3 Day Classic Kruger Park Safari

Guests are met on arrival at O.R. Tambo International Airport or at a pre-arranged location in Johannesburg or Pretoria by your private African Sky guide. After a brief introduction and departure briefing, you travel east in a comfortable, air-conditioned vehicle via Nelspruit toward the Malelane Gate, one of the southern entrances to Kruger National Park. The road journey offers a gentle introduction to the landscapes of Mpumalanga, from highveld grassland to the bushveld that surrounds the park.

By mid-afternoon you enter Kruger and continue to Berg-en-Dal Rest Camp, set in hilly country near the park’s south-western boundary. Once you have checked in and had a moment to settle, your guide takes you on an unhurried first game drive in the surrounding area, focusing on waterholes and riverbeds where animals gather in the late afternoon. Elephant, buffalo, rhino and other members of the Big Five all occur here, and there is every chance of an exciting first encounter before you return to camp for dinner and a peaceful night in the park.

Your second day is devoted to exploring the southern Kruger National Park on morning and afternoon game drives with your experienced guide. You set out shortly after sunrise, when predators are often still active and many grazers make the most of the cool early hours. The region around Berg-en-Dal is known for varied habitats, including rocky hillsides, thornveld and riverine woodland, which support a wide diversity of mammals and birds.

During the day you may encounter lion, elephant, buffalo, giraffe and various antelope species, while always keeping an eye out for more elusive creatures like leopard and wild dog. Along the rivers and dams, pods of hippo and basking Nile crocodiles illustrate why these two species are often added to the famous Big Five to create Africa’s so-called “Dangerous Seven”. Between drives there is time to relax in camp, visit the hide overlooking the dam or simply enjoy the sounds of the bush before another rewarding afternoon safari and dinner under southern skies.

A final early morning game drive offers another opportunity to seek out species you may not yet have seen, or to spend unhurried time with favorite animals encountered earlier in the safari. Your guide also draws attention to the remarkable birdlife of Kruger, which boasts hundreds of recorded species, from colorful bee-eaters and rollers to impressive raptors. Keen birders may hope to add some of the park’s celebrated “Big Six” birds to their list, including ground hornbill, martial eagle and kori bustard.

After returning to Berg-en-Dal for breakfast and check-out, you depart the park via Malelane Gate and retrace your route toward Johannesburg. The drive back along the national highway provides time to reflect on close wildlife encounters, memorable moments in camp and the insights shared by your guide into the ecology and history of the Kruger region. On arrival in Johannesburg or Pretoria, you are dropped at your hotel or the airport, where your short but rewarding Classic Kruger Park Safari comes to an end.