Safari in Kruger National Park in South Africa

From Johannesburg to the Kruger National Park and back in 6 days means a packed program. Unfortunately, our trip was temporarily stopped and shortened shortly after the start, because we missed our connecting flight in London Heathrow (the lesson from this: 1 hour transfer time is too short) and spent the night in the airport hotel. The only positive aspect of this glitch was that we were unexpectedly able to extend our trip by one country. British Airways sent us to Johannesburg with a stopover in Accra (Ghana) instead of a direct flight (real adventure!)

Arrive at Johannesburg Airport and drive to the Kruger National Park

Immediately after arriving at Johannesburg airport we picked up the rental car and drove via Dullstrom to Lydenburg on the first day. There it was then necessary to organize accommodation in one of the Kruger National Rest Camps at the last minute. Since July is the high season, this was not so easy. Thanks to a very nice internet shop owner who helped us with the organization, it worked out after all. As a tip for you: It is worth booking the camp nights in advance!

Pretoriuskop Rest Camp

On the 2nd day we went from Lydenburg via Numbi Gate to Pretoriuskop Rest Camp, the oldest of the rest camps in the Kruger National Park, where we had planned two overnight stays. From there we explored the park areas to the south and west of the camp. There are two types of roads in the park, paved roads where 50 km/h are allowed and gravel roads where a maximum speed of 30 km/h is allowed. Due to the drought, July is ideal for watching animals at waterholes. We were totally surprised how many animals you can see from the car. Of the Big Five, only the leopard was nowhere to be seen.

Blyde River Canyon und God’s Window,

On the 4th day we left the camp and drove leisurely north through the park to Orpen Gate. Today’s destination was Graskop, which is a good starting point for excursions into the Blyde River Canyon. For a detour to God’s Window, a great viewpoint and to Pilgrim’s Rest, a gold rush town, our short time was enough. The 5th day took us from Graskop via Nelspruit back to Johannesburg Airport, where we will continue our journey towards Cape Town.