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Kruger's private reserves offer the best Big 5 safaris
The private game reserves sharing an unfenced border with the Kruger National Park in South Africa, known as "Greater Kruger", are home to the legendary Big Five and a breathtaking diversity of landscapes, giving discerning travellers an authentic and exclusive safari experience. Private concessions within the national park also provide this exclusive safari experience.
Greater Kruger reserves offer the most reliable and exclusive access to Big Five sightings in the world. The reserve and lodge names read like a who's who of iconic safari brands: MalaMala, Sabi Sabi, Londolozi, Timbavati, Klaserie and Thornybush, amongst others.
5 things we love about a Kruger safari
Big Five & more: Many of our guests see lions, leopards, elephants, rhinos and buffalo in one day! Add to that a wealth of other species such as cheetahs, wild dogs, zebras, hyenas and giraffes, and you have some of the best wildlife viewing in Africa.
Exclusivity: Strict access control and limited vehicle numbers at wildlife sightings in the Greater Kruger private reserves result in unrushed, exclusive wildlife encounters.
There's more: To add to the safari experience, off-road driving (led by experienced guides), night drives, and bush walks guarantee fantastic wildlife encounters in the private reserves.
Luxury lodges: The Greater Kruger is home to some of the finest lodges in Africa. A mix of traditional and boutique luxury lodges blends seamlessly into the bushveld, offering five-star comforts, world-class cuisine, and personalised service.
Excellent guiding: Kruger lodges are known for exceptionally high guiding standards, to the extent that many of the top guides from across Africa do some of their training in the Greater Kruger region.
Our favourite Kruger safari ideas
All you need to know about the Kruger
About the Greater Kruger
"Greater Kruger" refers to the various private game reserves, such as MalaMala, Timbavati, Londolozi, Thornybush, and Sabi Sabi, that share an unfenced border with South Africa’s legendary Kruger National Park. These reserves and lodges offer the best Big Five experiences in the world.
They collaborate with the Kruger National Park to create a managed conservation landscape that’s almost the size of Belgium. Greater Kruger’s woodlands, wetlands, and grasslands provide critical habitat for an extraordinary array of wildlife, with its unfenced ecosystem enabling fauna to move between the national park and private reserves.
This free flow of animals supports a healthier ecosystem and enhances biodiversity.
What wildlife will I see in the Kruger?
Greater Kruger offers a wide variety of habitats and wildlife species:
The Big Five: rhino, lion, elephant, leopard, and buffalo are regularly seen during game drives, and many of our guests are lucky enough to spot them all in one day! That said, being in the wild is about far more than ticking off the Big Five.
Other predators. The Greater Kruger hosts healthy populations of hyena and wild dog. Cheetahs are present but only in areas with open savannahs, and are not as regularly seen as in the Maasai Mara and Serengeti. You can also search for less commonly encountered species, such as the honey badger, African wildcat, and caracal.
Other species such as giraffe, zebra, crocodile, hippopotamus, roan and sable antelope, eland, warthog
A bird tally of about 600 species can be found, including Pel’s fishing owl, southern ground-hornbill, Cape vulture, Dickinson's kestrel, Stierling’s wren-warbler, black coucal and bat hawk.
Kruger lodges and camps
The Greater Kruger and private concessions in the national park offer a wide variety of luxury camps and lodges, from traditional thatched brick-and-mortar rondawels to modern boutique lodges made of aluminium, glass, and stone.
Every property we select for your handcrafted journey meets our exacting standards for comfort, character, and service. Just as importantly, each lodge is deeply committed to protecting the Kruger wildlife, supporting local communities, and preserving the extraordinary ecosystems that make your safari possible.
Check out our Kruger safari ideas above to see some of the hotels, lodges and camps with proven track records that we regularly send our guests to.
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Why choose Africa Geographic to plan your safari?
Africageo travel group started and ended strong. Our travel consultant, Nadia, was detailed, responsive and thorough in plans for our recent safari- this is our second with her ... We spent 4 nights in Mala-Mala Sable Camp abutting Kruger National Park ... every leopard that we saw- 11 different ones ...
