Kruger National Park

First national park in South Africa

Kruger National Park
Burchell's zebra in a Kruger landscape
Location of the park (red area) in South Africa
Location	Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces, South Africa
Nearest city	Mbombela (southern) Phalaborwa (central)
Coordinates	24°0′41″S 31°29′7″E / 24.01139°S 31.48528°E / -24.01139; 31.48528Coordinates: 24°0′41″S 31°29′7″E / 24.01139°S 31.48528°E / -24.01139; 31.48528
Area	19,485 km2 (7,523 sq mi)[1][2][3]
Established	31 May 1926[4][5](1898)
Visitors	1,336,981 (in 2004)
Governing body	South African National Parks
www.sanparks.org/parks/kruger/

Kruger National Park is one of the largest game reserves in Africa. It covers an area of 19,485 square kilometres (7,523 sq mi) in the provinces of Limpopo and Mpumalanga in northeastern South Africa, and extends 360 kilometres (220 mi) from north to south and 65 kilometres (40 mi) from east to west. The administrative headquarters are in Skukuza. Areas of the park were first protected by the government of the South African Republic in 1898, and it became South Africa's first national park in 1926.

To the west and south of the Kruger National Park are the two South African provinces of Limpopo and Mpumalanga. In the north is Zimbabwe, and to the east is Mozambique. It is now part of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park, a peace park that links Kruger National Park with the Gonarezhou National Park in Zimbabwe, and with the Limpopo National Park in Mozambique.

The park is part of the Kruger to Canyons Biosphere an area designated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as an International Man and Biosphere Reserve (the "Biosphere").^[6]

The park has nine main gates allowing entrance to the different camps.

Contents

• 
  1 History
  
  
  
  • 
    1.1 Pre-Reserve (–1898)
    
  
  
  • 
    1.2 Sabi Game Reserve (1898–1926)
    
  
  
  • 
    1.3 Kruger National Park (1926–1946)
    
  
  
  • 
    1.4 1946–1994
    
  
  
  • 
    1.5 1994–present
    
  
  
  
  


• 
  2 Location and geography
  


• 
  3 Climate
  


• 
  4 Flora and fauna
  
  
  
  • 
    4.1 Vegetation
    
    
    
    • 
      4.1.1 Thorn trees and red bush-willow veld
      
    
    
    • 
      4.1.2 Knob-thorn and marula veld
      
    
    
    • 
      4.1.3 Red bush-willow and mopane veld
      
    
    
    • 
      4.1.4 Shrub mopane veld
      
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • 
    4.2 Mammals
    
  
  
  • 
    4.3 Birds
    
  
  
  • 
    4.4 Other vertebrates
    
  
  
  • 
    4.5 Invertebrates
    
  
  
  
  


• 
  5 Anti-poaching measures
  
  
  
  • 
    5.1 Poachers
    
    
    
    • 
      5.1.1 Rhino
      
    
    
    • 
      5.1.2 Elephant
      
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • 
    5.2 Other
    
  
  
  
  


• 
  6 Accommodation and facilities
  
  
  
  • 
    6.1 Rest camps
    
  
  
  • 
    6.2 Designated private lodges
    
  
  
  • 
    6.3 Bushveld camps
    
  
  
  • 
    6.4 Restaurants
    
  
  
  
  


• 
  7 Gates to the Kruger Park
  


• 
  8 Wilderness trails
  


• 
  9 Gallery
  


• 
  10 See also
  


• 
  11 References
  


• 
  12 External links
  

History

Main article: History of the Kruger National Park

Pre-Reserve (–1898)

Over 300 recorded archaeological sites in Kruger Park attest to its occupation before modern times. Most sites however had relatively short occupation periods, as the presence of predators and the tsetse fly limited cattle husbandry. At Masorini hill, beside the H9 route, iron smelting was practiced up to the Mfecane era. The reconstructed Thulamela on a hilltop south of the Levuvhu River was occupied from the 13th to 16th centuries, and had links with traders from the African east coast.

