"When we contacted ASTA regarding Africa Point, and were informed that the company was legitimate and had no negative reports , our initial concerns were resolved and we purchased our tour to Egypt through them that we will remember for a lifetime" Walker Voltaire, Maryland USA
South
Africa is a land abundant in natural treasures and has great diversity
in
tourist resources. In the Condé Nast 2005 Readers Travel Awards, South
Africa was ranked among the top 10 in the country category. For the
international visitor, game viewing is a necessary component of any good
value package. And there is no better place to view game than Kruger
National Park -
the finest of South Africa's wildlife conservations areas.
South
African National Parks (SANParks- www.parks
-sa.co.za), which manages the 20 national parks spread throughout the
country, has Kruger as its flagship. It is South Africa's oldest and
most popular
park- receiving one million visitors annually.
The Kruger has its
origins in the Sabi Reserve, which was set up in 1898 to stem the
effects of over
hunting. After various extensions and expropriations from the
baPhalaborwa people, the current boundaries were established by 1926.
The park was named after
Paul Kruger, once president of the Transvaal Republic that later became
part of the Union of South Africa. Bushman rock paintings and the
archaeological
sites at Masorini and Thulamela attest to the regions ancient
connections.
The Park stretches from the Crocodile River in the
south, to the Limpopo
River in the north and runs for 350 km along the Mozambique border. It
is huge -covering approximately 20,000 square kilometers. You can access
Kruger
through nine gates, which are connected to the national road network by
tarred roads. From Pafuri Gate in the north to Malelane Gate in the
south is a 414 km
drive.
The Southern part, which is located in the Mpumalanga
region, is more lush and wooded. This area is very popular with visitors
and is
accessed though the five gates at Malelane, Crocodile Bridge, Numbi,
Phabeni and Paul Kruger. The northern and central sections are more arid
and fall in the
Limpopo region. Fewer visitors come here; giving rise to an air of
mystery that beckons the adventurous. You get there via the Orpen and
Phalaborwa
gates.
The park is fed by six rivers and has a wide variety of
ecosystems; it carries 16 vegetation zones. The park is generally flat
with an
average height of 269 metres above sea level. North of the Oliphants
River, it is hot and arid and dominated by the mopane tree. This tree is
very well
adapted and is popular with antelopes and elephants due to its aromatic
leaves.
South of the Oliphants River, the earth is more fertile
and the
rains more generous. Here, grass is abundant, attracting a high
population of grazers such as the zebra, gazelle, giraffe, buffalo.
Between the Sabie and
Crocodile Rivers, there are a large variety of trees, acacia inclusive.
Along the park's northern boundary, you find tropical riverine forest,
consisting of
huge wild fig, mahogany, ironwood and baobab.
Baobab trees are
abundant and sit very well against the backdrop of the African sunset.
According to
local legend, the creator entrusted the baboon with baobab seeds to
plant. But the baboon stupidly planted the seeds upside down. And that
is why baobab
trees appear to have roots in the air! Kruger's elephants adore baobabs.
Kruger
is celebrated for the wide variety of game and bird life in its
numerous habitats. Hundreds of different species can be found here: 507
birds, 336 trees, 147 mammals, 114 reptiles, 49 fish and 34 amphibians.
It offers an
unforgettable wildlife experience that can rival the best in Africa. In
South Africa, this is the best place to see the fabled big five- lion,
elephant,
leopard, buffalo and rhino. Other animals to see include cheetah, zebra,
giraffe, baboon, hippo, impala, and warthog. The prolific mix of
animals, including
the presence of complete food chains, attracts scientists researching
animal interaction.
The elephants of Kruger present a recurrent
challenge to
the managers of the park. At the turn of the last century, the hunters'
rifle had brought down the elephant population to 50. With the
establishment of the
park as a protected area, numbers recovered and control was imposed
through periodic culling. In 1994 however, a 10-year ban on culling was
imposed. At the
time numbers stood at 7,000, but had doubled to 14,000 by 2005.
The
problem is that elephant's tuck in about 170 kg of vegetation daily and
are
notorious for felling trees. They place great pressure on the park's
ecology and water supply. Scientists estimate the sustainable capacity
of Kruger does
not exceed 7,000 tuskers. The government in 2005 announced plans to
review the culling ban. Under the plan, between 7,000 and 10,000
elephants would be put
down.
Animal rights activists worldwide were horrified. But Dr
Ian Whyte, Kruger Park's senior elephant scientist, countered:
"Elephants have
big appetites. You can utilise an area to maintain biodiversity, or else
you have a purely elephant sanctuary. You can't have both."
The
Kruger is part of a far-sighted initiative to create cross border parks
in southern Africa. Together with Parque Nacional do Limpopo in
Mozambique and
Zimbabwe's Gonarezhou National Park, it forms the Great Limpopo
Transfrontier Park. Fences between the three parks have been brought
down, creating a mega
wilderness of 33,000 sq km that is now the world's largest wildlife
conservation area. Kruger is an excellent staging post for checking out
the goings on in
the other two parks.
