Kruger Concessions

Kruger Concessions Highlights

The Kruger National Park is owned and run by the South African government. Using the model so successfully initiated by the Botswana government, the park awarded concessions to private operators. The concessions are leased for a 20-year period on the condition that camps should in no way disturb the environment.

The benefit for the tourist is that the general public is not allowed access to the concessions unless they are spending the night at one of the concessions' lodges. This leads to a very rewarding, private safari experience in pristine wilderness for those that visit the Kruger Concession safari lodges.

There are no fences between the concessions and the Kruger National Park. Rangers within most of these concessions can drive off-road to track or view animals for a close-up perspective and night drives are also offered.

Kruger Concessions Game Viewing and Activities

Sighting the "Big Five" has become something of a quest for many people when on safari, and Kruger National Park has more than its fare share of these, with an estimated 1,800 lion, 9,125 elephant, 25,000 buffalo, unknown number of leopards and 2,300 black and white rhino.

It should certainly not be a pre-requisite of a safari to see these or even a priority, as there are plenty of other fascinating animals and birds in the African bush. With approximately 500 bird species, some of them unique to this area, there is enough on the ground and in the air to keep anybody's binoculars busy. Some of the biggest and most impressive birds to be seen here are the ground hornbill, martial eagle, lappet-faced vulture, kori bustard and saddle-billed stork.

How to Get there

Air

There are daily flights from OR Tambo International Airport (Johannesburg International) to various airports in the Kruger National Park, i.e Kruger Mpumalanga Airport (KMIA), Hoedspruit Airport (also called Eastgate) as well as Phalaborwa airport. Once guests arrive at the various airports they have a choice between, a car hire option (self-drive), a road transfer arranged by Sun Safaris or a short air transfer (flight hop) to the various lodges.

Land

All the Kruger Concession lodges are accessible via self drive with a sedan rental car from anywhere in South Africa. Obviously the drive time depends on where you are driving from! To self drive from Johannesburg will take approximately 6 hours.

Seasons and Climate

Rainy Season: The subtropical climate has hot rainy summers starting in October and ending around March. The summer rains transform the arid park into a lush flowering paradise, but the increased foliage does make animals harder to see.

Dry Season: The winter months from April to September are extremely pleasant with warm dry days and cold nights. Traditionally, the best game viewing is in winter as the vegetation becomes sparse and water is restricted to rivers and artificial waterholes.