Before the Second Anglo-Boer War the area now covered by the park was a remote section of the eastern Transvaal's last wild frontier. Paul Kruger, President of the South African Republic at the time, proclaimed the area, which was inhabited by the Tsonga people, a sanctuary for the protection of its wildlife. James Stevenson Hamilton noted many kraals along the Sabi River and also further north beyond the Letaba River^[7] although the north was sparsely populated compared to the south. Many of the local natives were employed by railway companies for construction of rail connections, notably that between Pretoria and Lorenço Marques during the end of the 19th century. Abel Chapman, one of the hunters who noted that the area was over-hunted by the end of the 19th century, brought this fact to wider attention.

Sabi Game Reserve (1898–1926)

In 1895, Jakob Louis van Wyk introduced in the Volksraad of the old South African Republic a motion to create the game reserve. The area proposed extended from the Crocodile River to the Sabi River in the north. That motion, introduced together with another Volksraad member by the name of R. K. Loveday, and accepted for discussion in September 1895 by a majority of one vote, resulted in the proclamation by Paul Kruger, president of the Transvaal Republic (South African Republic), on 26 March 1898, of a "Government Wildlife Park." This park would later be known as the Sabi Game Reserve.

The park was initially created to control hunting^[8] and to protect the diminished number of animals in the park.

James Stevenson-Hamilton became the first warden of the reserve in 1902.^[8] The reserve was located in the southern one-third of the modern park.^[9]Singwitsi Reserve, named after the Shingwedzi River and now in northern Kruger National Park, was proclaimed in 1903.^[10] During the following decades all the native tribes were removed from the reserve and during the 1960s the last were removed at Makuleke in the Pafuri triangle. In 1926, Sabie Game Reserve, the adjacent Shingwedzi Game Reserve, and farms were combined to create Kruger National Park.^[11]

During 1923, the first large groups of tourists started visiting the Sabie Game Reserve, but only as part of the South African Railways' popular "Round in Nine" tours. The tourist trains used the Selati railway line between Komatipoort on the Mozambican border and Tzaneen in Limpopo Province. The tour included an overnight stop at Sabie Bridge (now Skukuza) and a short walk, escorted by armed rangers, into the bush. It soon became a highlight of the tour and it gave valuable support for the campaign to proclaim the Sabie Game Reserve as a national park.^[12][13]

Kruger National Park (1926–1946)

After the proclamation of the Kruger National Park in 1926, the first three tourist cars entered the park in 1927, jumping to 180 cars in 1928 and 850 cars in 1929.^[5]
Warden James Stevenson-Hamilton retired on 30 April 1946, after 44 years as warden of the Kruger Park and its predecessor, the Sabi Sabi Game Reserve.

1946–1994

Plaque in the park. Now and then people do get killed, however, this is extremely rare.

Stevenson-Hamilton was replaced by Colonel J. A. B. Sandenbergh of the South African Air Force.^[12]
During 1959, work commenced to completely fence the park boundaries. Work started on the southern boundary along the Crocodile River and in 1960 the western and northern boundaries were fenced, followed by the eastern boundary with Mozambique. The purpose of the fence was to curb the spread of diseases, facilitate border patrolling and inhibit the movement of poachers.^[12]

The Makuleke area in the northern part of the park was forcibly taken from the Makuleke people by the government in 1969 and about 1500 of them were relocated to land to the south so that their original tribal areas could be integrated into the greater Kruger National Park.^[14][15]

1994–present

Pride of lions on a tourist road

In 1996 the Makuleke tribe submitted a land claim for 19,842 hectares (198.42 km²), namely the Pafuri or Makuleke region in the northernmost part of the park.^[16] The land was given back to the Makuleke people, however, they chose not to resettle on the land but to engage with the private sector to invest in tourism. This resulted in the building of several game lodges from which they earn royalties.^[17][18]

In the late 1990s, the fences between the Kruger Park and Klaserie Game Reserve, Olifants Game Reserve and Balule Game Reserve were dropped and incorporated into the Greater Kruger Park with 400,000 hectares added to the Reserve. In 2002, Kruger National Park, Gonarezhou National Park in Zimbabwe, and Limpopo National Park in Mozambique were incorporated into a peace park, the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park.^[11]

