A must-do in South Africa
The world-renowned Kruger National Park is one of the world's most spectacular nature reserves. Set off on a Kruger National Park holiday and take in the awe-inspiring landscape and scenery of the South African wilderness. Perfect for nature lovers or those looking for an adventure, make the most of a luxury Kruger safari.
Hotels in Kruger and surrounds
Essential information for Kruger and surrounds
Your UK passport should be valid for a minimum period of 30 days from the date of exit from South Africa and it should have at least 2 blank pages when you present it at immigration to enter or leave South Africa.
The Kruger National Park is approx a 5-6 hour drive from Johannesburg. The area is quite vast but depending on which lodge you stay in we recommend flying into either Skukuza or Hoedspruit airports where you can drive or be transferred to your lodge.
Everybody should go on a safari at least once in their life, and where better than South Africa's world-famous Kruger National Park and the Eastern Cape, rich in wildlife and home to the Big Five.
One of Africa’s biggest game reserves, Kruger is home not only to the Big Five (FYI, that’s lions, leopards, rhinos, elephants and buffalos), but hundreds of other mammals and birds, too. For wildlife, Kruger National Park is pretty much unparallelled. Not only that, rolling savannah and distant mountains make for the safari setting of dreams.
Want to experience safari without skimping on luxury? You’re in luck. Kruger National Park and the Eastern Cape is famous not only for its vast and diverse variety of flora and fauna, but also for its luxury safari lodges, so you get the best of both worlds.
Here’s how to make the most out of your Kruger safari trip:
Kruger safaris are always sensational, but there’s nothing quite like taking a game drive around the National Park by sunset or sunrise. Spot the Big Five before the rest of the world wakes up, as well as cheetahs, wild dogs, antelopes, honey-badgers, bush babies and up to 350 bird species.
For a different safari experience altogether, how about walking Kruger safari tours with expert field guides and trackers? There’s nothing quite like it for feeling close to the action and at one with the wildlife.
If you’re feeling fancy, take a helicopter flight across the bushveld and over the Blyde River Canyon. The views will take your breath away, and the ride itself is a thrill. You might even be lucky enough to spot a herd of elephants from way up in the sky, where you’ll be able to watch the magnificent creatures in their natural habitat.
Enjoy phenomenal stargazing – some of the best in South Africa – from Jock Safari Lodge, where you can even choose to sleep out on your riverside sala for the best outdoorsy experience.
Planning on taking the kids? They’re in for a treat! Drop them off at Ulusaba Rock Lodges's ‘Cub’s Club’ for mini rangers’ courses, safari goodies and activities which will inspire even the most apprehensive of little ones. Kruger National Park holidays are truly the best for individuals and groups of all kinds, including families of all sizes and ages.
Many of the lodges celebrate the local Shangaan culture with traditional singing and dancing after dinner or around the BOMA by night, a beautiful and harmonious treat for everyone.
Often when you think of safari holidays, you think of basic lodges and tents. But that’s not how we do safaris at Virgin Holidays, oh no! We’re all about treating you to a bit of luxury, no matter your destination.
Safaris in the Kruger Park safaris are always sensational, but there’s nothing quite like taking a game drive around one of the lodge’s private concessions. Choose a lodge in the Sabi Sands reserve and you will be able to skip the crowds and search for wildlife in your very own piece of paradise, with less vehicles and the ability to do night-drives, you really will feel spoilt. Book the exclusive Cliff Lodge at Ulusaba for jaw-dropping views and a private pool, as well as world-class service, or sleep under the stars in the oh-so-exclusive Chalkley’s Treehouse at Lion Sands. Kick back with a cocktail at the Motswari Private Game Reserve, which looks onto a watering hole, and watch animals come and go as you sip.
Special occasion? Celebrate your honeymoon with romantic private dining under the African skies and enjoy a hot stone massage using Africology products at the Aroma Boma Spa, Ulusaba.
Sounds just a little bit better than you were expecting, hey?
Foodies, rejoice: you’ll get to taste some delicious local food as part of your Kruger safari packages:
It’s high time you booked yourself and your family or loved ones onto that safari trip you’ve been talking about for years, huh?
Let’s get this show on the road: browse our Kruger National Park hotels and lodges right now, this minute, and you’ll soon be hanging out with (okay, near) lions in the African bush.
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We are continually reviewing our flying schedules, taking into account the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) advice against all non-essential travel. Depending on when you are due to travel, your holiday may be affected and we’ll email you to let you know as least 21 days before travel.
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Rest assured; we will notify you as soon as we know if your holiday has been affected by email.
We are continually reviewing our flying schedules, taking into account the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) advice against all non-essential travel. Depending on when you are due to travel, your holiday may be affected and we’ll email you to let you know as least 21 days before travel.
If you need to speak to us to change or cancel your booking you can call our team on 0344 472 9646 or chat to us on SMS/Whatspp via Manage my booking.
For the latest information on Covid-19 you can check our FAQs here.
Don’t worry if you’ve missed a payment or just need a little more time to pay; we have options available to help you. If your holiday is going ahead as planned, you can continue to pay for your holiday in Manage my booking, even if travelling in less than 12 weeks. If you’re unsure, you can delay any additional payments by choosing a new time to travel by requesting a call back in Manage My booking for one of our team to look at options. If your holiday is more than 6 months away, you may wish to set up a Direct Debit to spread the cost. This can be arranged whilst rebooking or afterwards in Manage my booking.
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Please look out for emails from us or visit our dedicated Covid-19 (Coronavirus) page for the latest updates.
If we haven’t notified you of any changes, your holiday will be going ahead as planned but if you prefer to move your holiday to a later time we can help. You can call our team on 0344 472 9499 who can look at options for you.
Payments are being prioritised based on when the request was made, working in order from March 2020 onwards. We will always try to process refunds at the earliest opportunity, for requests before August our maximum timeframe is 120 days. As we are steadily reducing the maximum processing time for each new request, for refund requests made in August, we expect the maximum processing time to be 80 days, from the date the refund is requested. For those requesting a refund in September, we expect it to be processed within a maximum of 60 days, and then reduce to 30 days for refunds requested in October, before returning to normal levels.
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