There are Kruger National Park fans who never venture south of the Crocodile River – they call it ‘the zoo’. The north, they say, is the real thing. This is where tourist traffic jams caused by lions or leopards are unknown, where the trees and birdlife are incomparable.

Here, in the shrubby mopaneveld, sand forest and dense tropical riverine forests, you’ll find massive herds of elephant and buffalo, and rare species like tsessebe, sable, roan and eland.

Take the opportunity to climb out of your car at some of the picnic sites and spend time being quiet in the cool green cathedrals of trees. They are some of the most spectacular specimens you will ever see – ancient pod mahoganies, wild teaks, fever trees, jackal berries, water berries, nyala berries and sycamore figs.

The Wild North

At the close of day along the Pafuri, Shingwedzi or Limpopo rivers you stand an excellent chance of seeing a huge array of life: hippos twiddling their silly ears, whole pious conventions of yellow-billed storks wading in shallows, imperturbable Egyptian geese, crocodiles on every sandbank, pied and malachite kingfishers like hovering darts, antelope making their cautious way to the water for a drink, goliath herons poised, three banded sandplovers in a constant hurry.

Elephants become as playful as children at rivers. Time seems to move more slowly in the north, and you’ll often feel you have the whole place to yourself.

Northern Kruger is a fascinating confluence of biological diversity and history. At Thulamela there are the remains of a late Iron Age settlement that has been restored and preserved. The old stone walls and giant baobabs evoke an ancient African gold trading civilization that predates European exploration by centuries.

Researchers have speculated that Thulamela was linked to a great African ivory and gold trading civilization that first started in Mapungubwe near Musina a thousand years ago, then moved north to Great Zimbabwe and later south again to Thulamela.

Masorini, near the Phalaborwa gate, is far more modern, dating back to the 19th Century. It shows foundries where this Iron Age settlement smelted the metal and forged iron artefacts that they may have traded. It is an excellent example of a specialised economy with a well-developed technology that existed before the arrival of Europeans to the area. There are guided tours to both these sites.

Northern Kruger is also where the fences have been dropped with neighbouring Mozambique as part of the creation of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park, which will be among the largest wilderness areas in the world, stretching over 35 000 square kilometres.

Formal tourism routes linking the two parks have not yet been established, but some tour operators are running camping tours into the Mozambican section.

The restcamps (Satara, Shingwedzi, Mopani, Letaba, Olifants and Punda Maria) are very well maintained. All the major rest camps have electricity, first-aid centres, barbecue and communal kitchen facilities, shops, restaurants, filling stations, laundromats and public telephones.

1. Within each camp you will find a range of accommodation options, from camping to budget to family chalets. Some even have swimming pools or conference facilities.
2. There are a number of smaller bushveld camps with fewer facilities where you can really feel part of the wilderness.
3. For those wanting more pampering, there are privately run luxury game lodges within Kruger.
4. And for those looking for a bit more edge, there are wilderness camps, and the hugely popular wilderness trails, often booked up more than a year in advance.

1. For accommodation in the Kruger National Park, visit the National Parks Board website at: http://www.sanparks.org.
2. For more information on the Kruger National Park, visit: www.kruger.co.za
3. If you wish to travel in and around Limpopo province, visit: www.golimpopo.com
4. If you want to stay over in the Mpumalanga region, visit: www.mpumalanga.com