In 2009, SANParks envisaged a four-star hotel northeast of Malelane on the bank of the Crocodile River, as part of a survival strategy to make the park less dependent on state subsidies.^[19] Eventually Radisson Blu was mandated to operate a 104 room safari resort starting 2019,^[20][21] which promises a smaller ecological footprint than that of prior, existing camps. The three-star, 128-room Skukuza Safari Lodge, to be completed by late 2018,^[22] was necessitated by the adjacent Nombolo Mdhluli conference center, opened in 2011, which draws guests arriving by charter flights or in tour busses.^[22] Former head of the park Salomon Joubert warned that these developments threaten the character, ethos and original objectives of the park,^[19] but minister of environmental affairs, Edna Molewa, deemed development of 0.3% of the park as acceptable.^[22]

Location and geography

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Geography of the Kruger National Park

Olifants River

Luvuvhu and Limpopo rivers at Crookes Corner in Pafuri triangle

The park lies in the north-east of South Africa,^[9] in the eastern parts of Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces. Phalaborwa, Limpopo is the only town in South Africa that borders the Kruger National Park. It is one of the largest national parks in the world, with an area of 19,485 square kilometres (7,523 sq mi). The park is approximately 360 kilometres (220 mi) long,^[9] and has an average width of 65 kilometres (40 mi).^[11] At its widest point, the park is 90 kilometres (56 mi) wide from east to west.^[9]

To the north and south of the park two rivers, the Limpopo and the Crocodile respectively, act as its natural boundaries. To the east the Lebombo Mountains separate it from Mozambique. Its western boundary runs parallel with this range, roughly 65 kilometres (40 mi) distant. The park varies in altitude between 200 metres (660 ft) in the east and 840 metres (2,760 ft) in the south-west near Berg-en-Dal. The highest point in the park is here, a hill called Khandzalive. Several rivers run through the park from west to east, including the Sabie, Olifants, Crocodile, Letaba, Luvuvhu and Limpopo Rivers.

See also: Makuleke and Lanner Gorge

Climate

Skukuza
Climate chart (explanation)
J F M A M J J A S O N D     94     33 21     96     32 20     66     31 19     38     29 15     14     28 10     11     26 6     11     26 6     8     27 9     28     29 13     40     30 16     63     31 18     92     32 20 Average max. and min. temperatures in °C Precipitation totals in mm Source: SAWS[23]
Imperial conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     3.7     91 70     3.8     90 68     2.6     88 66     1.5     84 59     0.6     82 50     0.4     79 43     0.4     79 43     0.3     81 48     1.1     84 55     1.6     86 61     2.5     88 64     3.6     90 68 Average max. and min. temperatures in °F Precipitation totals in inches

The climate of the Kruger National Park and Lowveld is subtropical. Summer days are humid and hot. The rainy season is from September until May. The Kruger National Park website lists September and October as the driest periods, culminating in rains late in October.

Flora and fauna

Vegetation

Plants life in the park consists of four main areas:

Natural landscape for much of the Park

Thorn trees and red bush-willow veld

This area lies between the western boundary and roughly the centre of the park south of the Olifants River. Combretums, such as the red bush-willow (Combretum apiculatum), and Acacia species predominate while there are a great number of marula trees (Sclerocarya caffra). The Acacias are dominant along the rivers and streams, the very dense Nwatimhiri bush along the Sabie River between Skukuza and Lower Sabie being a very good example.

Knob-thorn and marula veld

South of the Olifants River in the eastern half of the park, this area provides the most important grazing-land. Species such as red grass (Themeda triandra) and buffalo grass (Panicum maximum) predominate while the knob-thorn (Acacia nigrescens), leadwood (Combretum imberbe) and marula (Sclerocarya caffra) are the main tree species.

Red bush-willow and mopane veld

This area lies in the western half of the park, north of the Olifants River. The two most prominent species here are the red bush-willow (Combretum apiculatum) and the mopane tree (Colophospermum mopane).

Shrub mopane veld

Shrub mopane covers almost the entire north-eastern part of the park.

There are a number of smaller areas in the park which carry distinctive vegetation such as Pretoriuskop where the sickle bush and the silver cluster-leaf (Terminalia sericea) are prominent. The sandveld communities near Punda Maria are equally definitive, with a wide variety of unique species.

