Kruger Explorer

Suggested Itinerary

1. Day 1: Depart UK

2. Day 2: Arrive in the Greater Kruger area, collect hire car & transfer to your lodge

   Following your international flight and subsequent domestic flight to the Greater Kruger, gather your bags and make your way to the car rental desk to collect your vehicle. You need your passport, driving licence and a credit card in order to collect your hire car.  

   Once in receipt of your vehicle, and having checked it over thoroughly, taking pictures and videos of its condition, commence your journey to Imbali Safari Lodge. Approximately 45 minutes after leaving the airport, you arrive at Kruger National Park's Orpen Gate. 

   From this point onward, your safari begins as you drive the tar road towards the vast plains of Satara. Keep your eyes peeled for ambling giraffe and majestic kudu roaming the grasslands, and stop alongside waterholes to search for bobbing hippos and basking crocodiles, along with any other species that may come to quench their thirst.

   The drive from Orpen to Imbali should take a minimum of two hours, depending on what you see along the way. Your arrival time at camp dictates whether you head out for an afternoon game drive or not. If you decide to spend the afternoon self-driving, you must arrive at camp prior to the gates closing.

   Upon arrival at the lodge, you're given an orientation and time to settle into your accommodation, before enjoying a delightful dinner either inside or under the dazzling African sky prior to retiring to bed, ready for the safaris to come.

   Accommodation: Imbali Safari Lodge, 3-nights

3. Days 3-4 : Game drives in central Kruger

   Waking to the enchanting sounds of the dawn chorus, your day begins with a morning coffee before boarding a game viewer and heading into the bush with your guide. You quickly begin to register sightings of yellow-billed hornbills, crested barbets and Burchell's glossy starlings as you scour the concession, along with iconic African fish eagles and soaring bateleurs.

   Plentiful herds of impala will become a regular sight, often carrying hitchhiking red-billed oxpeckers, with whom they share a mutualistic relationship, as the birds consume ticks and parasites utilising the dainty antelopes as hosts. Large herds of elephants may block your path on occasion, leaving a trail of destruction in their wake as they fell trees and bushes to reach the most nutritious leaves. Within the breeding herds, you can often see calves, who are a joy to watch as they mischievously play with the other young elephants in the group while the adults feed.

   As the morning progresses, you stop at a scenic location to enjoy a cup of coffee and a snack before continuing your foray into the bush. Crepuscular cheetah are often active during this time, as the larger predators begin to seek out shady spots to sleep during the heat of the day. These spotted speedsters are always on high alert, making use of termite mounds and fallen logs to survey their surroundings from elevation, either to search for prey or to avoid lions, leopards and hyenas.

   You return to the lodge for breakfast, with the middle of the day to spend as you please, whether that be relaxing at the lodge, making use of the pool, spotting wildlife at the waterhole, or enjoying a siesta.

   One of the major benefits of staying at Imbali and Jock Safari Lodge is that you're able to get back in your hire car and spend the middle of the day continuing to search for wildlife on Kruger National Park's public roads, if you wish to do so.

   Making use of the map you hopefully purchased at Orpen, set off into Satara's central plains, an area known for its big cats, particularly lions. They often lay out on the dry tar roads, appreciating the warmth they emit as they do what lions do best, sleep! These apex predators aren't always sleeping though, and can often be seen roaming the grasslands in search of prey, contact calling and playing with cubs. For those dealt a great deal of fortune, there's the chance to see a white lion, as the individuals who carry the recessive gene often frequent this area.

   Following your midday foray, return to the lodge in time for high tea and your afternoon guided game drive on the concession. During these safaris, take particular note of how your guide tracks animals, as you can try your luck to emulate them on your next self-drive safari. Monitor the ground for footprints and fresh scat, listen for the alarm calls of squirrels and francolins, and scan for hordes of vultures circling above; these are all signs worthy of checking out.

   Another interesting sign that there may be a predator in the vicinity is when herbivores stop feeding and fixate on a certain location and in some cases, such as with buffalo, calves will move to the centre of the herd for protection.

