Location: Limpopo and Mpumalanga Provinces Map
Area: 18,989 km2 (7,332 sq mi)
The Kruger National Park is the largest game reserve in South
Africa. It is located in the north-east of the country in the
Lowveld landscape in the Limpopo province and the eastern
section of Mpumalanga. Its area stretches from the Crocodile
River in the south to the Limpopo, the border river with
Zimbabwe, in the north. The north-south extension is about 350
km, in east-west direction the park is an average of 54 km wide
and covers an area of about 20,000 square kilometers. This makes
it one of the largest national parks in Africa.
The
reserve was established on March 26, 1898 under President Paul
Kruger as the Sabie Game Reserve to protect wildlife. In 1926
the area was given national park status and given its current
name. The park is home to 147 species of mammals including the
"Big Five", as well as around 507 species of birds and 114
species of reptiles, 49 species of fish and 34 species of
amphibians.
With 19,624 km², the Kruger National Park is one of the largest
protected areas in Africa, but in the dry season most of the game
migrates to the areas that border the park to the west. In 1961 the west
side was completely fenced off and in 1975 the same was enforced on the
east side, preventing the large animals from migrating in and out of the
park. Today there are a number of private protected areas in the west,
the fences of which towards the Kruger Park have been removed in many
cases and allow the animals, at least within these protected areas,
unhindered movement across the borders. In the northeast of the Kruger
National Park, the fences on the border with Mozambique have recently
been removed to allow game movements into the adjacent Limpopo National
Park in Mozambique. The destination is a large transboundary park called
the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park. In order to make it easier for
tourists to switch to Mozambique, new border crossings were built
between the parts of the park, for example in Giriyondo. In many places,
however, the park still borders on cultivated land.
Numerous
large game relocations to the adjacent Limpopo National Park - including
elephant, giraffe, zebra and Cape buffalo - have taken place, and not
all have been successful. Parts of the relocated herds of elephants have
migrated back to South Africa. It could take years to increase wildlife
populations on the Mozambique side.
Until about 400 AD, the San lived as hunters and gatherers in the
area of today's park, where they left rock paintings in some places.
From this time on, black pastoral peoples immigrated from the north and
began to displace the native San. In the early 19th century, when the
Cape region came under British rule, many Boers who had previously lived
further south migrated north to escape the burden of taxes. In addition
to the Orange Free State, they founded the Transvaal Republic, which
also included the area of today's national park. The whites mainly
settled in higher areas (preferably the Highveld) to avoid malaria and
other health hazards. However, even in lower-lying areas, such as those
that later became Kruger National Park, they stalked wild animals and
drastically decimated populations.
As game populations dwindled,
the Volksraad, the parliament of the South African Republic, decided to
ban hunting in some state-owned areas. At that time, a protected area
was not created to preserve original wilderness, but to protect huntable
game. By 1889, however, the herds of wild animals had almost
disappeared. In 1894 the Volksraad therefore designated a protected area
(Pongola Reserve) on the southern border with Swaziland. However,
various private individuals, hunting associations and public bodies
still demanded a proper sanctuary in the eastern Transvaal.
As a
result, on March 26, 1898, with the approval of Paul Kruger, President
of the Transvaal Republic, an area of approximately 2500 square
kilometers between Sabie and Crocodile River, the Sabie Game Reserve,
was officially placed under protection. The nature reserve was founded
with a staff of only 5 white and 30 black rangers, which is considered
an extraordinary achievement from a modern perspective. However,
regulated hunting was permitted in this reserve.
James
Stevenson-Hamilton was appointed game warden after the Second Boer War
in 1902. Under his leadership, the poaching that was still rampant in
the park was fought, laying the foundation for today's abundance of
animals. He tirelessly promoted the idea of a national park where
visitors could observe the wildlife. In 1903, the Shingwedzi Game
Reserve was established north of the reserve with about 5000 square
kilometers. In 1926 the Sabie and Shingwedzi Reserve and some adjacent
areas were grouped together and declared Kruger National Park. The park
has been open to visitors since 1927 and in 1935 there were already
26,000 visitors and 6,000 cars.
Since the beginning of the year
2000, the park has been expanded by merging with protected areas in
Mozambique and Zimbabwe. The Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park includes
Kruger National Park, Limpopo National Park in Mozambique and Gonarezhou
National Park in Zimbabwe.
