Monday 29 December 2008

Introducing Kruger National Park


I would like to recommend a website listing safari and game lodges in Kruger National Park, in Mpumalanga, South Africa.

The website offers comprehensive information about travel, health, innoculations and also the wildlife and Big 5, plus reservations at some lovely game and safari lodges, and tented safari camps in Kruger National Park and surrounds. Also offering tour and safari packages, for those that want everything in one, photographic prints of the Big 5 and fun wildlife jigsaw puzzles.

There is a live webcam right in the middle of the African bush. Depending on the time of day, you can watch wildlife at the waterhole in Djuma Game Reserve, or partake in a live game drive through the African bush.

Visit the website now....

Saturday 6 December 2008

Kruger National Park - Sights and Sounds of Africa

Kruger Travel Guide:


Acacia Trees, Kruger National Park, South AfricaThe Kruger National Park, which measures a whopping two million hectares, is approximately the size of the whole of Wales. Although there are still fences between parts of the Kruger National Park and Mozambique and Zimbabwe, so the planned Greater Limpopo Transfrontier Park is not quite yet a reality. When it is, it will be spectacular. Actually, Kruger already is. Most of the park is situated in the Lowveld. Restricted to broad valleys below 1 000m above sea level, the Lowveld is what many people consider to be the 'real' Africa. In this low-lying subtropical climate, broad-leaved trees and thorn trees co-exist happily in relatively open woodland, interspersed with long grass - and, of course, game. Wildlife abounds.

African Landscape, Kruger National ParkIn the far north, it gets hotter and the vegetation changes to mopane woodland and, right in the northern part of the country, huge baobab trees dominate the landscape. The rivers here tend to be broad and slow-moving and may consist of no more than a few unconnected pools at the end of the dry season but that's when the game congregates around the few known water sources - so it all evens out. You may have heard the cynical remark that Kruger is 'too developed' with loads of town-like camps and other infrastructure. Well, yes. The park does have a number of good accommodation options - more than 20 SANParks camps and a few private luxury lodges as well. That may sound like a lot - but remember that Kruger is the size of Wales - and in all that space there is one town - the main camp, Skukuza, is virtually a small town - about a dozen tiny hamlets with less than a hundred families and a few out of they way camps that would probably relate to a small farmstead. That leaves an awful lot of real wilderness.

You can do Kruger as a self-drive or as a guided tour. Other exciting options include walking safaris, mountain bike trails and a self-drive 4x4 trail. The nearest airport to the park is the Kruger-Mpumalanga International Airport, just outside Nelspruit. The southern, more popular, part of Kruger is about four hour's drive from Johannesburg, and a little less from Pretoria. The drive to the more remote, far less utilised, northern part, takes a few hours longer, but it's not on the same route. You could do a great circular tour if you had ten days or so to spare. Fly in to KMIA and enter the park in the south, drive very slowly to the north, spending a day or two at different camps en route, and then drive back to Johannesburg. (Or the other way round, of course.)

Strangely - and contrary to expectations - the northern part, which is truly wild, has less animals than the south so don't feel you're missing out if you've only got a few days in the more busy part of the park. As well as the Kruger National Park, the lowveld is well endowed with private nature reserves, most of which have luxury lodges, where guests are subjected to an outrageous level of pampering and taken on fantastic game drives and optional walks by very knowledgeable and attentive guides. Many lodges even have attached wellness centres where you can fill in the time between morning and evening game drives with a massage, facial or some other indulgent treatment.

Note: If you are planning to travel to the Kruger National Park or Lowveld please be aware that this is a malaria region. Consult your doctor or travel clinic for advice and refer to our article on malaria.

Book a luxury or budget game or safari lodge in Kruger National Park

safarinow.com




Saturday 23 February 2008

South Africa - Alphabetically Speaking...

South Africa - a Quick Alphabetical Tour


At the very end of Africa is a land of wonder - offering everything possible to satisfy anyone's vacation or holiday needs. The following is a brief alphabetical tour of the highlights:

A - Addo Elephant Park - currently housing more than 450 elephants, 400 Cape buffalo, over 48 endangered black rhino as well as a variety of antelope species. Lion and spotted hyena have also recently been re-introduced to the area.

