Southern Kruger

Southern Kruger is perhaps the most physically beautiful section of the park, with numerous granite kopjes climbing above the undulating grasslands and the thick stands of acacias, bushwillows, sycamore figs and flowering species such as the red-and-orange coral tree. The changes in elevation in the west offer staggering views over the wilderness that at times can look like a never-ending sea of green. Its flora is fed by the park’s highest amount of rainfall, some 50% more than in the north. This has in turn led to Kruger’s highest proportion of wildlife calling the area home. The terrain is particularly favoured by white rhinos, buffaloes and zebras. Lions, hyenas and leopards are still spotted regularly, and wild dogs and cheetahs make occasional appearances.

Central Kruger

With the exception of the Lebombo Mountains that flank the Mozambique border to the east, the landscape between the Sabie and Olifants Rivers is less varied than in the south, with large swaths of open savannah, particularly west and southeast of Satara. The buffalo grass and red grass in these areas is interspersed with knobthorn, leadwood and marula trees, and hosts large populations of impalas, zebras, wildebeest, kudus, giraffes and elephants. Joining them are predators, especially lions. Leopards are commonly sighted, and the road between Satara and Orpen is one of the most likely places in Kruger to spot cheetahs.

Northern Kruger

North of the Olifants River the rolling landscape becomes more and more dominated by the elephant’s favourite dish: the mopane tree. So it’s no surprise that huge herds roam this region. Towards the Lebombo Mountains in the east the trees are so stunted by the clay soils on the basalt plains that the elephants’ backs rise above the canopy. The mopaneveld (woodland) also attracts large herds of buffaloes and numerous tsessebes, elands, roans and sables. Leopards, lions and rhinos are less numerous but nonetheless present. Kruger’s far north, around Punda Maria and Pafuri, lies completely in the tropics and supports a wider variety of plants, high wildlife concentrations and an exceptional array of birds not found further south. Between the Luvuvhu and Limpopo Rivers is a gorgeous tropical riverine forest with figs, fever trees and jackal berries. The far north is a winter grazing ground for elephants, and lions and leopards are also regularly encountered.