   As the sun begins to set, you stop to stretch your legs and enjoy a refreshing beverage as the tangerine skies give way to night, before returning to the lodge under the cover of darkness. During this drive, your guide continuously scans the surrounding area with a spotlight, hoping to uncover nocturnal species such as pennant-winged nightjar, Verreaux's eagle-owl, African civet and honey badger, before returning to the lodge for a quick refresh before dinner.

4. Day 5: Morning game drive, self-drive to your next lodge

   Your day begins with another early morning coffee prior to setting off on safari. Survey the landscape for sightings of zebra, blue wildebeest, nyala and bushbuck under a serenade of birdsong. Spotted hyena can sometimes be seen marauding across the plains, carrying scraps from carcasses as they return to their den as the sun rises, and black-backed jackals will often be lingering around if a kill is in the vicinity.

   Following a coffee stop in the bush, you begin your return to the lodge, where you have time for breakfast and to pack your belongings before loading up your hire car and heading back into the Kruger National Park.

   Today you head south to Jock Safari Lodge, located between Skukuza and the Crocodile River in an area considered to be the most game-rich in the park. As your journey progresses, keep an eye on rock formations for sightings of klipspringer — whose name is an Afrikaans word meaning ‘rock jumper’ — effortlessly bouncing from boulder to boulder, well and truly living up to their name.

   Arriving at Jock in the early afternoon allows you time to settle into your accommodation and enjoy your new surroundings, prior to setting off on your evening game drive on the Jock Concession.

   Accommodation: Jock Safari Lodge, 3-nights

5. Days 6-7 : Game drives in southern Kruger

   Your stay here follows the same format as Imbali, waking to a serenade of birdsong before venturing onto the concession for your morning game drive. Your drives here often utilise the riverbeds, where elephants dig for water and lions will bask in the sun. It's also worth monitoring the trees for the swish of a tail or the flick of an ear, revealing the presence of a leopard resting on a branch of one of the riverine trees. 

   Stopping for your mid-morning coffee, take in the sights, sounds and smells of the bush as the Cape turtle dove tells you to ‘work harder and drink larger’ before continuing your search for wildlife. Delicate steenbok carefully place their steps to avoid detection, and mischievous baboons are always up to something as they scurry along the roads and up into the treetops.

   Once again, the middle of your day can be spent on a self-drive adventure, this time in the south of the national park, or, if you prefer, relaxing in the pool overlooking the dry riverbed, watching to see if any visitors pass by. 

   Setting off with your guide in the afternoon, monitor the bushes for any signs of movement giving away the presence of either small birds flitting about the undergrowth or even mammals as large as elephants and rhinos. If you're fortunate enough to find a rhino, take note of their ears that can rotate up to 180 degrees and watch as they move independently in different directions, listening carefully for any signs of danger. Sightings of waterbuck indicate you're close to water, with rivers and waterholes great places to stop and enjoy a sundowner.

   As has now become the norm, return to the lodge as darkness descends, prior to a delicious dinner. Take time to make the most of riveting conversation around the campfire, such a quintessential part of the safari experience, trading stories with your guides and fellow guests, listening to the gentle crackles of the fire and sounds of the bush all around.

6. Day 8: Fly to Johannesburg & depart

   Today begins with a guided morning drive, setting off into the bush one last time as you hope to encounter any species that might have evaded you thus far. African wild dogs may dart in front of you in pursuit of prey as they chase their target to exhaustion, utilising teamwork and their exceptional stamina.

   Usually nomadic, these canines spend about three months of the year around a den site, normally in an abandoned aardvark burrow. Pups are born between May and July, which coincides with the end of the impala rutting season where many rams are tired and in poor condition, making them an easy target.

   Upon your return to the lodge, enjoy a hearty breakfast before packing your bags and embarking on a final self-drive safari as you make your way back to the airport ready for your onward travel.

7. Day 9: Arrive UK