B - Beaches - South Africa has some wonderful beaches, including Blue Flag beaches - some on the cooler Atlantic Coast, and others on the warm Indian Ocean. Visit the Western Cape, Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal for endless golden sand.

C - Cape Town - rightfully called the most beautiful city in the world - framed by the awesome Table Mountain, this lovely city is just waiting to be visited. Shops, restaurants, history, views - beaches, mountains, winelands - this is just a sample of what can be found in this wonderful city.


D - Durban - a city in KwaZulu- Natal on the warm Indian Ocean with the famous Golden Mile of sandy beaches and wonderful coastal areas to the North and South.

E -
Eastern Cape - part of the famous Garden Route - a stunning area with wonderful scenery, attractive small towns and golden beaches.

F - Free State - when travelling from Johannesburg to Cape Town, you pass through this area - although not a popular destination it has its attractions, including Bloemfontein, a small and lovely city. The vast Karoo desert offers incredible landscapes...

G - Garden Route - glorious stretch along the Cape Coast from Mossel Bay all the way down to Port Elizabeth - wonderful scenery, beautiful coastal regions, golfing, Ostriches, caves… an endless variety of entertainment and holiday value. Golf is another good "G" word - there are many quality and high-class golf courses all over the country - truly a golfer's paradise!

H - Hermanus - on the Overberg Whale Route - a beautiful small town where at the right time of year, you can see the Southern Right Whale close up and personal!

I - Indian Ocean - the warm side of South Africa - from Cape Point, all the way up the right side of South Africa to Hluhuwe in KwaZulu- Natal .

J - Johannesburg - The City of Gold - in Gauteng Province although probably not the best tourist attraction, and a little dangerous, it has its moments. Fly into Johannesburg Airport on the way to your Kruger National Park safari.

K - Kruger National Park - famous for the Big Five - Lion, Leopard, Buffalo, Elephant and Rhino. Many wonderful safari and game lodges in this area and a MUST VISIT safari location!

L - Limpopo Province - the real and raw Africa with wonderful wildlife, where the Big Five and other animals roam free. Amazing scenery, and malaria free for your comfort…


M - Mandela - Nelson Mandela, the icon of the New South Africa - imprisoned on Robben Island off
Cape Town for 27 years before becoming the 11th South African President.

N - Northern Cape - part of the semi desert area of the Karoo - includes the fascinating Kimberley Hole - diamond mine of fame!

O - Oudtshoorn - in the Klein Karoo (little Karoo) just off the Garden Route on Route 62, this wonderful little town has many ostrich farms - you can even ride on an ostrich if you are brave enough! Also the famous Cango Caves are well worth a visit.

P - Pretoria - capital of South Africa - affectionately known as the Jacaranda City for all the purple blossom-bedecked streets and a calm and elegant city.

Q - a difficult letter! Suffice to say that the smaller towns in South Africa are Quaint, Quiet, Quintessentially beautiful!

R - Ramsgate/Margate - on the South Coast of KwaZulu-Natal - beautiful seaside towns with endless sandy beaches.

S - Stellenbosch - in the Cape Winelands of the Western Cape - a historic and beautiful town, home to South Africa's second oldest University - the University of Stellenbosch. Surrounded by history and endless vineyards, and well worth the visit.

T - Tours and safaris - South Africa offers excellent tour and safari options in all its many touristic areas.

U - Umhlanga - beautiful seaside town on the North Coast of Durban.


V - Another difficult letter! V is for Visit South Africa for the holiday of a lifetime.

W - Wild Coast - on the Eastern Cape - a remarkable area with wonderful scenery, gorgeous beaches and beautiful little seaside towns.

X - Xhosa - the Xhosa are speakers of Bantu languages living in south-east South Africa, and in the last two centuries throughout the southern and central-southern parts of the country. A fascinating language to listen to with a series of fifteen different click sounds.

Y - You should visit South Africa! :o)

Z - Zulu - A member of a Bantu people of southeast Africa, primarily inhabiting northeast KwaZulu-Natal province in South Africa.

In conclusion, South Africa has so much to offer - impossible to put in full detail on one article, but definitely a travel destination of note.

Anne Sewell runs several tourism related websites including All World Vacation Station , a travel guide offering accommodation options worldwide.