But how well do you know this renowned haven of nature? Here are a few things about the Kruger that may surprise you …

First public access to the park

The first motorists were given access to the Kruger Park in 1927. Back then the entrance fee cost £1. Today, as a South African resident, you’ll pay R70 per person per day. Considering the exchange rate these days, inflation hasn’t hit much in that regard!

It’s a pretty big game reserve …

The Kruger Park lies across two South African provinces – Limpopo and Mpumalanga – spanning nearly 20 000km². That’s bigger than the smallest country in the world (Vatican City), nearly the same size as Israel, and nearly a third of the size of the Republic of Ireland.

Can you spot the Little Five?

You’ll often hear that the Big Five roam the park – lion, elephant, buffalo, leopard and rhino. But their smaller, similarly named counterparts also call the Kruger home. See if you can spot them: the ant lion, elephant shrew, buffalo weaver, leopard tortoise and rhinoceros beetle.

A land rich with heritage

Well over 255 archaeological sites and ruins are scattered throughout the park, providing fascinating insight into our Stone and Iron Age brethren. There are 125 recorded rock art sites, while cultural artefacts from between 100 000 and
30 000 years ago have been uncovered. The Albasini, Masorini and Thulamela heritage sites are open to the public. The Masorini site has been reconstructed to give visitors an idea of what this late iron age site looked like when inhabited by the BaPhalaborwa in the 1800s.

Kruger National Park by the numbers

You’ll be able to choose from 12 main rest camps, four satellite camps, five bushveld camps and three bush lodges and one rustic camp site. There are 11 main gates leading into the park (two are international gates leading in from Mozambique), where 37 000 buffalo, 130 000 - 170 000 impala, 1 700 lion, 13 750 elephant, 7 000 - 10 000 giraffe and only 120 cheetah roam (as per SAN Parks estimates from 2010-2011).

What are some of your best memories of the Kruger National Park? And if you haven’t been, what would you look forward to most? Let us know in the comments below.

From: Kruger Lowveld Tourism

By: Stuart Dickinson