Southern Kruger Park - 380km

NELSPRUIT

Nelspruit, capital of Mpumalanga province, lies in the fertile valley of the Crocodile River in an area known for its production of a variety of tropical fruit (pawpaws, bananas and avocados), nuts (pecan and macadamia) and citrus fruit. The town’s development was closely linked to the building of the railway line between Pretoria and Lourenço Marques (Maputo). The section of the line from Komatipoort on the Mozambican border reached Nelspruit in 1892 and a town steadily developed around the railhead. During the final phase of the South African War, Nelspruit briefly served as the capital of the Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek (ZAR). Proclaimed in 1905, the town’s name honours the Nel brothers, who used the area for winter grazing in the 1870s and in 1890 bought the farm on which the town developed.

WHITE RIVER

...lies amid an intensive agricultural area where tropical fruit, citrus and vegetables are produced and is also a stop-over on the way to the Kruger National Park. The town was founded in 1904 by Lord Alfred Milner, administrator of the Transvaal after the South African War, as a settlement for Boer and British soldiers. It was established on the banks of the Emanzimhlope River, a Swazi name translated as ‘white waters’.

KRUGER NATIONAL PARK (KNP)

Covering nearly 2 000 000 ha, the Kruger National Park is one of Africa’s great game parks and ranks among the world’s top conservation areas. From the Crocodile River in the south, the park stretches northwards for 350 km to the Limpopo River, and ranges in width from 25 km in the far north to 85 km in the south. This unspoilt wilderness of bushveld, woodland and thornveld is home to a rich diversity of wildlife which includes 147 mammal species. In addition to the Big Five (elephant, rhino, buffalo, lion and leopard), the park is home to a wide variety of antelope, such as sable, roan, impala, Lichtenstein’s hartebeest, waterbuck, tsessebe, kudu and nyala, as well as hippo, giraffe and Burchell’s zebra.

It also provides protection to the only viable wild dog population in South Africa. With 490 bird species recorded to date (about 55 per cent of the total number found in southern Africa), the park is truly a paradise for bird enthusiasts on South African holidays. More than 50 raptor species have been recorded, while many of the species occurring in the north of the park have a limited distribution elsewhere in South Africa.

The park is also an archaeological treasure chest, with over 250 cultural heritage sites, ranging from rock art sites (about 130 have been recorded) and Late Iron Age settlements to early transport routes. Access to Kruger is via eight gates, and accommodation ranges from rest camps with all the necessary facilities (filling station, shop, restaurant) to smaller bushveld camps without facilities, and bush lodges for groups. A vast network of roads traverses the bush, providing access to rivers, water holes, dams and viewpoints, while picnic sites in the bush allow motorists to take a break from the driving. In addition to self-drive game-viewing, the park offers a host of outdoor and adventure activities such as short, self-guided nature walks in some of the rest camps, night drives and guided walks of between three and four hours. There are also seven three-day guided wilderness trails in various remote areas of the park. Because the park lies within a malaria area, it is advisable to consult a doctor about prophylaxis, especially if visiting between December and April.

SOUTHERN KNP

The southern portion of Kruger constitutes the historic heart of the park proclaimed in 1926. The first step to conserve the abundant wildlife of the area was taken when the Sabie Game Reserve was proclaimed between the Crocodile and Sabie rivers in 1898. The south is one of the most popular destinations in the park for South African holidays, and is renowned for its excellent game-viewing, changing landscapes and a rich diversity of vegetation types.