Mammals

Mammals

Male lion

Leopard

Cheetah

Elephant crossing a road. A photoshopped version of this photo was used as an April Fool's prank in 2018.^[24]

A pair of Southern white rhinoceros

All the big five game animals are found at Kruger National Park, which has more species of large mammals than any other African game reserve (at 147 species). There are webcams set up to observe the wildlife.^[25]

The park stopped culling elephants in 1994 and tried translocating them, but by 2004 the population had increased to 11,670 elephants, by 2006 to approximately 13,500, by 2009 to 11,672, and by 2012 to 16,900. The park's habitats may only be able to sustain about 8,000 elephants, though this is not entirely clear. Elephants do change plant growth and density in the park, and some species, such as wildebeests, clearly benefit from an increase in grasslands. The park started an attempt at using contraception in 1995, but has stopped that due to problems with delivering the contraceptives and upsetting the herds.

Kruger supports packs of the endangered African wild dog, of which there are thought to be only about 400 in the whole of South Africa.^[26]

Wildlife Population As of 2010^[update]

Species	Count (2009)	Count (2010)[27]
Black rhinoceros	350	590-660
Blue wildebeest	9,612	11,500
Burchell's zebra	17,797	26,500
Bushbuck	500	500
Cape buffalo	27,000	37,500
Eland	300	460
Elephant	11,672	13,700
Giraffe	5,114	9,000
Greater kudu	5,798	9,500
Hippopotamus	3,000	3,100
Impala	150,000	120,000
Lichtenstein's hartebeest		50
Mountain reedbuck		150
Nyala		300
Roan antelope		90
Sable antelope		290
Warthog		3,500
Waterbuck	5,000	5,500
White rhinoceros	7,000 to 12,000[28]	10,500
African wild dog	240
Cheetah	120	120
Crocodile		4,420
Leopard	2,000	1,000
Lion	2,800	1,600
Spotted hyena	2,000	3,500

Birds

Out of the 517 species of birds found at Kruger, 253 are residents, 117 non-breeding migrants, and 147 nomads. Some of the larger birds require large territories or are sensitive to habitat degradation. Six of these species, which are by and large restricted to Kruger and other extensive conservation areas, have been assigned to a fanciful grouping called the "Big Six Birds".^[29] They are the lappet-faced vulture, martial eagle, saddle-billed stork, kori bustard, ground hornbill and the reclusive Pel's fishing owl, which is localized and seldom seen. There are between 25 and 30 breeding pairs of saddle-billed storks in the park, besides a handful of non-breeding individuals.^[29] In 2012 178 family groups of ground hornbills roamed the park and 78 nests were known, of which 50% were active.^[30]

Other vertebrates

Kruger is inhabited by 114 species of reptile, including black mamba, african rock pythons, and 3,000 crocodiles. Thirty-three species of amphibians are found in the Park,^[31] as well as 50 fish species. A Zambesi shark, Carcharhinus leucas, also known as the bull shark, was caught at the confluence of the Limpopo and Luvuvhu Rivers in July 1950. Zambezi sharks tolerate fresh water and can travel far up rivers like the Limpopo.^[32]

Invertebrates

219 species of butterfly and skipper are native to the park.^[33] The fastest and most robust of these belong to genus Charaxes,^[34] of which 12 species have been recorded.^[35] Genera Papilio and Acraea are also well-represented, with about 10 and 15 species respectively.^[35] The total number of Lepidoptera species in the park is unknown, but could be in the order of 7,000, many of which range widely in African savanna. The mopane moth in the northern half of the park is one of the best known, and communities outside the park have at times been given permits to harvest their caterpillars.^[36][37][38] The park has a high diversity of termites and 22 genera are known to occur, including the mound-building genera Macrotermes, Cubitermes, Amitermes, Odontotermes and Trinervitermes.^[39] Many species of mosquito occur in the park, including the Culex, Aedes and Anopheles genera which target mammals. A. arabiensis is the most prevalent of the 9 or more Anopheles species in the park, and their females transmit malaria.^[40]
As of 2018, 350 species of arachnids, excluding ticks and mites, are known from Kruger.^[41] These are mostly true spiders, including 7 species of baboon spider, but also 9 scorpion species, 7 pseudoscorpion species, and 18 solifugid species (sun and roman spiders), 2 species of harvestmen and 1 species of tailless whip scorpion.^[42]

