Southern Kruger National Park is prime Big Five, but especially lion and rhino territory. Covering the area between the Sabie and Crocodile rivers, the Southern Region makes up about a fifth of the total park area and offers superb birding and game viewing all year round.
Five Gates into Kruger
Five gates provide access into southern Kruger, giving a range of entrance and exit options depending on your routing:
- Paul Kruger gate is a popular entrance point on the western side of the park and leads to the southern reaches via Skukuza
- Phabeni gate is 10km from Hazyview on the R536, and once in the park it’s just 24km to Pretoriuskop
- Numbi gate is near White River on the R538, and Pretoriuskop is just 9km from here
- Malelane gate, also in the far south, provides easy access to Biyamiti (39km) and Berg-en-Dal (12km)
- At the Crocodile Bridge gate in the far south is the Crocodile Bridge rest camp and Lower Sabie rest camp is 34km inside the park; this gate is just 13km off the N4 highway, making for easy access to Kruger’s far south
Gate times vary depending on the time of year, but as a general rule are open from sunrise to sunset. Entry into Kruger costs approx. R30 p/p per day for South Africans and R120 for foreign visitors.
Five Camps for Choice
Lower Sabie is built on the lower reaches of the perennial Sabie River – said to have the richest variety of creatures of any river in South Africa. The camp is a shady oasis in the hot bushveld and has a relaxed and friendly atmosphere with magnificent natural scenery, including the Lebombo Mountains. It’s also a favourite camp for wildlife lovers since it’s in the middle of a game-rich area, known for lion, hippo and white rhino. Birders can look out for goliath herons and giant kingfishers. Accommodation is in huts and cottages, and there is also a camping site – plus a restaurant, shop and petrol station.
Berg-en-Dal in the extreme south is the only Kruger camp set in mountain scenery. It’s a large but spacious camp with plenty of natural vegetation within the camp area. In addition, there’s a camping ground, swimming pool, shop and petrol station, and a launderette. Unique attractions of this camp include viewing mountain reedbuck and the Rhino Trail within the rest camp. This trail is wheelchair-friendly and has Braille inscriptions to ensure visually impaired visitors also enjoy nature’s special offerings. Look out for white rhino, leopard, klipspringer, Heuglin’s robin and scarlet-chested sunbirds.
Small and intimate, Crocodile Bridge rest camp is situated in the southeastern corner of the park right on the Crocodile River. This camp serves as an entrance and exit gate to the park, but it’s also great white rhino viewing territory, along with giraffe, cheetah, kudu and spotted hyena. There’s also a shop, petrol station and launderette here.
One of the oldest camps in the park, Pretoriuskop offered the first visitor accommodation in the 1920s. Now a large camp, set amongst granite boulders in the southwestern corner of the park, Pretoriuskop is an excellent base for game viewing and has a tranquil atmosphere. Rare Lichtenstein’s hartebeest and excellent rhino viewing are unique attractions to the area, as are sable, kudu and brown-headed parrots. The Sable Trail through the rest camp gives interesting insights into medicinal plants and local history. There’s a swimming pool, shop, fuel station and launderette in the camp.
Byamiti is a bushveld camp set in dense bush overlooking the Byamiti River. It’s a small intimate camp, sans electricity, with excellent opportunities for lion, buffalo and rhino viewing, as well as really experiencing the African bush up close.
Private Game Lodges
There are also numerous private lodges on concession areas in the southern Kruger. These are all 5-star, ultra-luxurious establishments that offer exclusiveaccommodation and game drives in open game-viewing vehicles.
Game Spots
Southern Kruger has the densest populations of both black and white rhino, while the best general game viewing is the grassy area between Crocodile Bridge and Lower Sabie rest camps. Between Pretoriuskop and Malelane Gate, look out for rare sable. The area between Berg-en-Dal and Malelane Gate is the only place in the park to see mountain and common reedbuck. Always check dry river beds for wildlife on the move.
Wilderness Trips and Trails
Commemorating legendary rangers Harry and Henry Wolhuter, the Wolhuter Trail traverses rhino territory between Berg-en-Dal and Pretoriuskop. The Bushman Trail, also near Berg-en-Dal, cuts through a secluded valley where you can view wildlife and rock art together. Between Skukuza and Pretoriuskop, the Napi Trail is known for its Big Five spotting and superb birding. Four-by-four enthusiasts can travel from southern to northern Kruger on the 5-day Lebombo Eco Trail, while the Madlabantu 4x4 Adventure Trail runs south from Pretoriuskop through iconic Big Five territory.
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