KRUGER NATIONAL PARK MAP

Kruger National Parks maps provide visitors with an incredible resource for self-drive and self-catering holidays in Kruger Park. Its highly recommended you purchase a Kruger National Park map book prior to entering the Park as it provides valuable information that’ll improve your overall safari experience.
There are a variety of high-quality, glossy Kruger Park booklets available to purchase from retail outlets and at the Kruger entrance gates. The Kruger Park maps are a detailed visual aid on the different sections of Kruger Park. This includes colour coding of the characteristics of the terrain and a detailed key to landmarks, roads, visitor sites and accommodation in Kruger Park.
The Kruger map books also include information on everything from distance and time charts, SANParks accommodation and gate times to the best self-drive routes, rules and regulations, history of the area and profile of fauna and flora in the different eco zones.

Kruger Park Distance ǀ Time chart

The distance and time chart is important for self-drive safari holidays as it helps with planning your daily game drives and travelling onwards to rest camps on your safari holiday itinerary. It’s most important for gauging distance and times between rest camps to ensure you arrive at your accommodation in Kruger Park on time before the gate closes.
Visitors who arrive at a rest camp after the official gate closing time may be fined. It’s an inconvenience and irritating. It’s best to plan ahead so you don’t make the mistake of misjudging your timing and being late for the gate.
Distances between the main gates and rest camps are calculated on the basis that a driver sticks to the maximum speed limit on the tar roads. It does not allow for time to stop for game sightings. This needs to be factored into your travelling time. Allow an additional 2.5 hours for game viewing between camps.
Kruger Park speed limits:
• 50 kilometres/per hour on tar roads
• 40 kilometres/per hour on gravel roads

Kruger Park roads

Visitors to Kruger Park have the choice of public tar roads and secondary gravel roads. Certain dirt roads are off limits to the public, either for conservation reasons or they are unsafe for non-safari vehicles.
For years, there has been much controversy over whether roads in the Kruger Park should be tarred. This is based on the notion that the national park is a vast wilderness area and tarred roads take away some of the authenticity of a safari tour. In fact, James Stevenson-Hamilton – Kruger’s most famous game warden – vehemently opposed the building of tarred roads in the Park, mostly due to his concerns over speeding and the carnage it would cause to wildlife.
There is an extensive network of bitumen-tarred roads in Kruger Park and they do offer extra comfort and convenience to public visitors, particularly those that do not travel around in the luxury of a 4-wheel drive vehicle.
The tarred roads are kept in excellent condition so there is no dust or teeth-clattering corrugations. Bitumen-tarred roads also save the Park money as they don’t need as much ongoing maintenance as dirt roads require.
There are more than 850 kilometres of eco-friendly tarred roads in Kruger Park. Visitors have access to an additional 1 444 kilometres of dirt roads that provide backroads for more remote animal sightings.
The most popular tarred road in southern Kruger Park is the road between Crocodile Bridge Gate and Skukuza Rest Camp, travelling via Lower Sabie Rest Camp (H4-1 and H4-2). This popular game drive route hugs the perennial Sabie River and offers visitors ample sightings of animals and birds.
The second-most popular tarred road is between Skukuza Rest Camp in southern Kruger and Satara Rest Camp in central Kruger (HH1-2 and H1-3). Visitors leave the lush savanna plains of southern Kruger behind and enter a section that’s characterised by rugged grasslands, mixed woodlands and sweet grazing.

Entrance gates and main rest camps

Kruger Park is divided into two distinct tourism eco-zones. Which section you visit depends on what interests you and what game and birds you want to see.

Southern Kruger Park

Southern Kruger is the busiest section of the national park, mainly because it is easy to access and has the highest concentration of game. Southern Kruger receives the highest rainfall and is bounded by Crocodile River and Sabie River.
Lush, fertile savanna plains and permanent sources of water means Big 5 game viewing in southern Kruger is outstanding. This section of the national park is also rich in history as it served as the gateway to the port of Lourenço Marques (now Mozambique) for ancient traders.
Entrance gates in southern Kruger
• Paul Kruger
• Phabeni
• Numbi
• Malelane
• Crocodile Bridge
Main rest camps in southern Kruger
• Skukuza Rest Camp
• Lower Sabie Rest Camp
• Pretoriuskop Rest Camp
• Berg-en-Dal Rest Camp
• Crocodile Bridge Rest Camp