Anti-poaching measures

Kruger is not exempt from the threat of poaching that many other African countries have faced. Many poachers are in search of ivory from elephant tusks or rhino horns, which are similar in composition to human fingernails.^[43] The park's anti-poaching unit consists of 650^[44]SANParks game rangers, assisted by the SAPS and the SANDF (including the SAAF). As of 2013, the park is equipped with two drones borrowed from Denel and two Aérospatiale Gazelle helicopters, donated by the RAF to augment its air space presence.^[45][46] Automated movement sensors relay intrusions along the Mozambique border to a control center,^[47] and a specialist dog unit has been introduced.^[48] Buffer zones have been established along the border with Mozambique,^[49] from where many poachers have infiltrated the park, as an alternative to costly new fences.^[50] The original 150 km long fences were dropped in 2002 to establish the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park.^[44][51] The national anti-poaching committee oversees all activities and coordinates interested parties.^[52][53]

Poachers

Kruger's big game poachers operate with night vision instruments and large caliber rifles, fitted with suppressors and sophisticated telescopic sights.^[54][55] They are mostly Mozambique citizens that initiate their carefully planned incursions from the border region of South Africa and Mozambique.^[54][56][57] In 2012 some 200 poachers were apprehended,^[58] while about 30 were killed in skirmishes.^[59][60]

In July 2012, a Kruger game ranger and policeman were the first to die in an anti-poaching operation,^[61] while other employees reported intimidation by poachers.^{[62][63][64][65]} A Kruger personnel strike affected some anti-poaching operations,^[66] and some employees have been directly implicated.^{[62][67][68][69][70][71]} Rangers in and around the park have been pressured or blackmailed by poaching syndicates to provide intelligence on the whereabouts of rhinos and anti-poaching operations.^[72]

In December 2012, Kruger started using a Seeker II drone against rhino poachers. The drone was loaned to the South African National Parks authority by its manufacturer Denel Dynamics, South Africa.^[73][74]

In February 2018, the head of a suspected poacher was found in the Kruger Park near Hoedspruit, his body dragged off and eaten by lions, it is assumed. Officials suspected it to be the head of a park employee who went missing days before, but it became clear that the man was, in fact, a suspected poacher when the park employee was found alive. The head was found in an area frequented by lions, along with a loaded hunting rifle.

Rhino

Poachers mostly operate at or near full moon^[57][75][76] and make no distinction between white and black rhinos.^[63][77] Losses of black rhino are however low due to their reclusive and aggressive nature.^[78] With rhino horn fetching around $66,000 (and up to $82,000) per kilogram,^{[57][64][78][79][80]} the CITES ban on the trade in rhino horn has proved largely ineffectual.^[81][82] The second horn is sometimes hacked from the skull to obtain about 100 ml of moisture that is sold locally as traditional medicine.^[78]

Poaching related to rhino horn escalated in the 21st century with 949 rhinos killed in Kruger in the first twelve years (2001 to 2012),^[45] and over 520 in 2013 alone.^[83][84] A planned memorandum of agreement between South Africa and Vietnam, in addition to the one with China,^[50] are seen as necessary milestones in stemming the tide,^[85][86] while negotiations with Thailand have not yet started.^[87] The amount of rhino horn held in storage is not publicly known.^[88] Since 2009 some Kruger rhinos have been fitted with invisible tracing devices in their bodies and horns which enable officials to locate their carcasses and to track the smuggled horns by satellite.^[89] South Africa's 22,000 white and black rhinos, of which 12,000 are found in Kruger, represent some 93% of these species' world population.^[63][82]

Elephant

Kruger experienced significant elephant poaching in the 1980s,^[89] which has since abated. It holds over 48 tons of ivory in storage. According to Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES), it is allowed to sell 30 tons.

Following approval by CITES, 47 metric tons of stockpiled ivory from Kruger was auctioned on 6 November 2008. The sale fetched approximately US$6.7 million which was allocated to increased anti-poaching measures. The average price for the 63 lots on auction was US$142/kg.