The Kruger National Park lies to the east of the so-called Great
Escarpment. About 90 km west of the park, the plateau drops off steeply
from about 1800 m to 1200 m. Then the landscape continues to descend
slowly to 800 m to the limit of the park. Within the park, the elevation
varies from 823 m (Khandizwe) in the hilly south-west to 183 m in the
eastern areas. In the northern part of the park, the hilly and northern
section of the Lebomboberg Mountains forms the eastern boundary of the
park. The highest point of this chain is 496 m. To the north, around
Camp Punda Maria, the easternmost foothills of the Soutpansberg chain
reach into the national park. With the exception of the corners of the
south-west and north-west and the Lebombo Mountains, the park is
relatively flat and consists of undulating land, from which some rocky
islands, the so-called koppies, rise in many places. These rocks are
ideal habitats for klipspringers, baboons and leopards. Only in the
hills and rocky areas of the southwest around Berg en Dal is the
mountain reedbuck found, which is found nowhere else in the park.
The park has numerous rivers, most of which do not carry water
permanently, but become rivulets or dry up completely during the winter
dry season. In the rainy season, however, they can form powerful and
wide streams that can lead to flooding. The major rivers flowing through
the park (to the east and south-east) are the Luvuvhu (flowing into the
Limpopo at Crook's Corner), the Shingwedzi, the Letaba (flowing into the
Olifants), the Olifants, the Timbavati (flowing into the Olifants), the
Sand (flows into the Sabie) and the Sabie. In addition, the Crocodile
forms the border river of the park in the south and the Limpopo forms
the border of the park with Zimbabwe in the north. An ecological problem
is the enormous amount of pollutants that the few year-round rivers,
such as the Olifants, carry with them, especially in the dry season.
This is reinforced by the withdrawal of water for industry and
agriculture. More recently, some artificial water features have been
created. They provide water access for wild animals in the dry season.
Some of these artificial water points created new ecological problems,
such as overgrazing of the surrounding areas.
The northern part
includes all areas north of the Olifants River and accounts for half of
the entire park. The vegetation here consists mainly of mopane forests
(Cholophospermum mopane), which are interspersed with scrub willows
(Combretum apiculatum), especially on the hilltops. You can also find
the mighty baobab trees in the north. In general, wildlife density is
lower here than in the southern parts of the park, but numerous
elephant, buffalo, eland, roan and lyre live in this sub-area. Only the
area in the extreme north, where the park borders the Limpopo, differs
significantly from the other northern, overall rather monotonous
landscapes. The vegetation here is extremely varied, and one of the
characteristic tree species of this area is the fever tree.
The
central part of the park, between the Olifants and Sabie rivers,
includes open grass and tree savannas and is home to most of the zebra,
wildebeest and giraffe. Tree species characteristic of the entire
southern area include sweet thorn acacia (Acacia nigrescens), marula
tree (Sclerocarya birrea) and scrub willow.
The vegetation of the
southern parts is extremely varied, but also consists mainly of
thorn-armed acacia and grassland.
When the national park area was
part of the former Sabie Sand Reserve, sheep grazed there in the winter,
so the grass was burned down every year. This ceased when the national
park was established in 1926, and by 1954 fires were actively being
fought. As a result, the landscape around Pretoriuskop, which was once
largely grassland, now consists mainly of scrub and woodland, with the
exception of the so-called vleis. Although natural fires have been
tolerated again for some time, the area has remained relatively wooded,
presumably because the trees have now reached a size at which the fire
can do little to them.
There are two geologically different areas in the park, separated by a narrow band of sandstone. In the western half one finds mainly types of rock such as gneiss, slate and granite. In its eastern half these rock units are overlain by basaltoid rocks of the Karoo system.
Summers are hot and rainy, winters are warm and dry. During and
immediately after the rainy season (November-April), when there is
plenty of water everywhere, the game spreads out over a large area in
the park. In the dry season, on the other hand, the large animals
concentrate on the surroundings of the rivers and waterholes.
The
first rains usually start in September or October. The sky usually fills
with clouds several days beforehand. Average annual rainfall varies from
740 mm in the southwest to 440 mm in the northeast. The greatest amount
of it falls between November and March. The lowest rainfall occurs
between July and August.