Kruger offers a good birding experience in
great surroundings. Watch out for hooded vultures, African spoonbill,
brown- hooded
kingfisher and the helmeted kingfisher. But Kruger's "big six" for
birders are: Ground Hornbill, Kori Bustard, Lappet- faced Vulture,
Martial
Eagle, Pel's Fishing Owl and Saddle-bill Stork. In your time off from
game activities, you can play some golf at the nine-hole Skukuza course,
amidst
grazing impala and other resident wildlife.
Once you are in
Kruger, it is obligatory to take a game drive. You may chose either a
self-navigated
game drive, or take a ranger guide as an escort. Kruger allows night
game drives, when you can encounter nocturnal animals- bushbabies,
leopards, hyenas,
owls and nightjars.
Most visitors take game drives aboard a
vehicle on regular trails. But ranger guided walking safaris are
available to more
adventurous spirits. On any of the seven guided wilderness trails for
walkers, you take in nature's aromas as you view game up close. The
trails include
three nights stay in a wilderness camp. This option is quite popular and
early booking is advised.
In addition, Kruger offers five motorized trails
for 4X4 adventure. In the Olifants Camp area, there are mountain bike trails, suitable for half day and full day outing.
Those
keen on astronomy
will be delighted to view stars, planets and other heavenly bodies
through a large telescope set up at Olifants Camp. At hand will be a
"Sky
Ranger" to talk about the skies of the southern hemisphere and the
African lone star. Stargazing can be combined with a night game drive,
where you may
find some at of the predators at their favourite night shift activity.
Most
visitors to Kruger come on self-drive basis. Due to the ease of access
and the excellent tar and gravel road network within the park, you will
come across families ensconced in Mercedes sedans. The park can be
reached by road or
air and is accessed through many various gates depending on the section
of interest. The distance from Johannesburg to each gate ranges from
400-600
km.
Daily flights operate from Johannesburg to Phalaborwa
Airport, Hoedspruit Airport and the Kruger/Mpumalanga International
Airport (KMIA). There
are also daily flights to KMIA from Durban and Cape Town. Charter planes
and rental cars are available from Kruger Mpumalanga Airport, Kruger
Park Gateway
airport, East Gate Airport.
Kruger is the showpiece for South
Africa's advanced and highly successful wildlife conservation and
management
practices. The only blot is hunting- that arrogant practice of killing
animals for sport. Hunters pay a price for the privilege of killing all
sorts of wild
game- baboons, giraffes, mongooses, porcupines, warthogs and zebras,
elephants and hippos. The bloody sport is not allowed in Kruger itself,
but thrives at a
number of private game reserves nearby. In 2004, an estimated 6,700
tourists were granted licenses to kill almost 54,000 animals.
But
thank God-
"canned hunting - a practice even most hunters find despicable - looks
set to be banned soon. It involves shooting a lion or other wild animal
that has
been cornered in a large enclosure. The "hunter" thereafter poses with
his trophies in the style of the big game hunters of early the last
century.
The prospect of winning of this battle has greatly encouraged animal
lovers in their belief that the war of obtaining a ban on hunting itself
may yet be
won.
Accommodation is available within the park to suit the
tastes and pockets of most- ranging from camping and self-catering to
luxury lodges.
SANParks runs twelve main restcamps, five bushveld camps and two bush
lodges. Here you find, shops, fuel stations, picnic sites, restaurants
and even
swimming pools in some of the camps.
In addition, there are also a
number of privately run luxury camps and lodges within Kruger,
following SANParks
decision in 2000 to award concessions to private operators. Due to the
huge popularity of Kruger, getting accommodation- particularly over
school holidays-
can be difficult and advance booking is advised. Most locals arrange
self-drive tours to Kruger. But internationals prefer a Kruger safari package that will bundle in transport, accommodation, conservation fees and such other services and
probably visits to attractions outside the park.
Kruger summers
come hot and rainy, and run from October to March. This is good for
vegetation in
the park, which becomes lush and green but bad for spotting animals. The
best time to visit the park will be in the winter months - between
April and
September. It is then warm and dry; vegetation is sparse and water
restricted to rivers and water holes, where the animals are forced to
congregate.
You are advised to dress in cool clothing - light
cottons and linen- for summer and warm for winter. Remember to carry a
pair of
binoculars to help you spot animals. Also pack mosquito repellant
creams, notebooks and cameras to record the wonders that await you. Be
aware that Kruger is
a malarial zone and you are advised to take appropriate measures.
Help and More Information for Kruger South Africa!
Planning to visit Kruger national park in your next South
Africa safari? Contact us
today and we will assist you in picking and booking the best hotel
and
flight, and all your other South Africa travel arrangements.
Attentive service