Central Kruger Park

Central Kruger Park is the largest area of the national park and makes up 30 percent of the surface area. It lies between Sabie River and Olifants River. The grass in this region is sweet and there are plenty of browsing trees. This attracts an abundance of antelope as well as giraffe, zebra and wildebeest.
With a plenty to eat, central Kruger is known as the ‘Big Cat Capital of Kruger’. It supports nearly half of the Park’s lion population as well as strong numbers of leopard, hyena and cheetah. It’s estimated that there are at least 60 individual prides of lion in central Kruger.
Entrance gates in central Kruger
• Orpen
Main rest camps in central Kruger
• Satara Rest Camp
• Orpen Rest Camp

Northern Kruger Park

Northern Kruger is vastly different from southern and central Kruger Park and attracts a different set of wildlife and nature lovers. It’s receives very little annual rainfall and is semi-arid and stark. A redeeming feature of northern Kruger is five major rivers forge a path across the valley, the two notable rivers being Olifants and Letaba.
Game viewing and birdwatching along the river banks is fantastic. Northern Kruger is home to almost 60 percent of the total hippo population of Kruger and at last count, there are over 9 000 elephants in the northern belt.
Entrance gates in northern Kruger
• Phalaborwa
Main rest camps in northern Kruger
• Olifants Rest Camp
• Letaba Rest Camp
• Mopani Rest Camp

Far North Kruger Park

Far North Kruger is remote and far to reach so it’s one of the quietest sections of the Park. It’s very popular for nature lovers who prefer remote, untouched wilderness as well as avid birders. It’s world-renowned as the “Birding Capital of South Africa”, if not the whole of southern Africa.
The concentration of animals is lower than anywhere else in Kruger Park but it’s reputation for outstanding birding makes up for it in spades. The most popular Kruger activity in the far-north section is guided wilderness walking trails.
Entrance gates to Far North Kruger
• Punda Maria
Main rest camps in Far North Kruger
• Shingwedzi Rest Camp
• Punda Maria Rest Camp
• Pafuri Camp

Gates and camps opening and closing times

Prior to arriving in Kruger Park as well as departing for early morning and afternoon game drives, it’s important you find out what times the gates open and close. Strict regulations governing gate opening and closing times have been put in place to protect the safety of SANParks’ visitors as well as the animals.
Guests staying in SANParks accommodation are restricted to opening and closing times for the camp’s gates. Guests staying in luxury accommodation in Kruger Park on the private concessions are not restricted to gate opening and closing times.
The most important rule in the Kruger Park is NO SPEEDING. Visitors must stick to the Park’s strict speed limits, not only for the sake of the animals but for their own safety. Take care to plan your daily game drives so you leave enough time to make it back to your Kruger accommodation travelling at the required speed limit.
Fines are imposed on Kruger Park visitors who break the speed limit and arrive after the gate closing times.
Kruger gate opening and closing times are seasonal. They open anything up to one hour to half-an-hour earlier in the summer months between October and March. Likewise, the gates close earlier in the winter months between April and September.

Telephone directory

Kruger National Park map books provide important telephone numbers that are useful for guests, particularly if they need medical or mechanical assistance. Skukuza Rest Camp is the largest rest camp in Kruger Park and is the administrative headquarters. The rest camp has a medical facility as well as a garage and mechanics workshop for breakdowns.
Emergency numbers
Doctor 24-hour hotline: +27-(0)-13-735-5638
Breakdown/repairs: +27-(0)-800-030-666
South African National Parks
Reservations: +27-(0)-12-428-9111
Kruger Safari Co
Helpline/information: +27 (0)-82-506-9641

Kruger National Park rules and regulations

Kruger National Park is safe to visit as long as everyone abides by the rules and regulations. They are in place for not only your own safety but the safety of other guest, SANParks staff and rangers and the Park’s incredible animals, birds and nature.
Kruger National Park map books clearly explain the rules and regulations as well as provide other valuable information. This includes information on malaria and tips for game drives and staying at rest camps.

Kruger Park activities

You might be surprised to read about all the different activities you can do in the Park in addition to daily game drives. The Kruger National Park map books explain the different activities and the best sections of the Park to visit for those activities.
The most popular Kruger activities include:
• daily game drives
• guided bushwalks from rest camps
• guided wilderness walking trails
• mountain bike trails
• golf
• 4×4 adventure trails
• sleepovers in remote hides
• museum and exhibition hall visits

Best places to stopover on game drives

Kruger National Park maps are meticulously detailed and provide information on all the places you can stop for picnics or lunch breaks. There is a wide selection of picnic sites in Kruger Park as well as day visitor centres.
The Kruger map books provide detail on distances between gates, picnic sites, day visitor centres and the rest camps. This helps you plan your daily game drives so you have places to stop at to stretch your legs, game or bird watch at special hides or enjoy a leisurely lunch and drinks at the bigger rest camps.