Other

It is foreseen that the placement of wire traps to procure meat would eventually become the most challenging form of poaching.^[90] A scheme has been proposed to reward adjacent communities with the proceeds of game sales in return for their cooperation in game preservation.^[90] The larger communities include Bosbokrand, Acornhoek, Hazyview, Hoedspruit, Komatipoort, Malelane, Marloth Park, Nelspruit and Phalaborwa.^[82]

Accommodation and facilities

The Kruger National Park has 21 rest camps, as well as two private lodge concessions, and 15 designated private safari lodges. The concessions are parcels of land operated by private companies in partnership with communities, who outsource the operation of private lodges. Camping in the park has become popular with tourists and backpackers because it is much less expensive, and open to anyone, requiring no special permission to partake.^[91]

Rest camps

Mopani's view over Pioneer Dam

Orpen Rest Camp

A tent in Tamboti Tented Camp

Visitors have access to the following camps in Kruger:^[92]

• Bateleur Bushveld Camp


• Berg-en-Dal Camp


• Biyamiti Bushveld Camp


• Boulders Bush Camp


• Balule Camp, near Olifants Camp


• Crocodile Bridge Camp


• Letaba Camp


• Lower Sabie Camp


• Malelane Camp


• Maroela Camp, near Orpen


• Mopani Camp


• Olifants Camp


• Orpen Camp


• Pretoriuskop Camp


• Punda Maria Camp


• Roodewal Bush Lodge


• Satara Camp


• Shimuwini Bushveld Camp


• Shingwedzi Camp


• Sirheni Bushveld Camp


• Skukuza Camp


• Talamati Bushveld Camp


• Tamboti Tented Camp, near Orpen


• Tsendze Rustic Camp

Designated private lodges

The following camps are managed by private operators:^[93]

• Camp Shawu near Crocodile Bridge Gate


• Camp Shonga near Crocodile Bridge Gate


• Hamiltons Tented Camp


• Hoyo Hoyo Tsonga Lodge


• Imbali Safari Lodge


• Jocks Safari Lodge & Spa


• Lukimbi Safari Lodge


• Pafuri Camp, near Pafuri Gate


• Plains Camp


• Rhino Post Camp


• Shishangeni Lodge near Crocodile Bridge Gate


• Singita Lebombo Lodge


• Singita Sweni Lodge


• The Outpost Lodge, near Pafuri Gate


• Tinga Game Lodges


• Umganu Lodge, Elephant point

Bushveld camps

See also: Bushveld

• Bateleur Bushveld Camp


• Biyamiti Bushveld Camp^{[citation needed]}
  


• Shimuwini Bushveld Camp^{[citation needed]}
  


• Sirheni Bushveld Camp


• Talamati Bushveld Camp

Restaurants

On 30 October 2013, South African National Parks (SANParks) announced the establishment of franchise restaurants in several rest camps. Mugg & Bean restaurants have been established at Lower Sabie, Olifants and Letaba rest camps. Wimpy restaurants have been established at Pretoriuskop and Satara rest camps. Skukuza's Selati Station Grill House has been replaced by Ciao! and Skukuza’s main camp restaurant and take away will be run by Cattle Baron and Bistro.^[94] This decision was controversial, with some people welcoming the improvement in food services, and others viewing the introduction of franchises as detracting from the purpose of the Kruger Park.^[95][96]

Gates to the Kruger Park

North & South Gates
Kruger National Park

Pafuri Gate
(northernmost entrance to the park)

Crocodile Bridge
(a southern entrance to the park)

A signpost in the park

The Kruger Park has the following gates:

