/or start to flower, etc. It does usually get very hot in the north, though.

Johan