Oil lanterns in the bush

The first morning of your Kruger Park safari you'll head out early from Pretoria by rental car and you'll take the N4 to the eastern province of Mpumalanga. Gradually, the countryside will become more meadow-like and hilly and traffic will become scarce. After a while the Drakensberg peaks will loom in the distance and you'll come across the impressive, in some areas 700m deep, gorge of Blyde River Canyon. This South Africa trip ends in the village of Hazyview, idyllically located between sugar cane and banana plantations, at the Kruger Park border. You'll spend the night just outside of the village in a cosy guest house with swimming pool surrounded by fields. There are a variety of restaurants to choose from the area. We recommend the Ant & Elephant for good meals and large portions.

On day two of your Kruger Park Safari trip you'll have plenty of time to explore your spectacular surroundings. Go for a drive along the Panorama Route and Blyde River Canyon and have a look at the unusual shaped hills at the Three Rondavels, see the result of wind and erosion at Bourkes Luck Potholes and enjoy the high-elevation view at Gods Window (see picture above). You can see all the way to Mozambique when skies are clear. There are several other interesting stops along the way such as the quaint village of Sabie or former mining town Pilgrim's Rest with its' historic houses, facades and stores. Be sure to stop at one of the friendly cafés for lunch.

Just short of Klaserie you'll take the Orpen Gate exit at Kruger Park. Kruger is one of the most famous national parks for spotting the Big 5 and a must-visit destination on your South Africa holiday. During our search for Kruger Park safari gems we found several private game reserves with small-scale lodges and tented camps in this area. These camps are located in intimate and secluded areas in the middle of the bush and are made up of only a handful of rooms or comfortable safari tents. You'll spend two nights here. We recommend that you drive slowly here, not only because of the bumpy road but also so that you can spot animals as you ride along. At the end of the day you can sit down next to a roaring campfire, have a good glass of wine and look up at the twinkling stars above you. This is undeniably the best way to truly experience the African bush.

After breakfast on day four of your Kruger Park safari, you'll say goodbye to the bush lodge and you'll drive down to Kruger's Orpen Gate. Entrance tickets and maps are available here, we really enjoyed having the maps since they were both useful and a great momento to take home. You can choose your own route across the park's paved and sand roads, but please keep in mind that the speed limit in the park is 40-50 km/hour. Gradually you'll head further and further south through Kruger. The roads are in excellent condition and you'll encounter all kinds of different animals during your drive.

Tip: use the park maps to find water holes in park... this is the best place to see wild animals and take some spectacular photos to remember your South Africa holiday. Click here for a Map of Kruger.

After breakfast this morning, this South Africa safari tours module ends and you'll continue on  to one of the park gates, for instance Malelane, Kruger's southern gate. Along the way you'll do one last 'game drive' on your way to Swaziland and Mlilwane Park. Click here for the connecting culture and nature module in the St. Lucia Wetlands where you will stay in authentic Swaziland beehive huts.
Aside from Oil Lanterns in the Bush we also offer other modules in this part of South Africa. Each of the modules are different from the others. You can choose a more exclusive option and the ultimate 'Out of Africa feeling' during the modules Exclusive Kruger Game Drives where you will get the full Kruger safari package or the Tented Safari Lodge where you will experience South Africa camping with a difference. These modules will take you to the Big 5 private game reserves Timvabati (with Exclusive Kruger Game Drives) or Edeni (with Tented Lodge Safari). Aside from staying in private game reserves such as with the modules Oil lanterns in the bush, Tented safari lodge and Exclusive Kruger game drives it's also possible to combine Hazyview with a stay in Kruger Park itself. You'll go on game drives with your own rental car and sleep in basic Kruger rest camps in the park on our Rondavels in Kruger module.