Name	Road	From Town	Coordinates
Crocodile Bridge Gate	on the extension of Rissikstreet	from Komatipoort	25°21′30″S 31°53′37″E / 25.35833°S 31.89361°E / -25.35833; 31.89361 (Crocodile Bridge Gate)
Malelane Gate	on the R570 off the N4	near Malelane	25°27′43″S 31°31′59″E / 25.46194°S 31.53306°E / -25.46194; 31.53306 (Malelane Gate)
Numbi Gate	on the R569 road	from Hazyview	25°9′19″S 31°11′51″E / 25.15528°S 31.19750°E / -25.15528; 31.19750 (Numbi Gate)
Phabeni Gate	on the road off the R536	from Hazyview	25°01′30″S 31°14′29″E / 25.02500°S 31.24139°E / -25.02500; 31.24139 (Phabeni Gate)
Paul Kruger Gate	on the R536 road	from Hazyview	24°58′53″S 31°29′7″E / 24.98139°S 31.48528°E / -24.98139; 31.48528 (Paul Kruger Gate)
Orpen Gate	on the R531 road	from Klaserie	24°28′33″S 31°23′27″E / 24.47583°S 31.39083°E / -24.47583; 31.39083 (Orpen Gate)
Phalaborwa Gate	on the R71 road	from Phalaborwa	23°56′44″S 31°9′54″E / 23.94556°S 31.16500°E / -23.94556; 31.16500 (Phalaborwa Gate)
Punda Maria Gate	on the R524 road	from Thohoyandou	22°44′18″S 31°0′33″E / 22.73833°S 31.00917°E / -22.73833; 31.00917 (Punda Maria Gate)
Pafuri Gate	on the R525 road	from Musina	22°24′1″S 31°2′29″E / 22.40028°S 31.04139°E / -22.40028; 31.04139 (Pafuri Gate)

Wilderness trails

Nine different trails are on offer in the Kruger National Park. Some are overnight and they last several days in areas of wilderness virtually untouched by humans. There are no set trails in the wilderness areas; a visitor walks along paths made by animals or seeks out new routes through the bush.

Gallery

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  Elephant family at an artificial water hole
  

  
  

  
  


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  Male giraffes necking
  

  
  

  
  


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  Two lionesses having a break after an unsuccessful hunt
  

  
  

  
  


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  A greater kudu bull
  

  
  

  
  

See also

• 
  South Africa portal
  

• Kruger to Canyons Biosphere


• Abel Chapman


• Battle at Kruger


• Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park


• Makuleke


• Protected areas of South Africa


• Skukuza


• 
  Kruger National Park in the 1960s (a timeline of events)


• Sabi Sand Game Reserve


• SanWild Wildlife Sanctuary

References

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   ^ House of Assembly Debates, cols 4366-81, 31 May 1927.
   


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   ^ ^ab Stevenson-Hamilton, James. (1937). South African Eden: The Kruger National Park 1902-1946. Struik Publishers, 1993.
   


6. 
   ^ UNESCO - Biosphere Reserve Information
   


7. 
   ^ Stevenson-Hamilton, James (1939). South African Eden. London.
   


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32. 
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33. 
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34. 
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35. 
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36. 
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38. 
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39. 
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40. 
    ^ Munhenga, Givemore; Brooke, Basil D; Spillings, Belinda; Essop, Leyya; Hunt, Richard H; Midzi, Stephen; Govender, Danny; Braack, Leo; Koekemoer, Lizette L (2014). "Field study site selection, species abundance and monthly distribution of anopheline mosquitoes in the northern Kruger National Park, South Africa". Malaria Journal. 13 (1): 27. doi:10.1186/1475-2875-13-27. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
    


41. 
    ^ Dippenaar-Schoeman et al., 2018
    


42. 
    ^ New Baboon Spider Discovered In Survey Of Kruger
    


43. 
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44. 
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45. 
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49. 
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50. 
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51. 
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52. 
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53. 
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55. 
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63. 
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76. 
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84. 
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92. 
    ^ "Kruger National Park Rest Areas". Kruger National Park Rest Areas. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
    ^{[dead link]}
    


93. 
    ^ "Kruger Park Accommodations". Kruger National Park Accommodations. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
    


94. 
    ^ https://exploreknp.wordpress.com/tag/mugg-and-bean/
    


95. 
    ^ http://www.news24.com/Travel/MyTravels/Kruger-mall-water-park-and-a-cinema-next-20131101
    


96. 
    ^ http://www.fin24.com/Companies/TravelAndLeisure/Kruger-Park-closes-as-eateries-move-in-20131216
    

External links

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• Kruger National Park official website


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