Kruger Safari Packages 

What's Included in Our Kruger Safari Packages

 

Every Lelobu Kruger safari package includes your accommodation, activities with an experienced ranger, and road or air transfers from the start airport. Most also include all meals, park and conservation fees, and laundry. Each package page lists exactly what's covered, so there are no surprises when you arrive.

• Always included: accommodation, activities, transfers as listed

• Included in most private-reserve packages: all meals, game drives, guided bush walks, conservation levies, laundry

• Included on fly-in packages: return light-aircraft flights from Johannesburg, plus house wines, beers and soft drinks

• Not included: international flights, visas, travel insurance and tips; drinks on most road-transfer packages

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Types of Kruger Safari: Find Your Style

 

Kruger Budget Safaris

A budget Kruger safari keeps costs down by pairing a comfortable lodge outside the park with full days exploring Kruger National Park in an open safari vehicle. You cover a lot of ground in three nights and see why the southern Kruger is famous for its game. See our 3-night budget safari package →

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Lodge Safaris in the Greater Kruger

Private lodges give you the classic safari rhythm: an early-morning game drive, brunch, an afternoon rest, and an evening drive that ends with a spotlight search for nocturnal animals. Rangers can drive off-road to follow wildlife, and sightings are shared between only a few vehicles. Explore our 6-night wildlife safari →

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Kruger Camping and Walking Safaris

Sleeping in a tent puts you closer to the bush than any lodge can. Our camping combination begins and ends at Chacma Bush Camp, with three nights in between on a mobile walking safari where you track animals on foot with an armed guide and fall asleep to the sounds of the bush. View the lodge and camping safari →

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Kruger Family Safaris

Family safaris are built around children: lodges that welcome younger guests, shorter game drives, and activities such as junior ranger programmes and tracking lessons. We check each lodge's age rules before we suggest it. Plan a family safari →

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Kruger Fly-in Safaris

A fly-in safari swaps the 4–7 hour drive from Johannesburg for a scenic light-aircraft flight that lands at an airstrip in the reserve. It's the best choice for short trips, as you lose almost no time travelling. Compare Sabi Sands and Timbavati fly-in safaris →

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Kruger Safari and Cape Winelands Combinations

Pair the bush with the Cape: three nights near Kruger with two full-day game drives, followed by three nights among the vineyards, including a private wine tour. See the Kruger and Cape Winelands package →

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Kruger National Park or a Private Reserve?

 

Kruger National Park covers nearly 2 million hectares, and the Greater Kruger private reserves along its western edge share open, unfenced borders with it, so the same animals roam both. The difference is how you experience them.

• Game drives: in Kruger National Park you stay on public roads between sunrise and sunset; in the private reserves, most lodges can track animals off-road on morning and evening drives.

• Night drives: booked separately at the national park's rest camps; usually part of the evening drive in the private reserves.

• Bush walks: booked separately in the national park, with a minimum age of 12; offered at most private lodges after breakfast.

• Vehicles at a sighting: no limit in the national park, which can mean queues; usually 2–3 vehicles at a time in the private reserves.

• Best for: the national park suits budget safaris and first-time visitors; the private reserves suit closer, quieter wildlife encounters and honeymoons.

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Sabi Sands

The Sabi Sand Game Reserve borders southern Kruger and is one of the best-known private reserves in the Greater Kruger, with lodges set along the Sand River. Sabi Sands safari

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Timbavati

In the central Greater Kruger near Hoedspruit, the Timbavati is an unfenced private reserve with a relaxed, uncrowded feel. Timbavati safari.

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Klaserie

One of the largest private reserves, with wide open bushveld and few lodges, so drives feel quiet and remote. Sabi Sand and Klaserie safari.

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Manyeleti

A smaller reserve between Sabi Sand and Timbavati, with very few vehicles and a wild, uncrowded feel. Available as a tailored package.

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The Best Time for a Kruger Safari

 

Kruger is a year-round safari destination. The dry winter months make animals easiest to find, while the green summer brings newborn animals, birdlife and lower lodge rates.

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• May to September (dry season): thin bush and dry riverbeds draw animals to waterholes, so sightings are frequent. Days are mild, early-morning drives are cold, and malaria risk is at its lowest. July to October is peak season, so book early.

• October: hot and very dry, with some of the year's best game viewing just before the rains.

• November to March (green season): afternoon storms turn the bush lush. Late November brings the birthing season, when the bush is full of young animals. Migrant birds arrive and photography light is superb. Expect temperatures above 30°C.

• Holidays: South African school holidays (late June to mid-July, mid-December to mid-January, and around Easter) are busy, so book 6–12 months ahead.

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How Many Days Do You Need in Kruger?

 

Plan at least 3 nights for a Kruger safari. In a private reserve, that gives you five or six game drives and plenty of time to explore.

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• 3 nights: a full first taste. Ideal with a fly-in package or a budget safari.

• 5 nights: time to slow down, add bush walks and see more behaviour, not just tick off species.

• 6 nights or more: combine two reserves, such as Sabi Sand and Klaserie, or add the Cape Winelands.

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Getting to Kruger from Johannesburg and Cape Town

 

• By air (about 1 hour from Johannesburg): scheduled flights land at Skukuza, Hoedspruit or Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport near Mbombela, and some routes run from Cape Town too. We meet you at the airport and handle every transfer.

• Fly-in to the lodge: on our fly-in packages, a light aircraft flies you from Johannesburg's OR Tambo Airport straight to the lodge's own airstrip.

• By road: the drive from Johannesburg takes roughly 4–7 hours, depending on which part of the Kruger you are heading to. We can arrange a road transfer or advise on self-drive routes.

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Why Book Your Kruger Safari With Lelobu Safaris

 

A Local South African Operator

With over 20 years in the safari industry and an office in South Africa, we employ local staff and support local suppliers.

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Packages Tailored to You

Change lodges, add nights or combine reserves. Every itinerary is built around your dates and budget.

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Support 24 Hours a Day, 7 Days a Week

Someone from our team is reachable before you travel and throughout your safari.

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Kruger Safari FAQs

 

How much does a Kruger safari package cost?

Our Kruger safari packages start at ZAR 9,895 per person sharing for a 3-night budget safari in Kruger National Park. Private-reserve lodge and fly-in packages range from about ZAR 33,000 to ZAR 61,000 per person sharing for 3–6 nights, usually with meals, game drives and conservation fees included.

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Is Kruger a malaria area?

Yes, but the risk is usually low. It's highest from November to April, after the summer rains. Speak to your doctor about anti-malaria medication before you travel, and use insect repellent from dusk to dawn.

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Will I see the Big Five?

All of the Big Five (lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino) live in the Kruger and its private reserves. Sightings can never be guaranteed, but a stay of 3 nights or more in a private reserve gives you an excellent chance.

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Can children come on a Kruger safari?

Yes. Age limits for game drives and bush walks vary from lodge to lodge, so we match your family to lodges that welcome children of your kids' ages.

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Can I self-drive?

You can drive yourself in Kruger National Park, but private reserves allow guided drives only. Our packages include guided game drives so you can focus on the wildlife.

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What should I pack?

Neutral-coloured clothing, warm layers for early-morning drives in winter, a hat, sunscreen, insect repellent and binoculars. Fly-in safaris have strict luggage limits and usually require soft-sided bags, which we confirm when you book.

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How far ahead should I book?

For July to October and the December holidays, book 6–12 months ahead, as the best lodges fill early. Outside peak season, a few weeks' notice is often enough.

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