Lying in the heart of the Lowveld is a wildlife sanctuary like no other, its atmosphere so unique that it allows those who enter its vastness to immerse themselves in the unpredictability and endless wilderness that is the true quality of Africa.
The Kruger National Park lies across the provinces of Mpumalanga and Limpopo in the north of South Africa, just south of Zimbabwe and west of Mozambique. It now forms part of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park - a peace park that links Kruger National Park with game parks in Zimbabwe and Mozambique.
The Kruger National Park is larger than Israel. Nearly 2 million hectares of land that stretch for 352 kilometres (20 000 square kilometres) from north to south along the Mozambique border, is given over to an almost indescribable wildlife experience. Certainly it ranks with the best in Africa and is the flagship of the country’s national parks - rated as the ultimate safari experience.
The Different Zones and Regions
The Kruger National Park is divided into no fewer than six ecosystems - baobab sandveld, Lebombo knobthorn-marula bushveld, mixed acacia thicket, combretun-silver clusterleaf, woodland on granite, and riverine forest.
Kruger Park by Region
The Kruger Park was entirely surrounded by a game-proof fence, constant and careful management was necessary. Not only was the veld burnt at regular intervals, and other fires actively discouraged, but wildlife populations were carefully monitored by conducting an annual census that took over three months to complete.
Kruger Park Ecosystem
The
temperatures average from 30 C (86 F) in January (summer) to 23 C (73 F) in July (winter). Please be aware that the maximum
temperature can reach 47 C (117 F) (January) and 35 C (95 F) (July).
The Central Region
The sweet grasses that grow on fertile soils formed on shale and volcanic basalt, and an abundance of excellent browsing trees, sustain the largest
impala,
buffalo,
lion,
cheetah,
elephant,
zebra, waterbuck and sable populations in the Park.
The Far North Region
As this is Kruger’s northernmost extremity, located 22°30’ south of the equator, many tropical elements are present. Part of the region lies in a rain shadow, and Pafuri receives a meagre rainfall of just 362 millimetres a year.
The Northern Region
This semi-arid region, covering 7 000 square kilometres, is relatively close to the warm, moisture-laden air currents of the Indian Ocean, and yet annual rainfall for the most part varies from 400 to 500 millimetres.
The Southern RegionAltitude varies from 140 metres in the east to 600 metres around Pretoriuskop in the west. In the southwestern corner near Berg-en-dal Camp, Khandzalive, the highest point in the Park, rises to 839 metres.
