Rest Camps in Kruger

Southern Kruger

Southern Kruger is by far the most popular region of Kruger National Park. It is easy to reach by road, especially via the N4 from Johannesburg and Nelspruit, and Mbombela has the Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport (KMIA).

Accommodation in the south can be hard to book, though not as hard as at Satara Rest Camp. If the rest camps are full, many visitors stay just outside the park instead, in places like Marloth Park, Malelane, or Komatipoort and then do a private safari from Marloth Park. Others choose one of the private concession lodges inside Kruger's southern section.

The southern part of Kruger has four main rest camps. Let's start with the most popular, Lower Sabie Rest Camp. It is situated in the south-east of the park, next to the Sabie River, which flows into the Crocodile River.

Skukuza is the heart of Southern Kruger. It is the largest rest camp in the park and is extremely busy, as most operators use it as a base for picnics. It also has a golf course, a nursery, and two restaurants.

Pretoriuskop Rest Camp is one of the oldest camps in Kruger. It sits in the south-west of the park near Numbi Gate, and its higher rainfall makes the surrounding bush greener than in many other parts of the park. It has an old-school charm that many regular visitors love.

Last but not least is Berg-en-Dal Rest Camp, also in the south-west, close to Malelane Gate. It is set among rolling hills and is a good base for spotting rhino, making it a great choice for visitors coming in from the N4 side.

Central Kruger

Central Kruger has four of Krugers main rest camps, and 2 of them are very popular rest camps to visit in Kruger. Satara Rest Camp is by far the most popular rest camp in Kruger National Park. Getting a booking secured here takes precicion and planning and sometimes you have to book months in advance. Olifants Rest Camp is second popular in the Central region as it easily connects you to the satara plains that attract people and these plains has the best cat sightings in Kruger especially for lions. Orpen Rest Camp is one of the camps that people don't really know about, but it sits on the western border of Kruger Park and is a very small main rest camp but a good place if you know you'll be running late on your visit to Kruger. Lastly is Letaba Rest Camp and is also a great rest camp especially if you want to stay in one place but visit the north and also want to visit the central areas like satara.

Northern Kruger

The Northern Kruger has three of the Kruger main rest camps, in the far north you have Punda Maria Rest Camp, beautifully situated on a hill and surrounced by dense Mopani Woodland, incredibly beautiful. Punda Maria plays an important base for all the northern birding and if you start your journey in the far north, there is the pafuri camp but I dont think this camp has bungalows. a hundred or so kilomerets south you have Shingwedzi Rest Camp, and this camp is the most popular camp in the northern region. The habitat that surrounds the Shingwedzi River is unique to the whole of Kruger and you won't find a river looking this good in the southern Kruger. The main camp is on the river and has incredible loops in the area. Last is Mopani Rest Camp, the name says it self and this camp is close to where the northern region might start in Kruger. The camp is surrounded by dense Mopani bush.