We had a marvellous family trip during the Christmas holidays. AG tailor-designed a perfect trip for us. The choice of lodges in the Kruger area was very good and well sequenced; we met very professional and smily staff everywhere ... We highly recommend AG travel agency!
... I also did a self-drive in Kruger up to The Outpost - a stunning lodge with unbelievable views and exceptional game drives. You don't get the big 5 here, but I did get the most fantastic bird sightings and the fever tree forest and lake is breathtaking... Many thanks, AG.
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Frequently asked questions
The best time to visit the Kruger is May to September, when the weather is cool and dry, and the lack of groundwater makes wildlife congregate near water sources (which makes it easier to see them).
October and November are also excellent for wildlife viewing, but temperatures rise during those months, making it uncomfortable for those not used to the heat.
The summer rains occur from December to March, and the presence of more groundwater (which allows wildlife to disperse widely) and thicker vegetation during those months makes wildlife harder to find.
The Greater Kruger includes private reserves such as MalaMala, Sabi Sand, Timbavati, Thornybush and Klaserie that share the open, unfenced landscape with Kruger National Park and feature the same wildlife. Your Kruger safari experience is significantly impacted by whether you are in one of these private reserves or in the national park. Here is a summary of the main differences between the two options:
Number of tourists
The private reserves and private concessions within the national park limit the number of guests to ensure privacy and a low vehicle density at wildlife sightings. Kruger National Park, on the other hand, has high volumes of self-drive and day visitors, resulting in crowded wildlife sightings.
Rules & behaviour
The private reserves and private concessions within the national park have strict codes of conduct for guides that are strictly enforced. By way of example, limiting vehicles at a big cat sighting to three, and not influencing the animal's behaviour. Kruger National Park does not have rules relating to vehicle densities at sightings, and many rules designed to govern behaviour at sightings are not enforced or obeyed.
Activities
Kruger National Park enforces a curfew after sunset, with no bush walking or off-road driving, whereas the private reserves and private concessions offer night drives, walking safaris, and off-road driving, subject to strict environmental rules. Going off-road gives you access to larger areas, gets you closer to the animals, and lets you follow them at a discreet distance when they are walking.
Quality
The private reserves and private concessions are better resourced to offer higher-quality accommodation, service, guiding, food, and overall experience than the Kruger National Park.
Kruger is home to the Big 5 (lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo, rhino), and our handmade packages give you an excellent opportunity to see them all during your safari. Other species, such as cheetahs, wild dogs, giraffes, hyenas, wildebeest, and zebras, are found across diverse ecosystems. You will also find rare and seldom-seen species such as pangolins and aardvarks.
Please get in touch with your local GP or travel clinic well before your trip to obtain professional medical advice and discuss up-to-date vaccination requirements for the areas you will visit.
Yellow fever
South Africa is not a yellow fever country, so a yellow fever vaccine is not mandatory. However, if you are entering South Africa from a yellow fever country (such as Rwanda), you will need to present your vaccination certificate upon entry.
Malaria
Malaria is prevalent in some parts of South Africa, and we advise you to consult your GP before you depart about taking prophylaxis. It’s also essential to cover up in the evenings when the malaria-carrying Anopheles mosquito usually feeds. The malaria incubation period is 1-3 weeks, so if you experience any flu-like symptoms, headaches, aching joints and back or nausea and diarrhoea, it is recommended that you get tested at the earliest opportunity and let the medical people know you’ve recently travelled to Africa. Read more about South Africa's malaria-free safari areas.
Our safaris typically cost from US$700 per person, per night, depending on the accommodation comfort level, time of year and activities. This price usually includes accommodation, all meals, game drives, experienced guides, airport transfers, and 24/7 support from our team.
You only make your first payment when you book your holiday. Your second (last) payment is about 105 days before you travel.
Peak season bookings require 12–18 months of advance planning. Trips outside of peak season can be arranged 6–9 months ahead, with better rates and availability.
Click here to schedule a no-obligation call with one of our Safari Experts or fill in our 2-minute form with your questions. Our team of experts are here to help! Whether you’re curious about the best time to travel, want to hear first-hand about an experience or need help planning your safari.
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