Skukuza is the Kruger National Park's largest rest camp and administrative headquarters. It is situated on the southern banks of the Sabie River. The camp is well foliaged and there are some lofty trees along the river’s edge. Activities and facilities are diverse, as are the animals and plants found both within the camp and in the surrounding areas.
• 80 x tent or caravan sites, with power point. Communal ablutions and cooking facilities. (24-hour boiling water, electric hotplates and washing up facilities) Maximum of 6 persons per site.
Safari Tents
• 12 x 2-bed and 8 x 4-bed permanent furnished canvas tents on stilts, including a fridge, standing fan inside tent and small veranda. Communal ablutions and communal kitchens available.
Bungalows
• 178 x round–walled, single-room African style units with thatched roofs, 2 or 3 beds per unit, equipped with en-suite ablutions (most with showers, but some with baths). Some units have air-conditioning, some have fans. Kitchenettes vary: some have hotplates and sinks; some have only sinks, while some have neither. Cutlery and crockery can be provided and hired from reception. Please confirm when booking.
Luxury Bungalows
• 20 x 1 bedroom units, with en-suite bathroom. The units each have a double bed, quality decor, air-conditioning and television offering limited DSTV channels. You have a choice of luxury units with a riverside view and kitchen, or semi-lux units without a river view and with communal kitchen. Bungalows along the river frontage have a more modern design with glass sliding doors.
Family Cottage
• This unit forms part of the Waterkant Guest House complex and is known as Waterkant 2. It offers a well equipped kitchen, 4 bedrooms, (2 single beds in each room), a living room, one bathroom and a river view.
Guest Cottages
• 15 x 4 or 6-bed units with well equipped kitchens, multiple bedrooms and usually more than one bathroom. Some have 2 double beds so visitors should confirm bed numbers and interior contents when booking.
Guest Houses
• These are large luxury units in prime positions, all with river view. There are well-equipped kitchens (with microwave ovens), multiple bedrooms and bathrooms. Limited channel DSTV televisions are provided.
Moni: Sleeps 8, with 4 bedrooms (2 single beds in each room) Nyathi: Sleeps 8, with 4 bedrooms (2 single beds in each room) Waterkant 1: Sleeps 8 with 4 bedrooms (2 single beds in each room) ABSA: Sleeps 12, with 6 bedrooms (2 single beds in each room)
Accommodation at Skukuza Rest Camp caters to a variety of guest requirements. Choose anything from luxury, self catering, caravanning or camping accommodation for your stay in the wilderness. Why rush? Stay longer!
To view the accommodation prices, refer to Tariffs
The closest airport to Skukuza is Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport (KMIA) that is situated between Nelspruit and White River. KMIA is situated approximately 15 km from White River and about 100 km from Paul Kruger Gate. There are daily scheduled flights between KMIA and OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, with less frequent flights from Cape Town and Durban International Airports respectively. Private once-off chartered aircraft wanting to land at Skukuza Airfield need to obtain prior permission from Park Management.
By Road:
Paul Kruger Gate
Take the N4 to Nelspruit. Then take the R40 to Hazyview via White River. From Hazyview, take the R536 to the gate. Allow between 5 to 6 hours for the trip to the gate. Skukuza Rest Camp is 12 km away from the gate. Allow about 30 minutes for the drive to the camp.
Phabeni Gate
Take the N4 to Nelspruit. Then take the R40 to Hazyview via White River. From Hazyview, take the R536 to the gate. Phabeni Gate is approximately 10 km from Hazyview. Allow between 5 to 6 hours for the trip to the gate. Skukuza Rest Camp is 39 km from the gate. Allow about 1 and ¾ of an hour for the drive to the camp.
Please ensure that your stay is happy and safe by taking note of a few simple warnings. You will be sharing your stay with many exciting and unusual creatures but without knowledge some of them could be dangerous:
Bats, Spiders, Snakes, Scorpions, Malaria Zone
If you must walk around at night please DO NOT DO SO WITHOUT A TORCH.
Remember: by feeding any wildlife, you are signing their death warrant as they become aggressive!
Climate
Kruger is in a summer rainfall area. Such precipitation is usually convectional and can result in heavy downpours. The summer months (October to April) are hot and often balmy. Winters are warm and mild, although visitors going on night-drives will require warm clothing.
Day Visitors
Skukuza has a designated day visitor area where day visitors and visitors from other camps can barbecue (braai) and picnic. Currently this area is adjacent to the cafeteria overlooking the Sabie River. Plans are underway to move this area down stream to a new area. A new swimming pool was built for day visitors and is located downstream from the main camp.
Sighting the "Big Five” has become something of a quest for many people when on safari, and the Kruger National Park has more than its fair share of these, with an estimated 1,500 lion, 12,000 elephant, 2,500 buffalo, 1,000 leopards and 5,000 rhino (black and white). It should certainly not be a pre-requisite of a safari to see these or even a priority, as there are plenty of other fascinating animals and birds in the African bush.
All of the Big 5 can readily be seen in the vicinity of Skukuza. Wild Dog are another thing to look for. In the camp itself there is a population of warthog. Vervet Monkey also inhabit the camp and can wreck havoc if visitors leave unguarded possessions. At night genet, thick-tailed bush baby and fruit bat are resident in camp. The latter hang under the eaves of the shop. The river front of the camp is a great place to look for hippopotamus and buffalo, especially in early morning. See Kruger/Fauna/Mammals for full park mammal checklists.
Aardvark
Aardwolf
Antelope Roan
Antelope Sable
Baboon Chacma
Badger Honey
Bat Epauletted, Peter's
Bat Epauletted, Wahlberg's
Bat Free-tailed, Angolan
Bat Free-tailed, Little
Bat Tomb, Mauritian
Buffalo
Bushbaby Lesser
Bushbaby Thick-tailed
Bushbuck
Bushpig
Cane-rat Greater
Caracal
Cat Wild, African
Cheetah
Civet
Dassie Rock
Dassie Rock, Yellow-spotted
Dog Wild
Duiker Common
Duiker Red
Eland
Elephant African
Fox Bat-eared
Genet Large-spotted
Genet Small-spotted
Giraffe
Grysbok Sharpe's
Hare Cape
Hare Scrub
Hare Red, Natal
Hartebeest Lichtenstein's
Hyena Spotted
Hippopotamus
Jackal Black-backed
Impala
Klipspringer
Jackal Side-striped
Leopard
Kudu
Mongoose Banded
Lion
Mongoose Grey, Large
Mongoose Dwarf
Mongoose Selous's
Mongoose Meller's
Mongoose Water
Mongoose Slender
Monkey Samango
Mongoose White-tailed
Mouse Multimammate, Natal
Monkey Vervet
Oribi
Nyala
Pangolin
Otter Clawless
Porcupine
Polecat Striped
Reedbuck Mountain
Reedbuck Common
Rhinoceros Black
Rhebok Grey
Serval
Rhinoceros White
Squirrel Tree
Springhare
Suni
Steenbok
Warthog
Tsessebe
Wildebeest Blue
Waterbuck
Zebra Burchell's
Vegetation
While the camp itself is riverine, with wonderful large trees such as sycamore fig, jackalberry and Natal mahogany, the surrounding ecozone comprises of thorn thicket on granite/gneiss soils. Knob thorn and sickle bush are prominent.
Although Skuku za is a large and busy camp, the camp hosts an excellent avi-fauna. Scanning the Sabie River from in front of the restaurant can produce Finfoot and Half-collared Kingfisher. In summer this venue is a hub of activity with a massive nesting colony of Lesser Masked and Village (Spotted-backed) Weavers. Green Pigeons are abundant in the Riverine fig trees. In taking a walk along the river's bank there is a strong chance of encountering Red-faced Cisticola and Spectacled Weaver and, in early the morning, Little Sparrowhawk. The river walk and a stroll around the rest of the camp could yield Collared Sunbird, Red-backed and Bronze Mannikin, Purple-crested Turaco (Lourie) and three bush shrikes (Orange-breasted, Grey-headed and Gorgeous) may well be heard or even seen. White-browed (Heuglin's) Robin-chat is another species constantly heard but more difficult to see. Up to seven species of flycatcher may also be found ( Paradise , Black, Dusky, Spotted, Grey Tit- (Fantailed), Ashy (Bluegrey) and Pale (Pallid)). Watching the sky above the river at dusk may reveal Bat-hawk or Eurasian Hobby. When night falls a spot-light lights up a fig tree outside the restaurant. Woodland Kingfishers use this ‘extended daylight' to hunt insects attracted to the glow.
The nearby bird hide at Lake Panic is a good spot to go to observe kingfishers, herons and Wire-tailed Swallows at close quarters. Black-winged Stilts are often in attendance.
(Compiled by Chris Patton , with input from Nic Squires, Ian Whyte , Hein Grobler , Andrew Deacon , Errol Pietersen, and several other birder both staff and public)
Moni: Sleeps 8, with 4 bedrooms (2 single beds in each room)