The rainy season is very hot, and the
temperature often rises to over 40 °C. In the dry season, on the other
hand, it can get very cold at night (sometimes below 0 °C), but most
years are frost-free and even in winter temperatures often rise to 20-30
°C.
The most common large carnivores are spotted hyenas with around 2000,
lions with around 1500 and leopards with around 1000 specimens (as of
2003). Rarer are African wild dogs with about 350 animals and cheetahs
with a population of only about 200 animals (as of 2002/2003).
By
far the park's most common larger wildlife is the impala, which was
estimated to number 150,000 in 2003. Since 1980, when the population was
estimated at around 90,000, this species has almost doubled in the park.
The most numerous large wild animal species are elephants with 11,700
animals, southern blue wildebeest (C. t. taurinus) with 17,000 animals,
cape buffalo with 25,000 animals and plains zebra with 32,000 animals
(as of 2003). Also common are giraffes, whose numbers have increased
from 5,000 in 1980 to 9,000 in 2003. The southern subspecies of giraffe,
the so-called Cape giraffe (G. c. giraffa), lives in the Kruger Park.
Greater kudu (5000-8000), elliptical waterbuck (5000), warthog
(3100-5700) and hippo (about 2500) are other common large herbivores.
The stocks of elephants, buffaloes and hippos are regulated by
artificial interventions (shooting, resettlement) by the park
administration.
Kruger National Park is an important reserve for
the nyala. Sable antelope populations have fallen from around 2,000
animals in the 1980s to just around 400 in 2006. The reasons for this
are unclear. Sable antelopes mainly inhabit the western areas of the
park. The rare large herbivores also include the lyre antelope
(subspecies Sassaby) with around 200-300 animals, the eland with an
estimated around 400 animals and the roan antelope. Only about 60-70
animals of this antelope species remain in the northern part of the park
(as of 2006).
Rhino poachers have been causing significant
problems in Kruger National Park since around 2008. They are
particularly interested in rhino horn. The southern white rhino (C. s.
simum) was already extinct in the Lowveld by 1896. However, in 1961, 351
animals from the Hluhluwe iMfolozi Park were successfully reintroduced
into the Pretoriuskop region of the Kruger National Park. According to
the national park administration, the population had stabilized at
around 10,000 animals by 2010. Since then, poachers have killed an
estimated 2,000 animals. In 2013 alone, 520 animals were killed. Even
the use of police and army units with drones and helicopters has not
curbed poaching to date (end of 2014). Since the problem cannot be
solved by controls and army operations alone, as many rhinos as possible
are to be brought to safety in the south-west of the park. This area is
easier to monitor and further from the border, so the national park
administration has set up an "Intensive Protection Zone" here.
In
contrast to the again common white rhino, the black rhino is rarely seen
in the park. It disappeared in the Lowveld around 1936. In 1971, 20
animals were introduced in the Pretoriuskop area. Today there are
between 200 and 470 specimens in the park. Most of the park's large
reedbuck (at least 400) live in the south-eastern area around Melelane
and Pretoriuskop. Mountain Reedbuck and Roebuck were reintroduced but
are still quite rare today. They live only in the wetter southwest of
the park. Oribis also lived in the southwesternmost part of the
sanctuary in the late 19th century, but became extinct there in the
early 20th century. Release attempts since 1969 have had little success.
The park may be a little too dry for Oribis, and the climatic conditions
may once have been a little wetter. The Lichtenstein's antelope once
occurred and later became extinct in at least the northernmost (possibly
southern) areas of the park. The species has now been reintroduced into
the national park. A total of 30 of these Malawi antelopes were released
south of Punda Maria in 1985/86 and have successfully bred. The
Lichtenstein's antelope can already be seen on cave drawings in the
Petoriuskop region.
Other ungulates include bush pig, bushbuck, klipspringer, Sharpe's
sirebuck, steenbok, crowned duiker and the tiny dwarf buck (far north
only). Baboons (about 200 groups in total) and vervet monkeys are also
common sights. Other primates that are seen less frequently are the
white-throated monkey, the giant galago and the southern galago. The
smaller predator species are represented in the park by the caracal,
serval, bay cat, black-footed cat, lesser spotted genet, greater spotted
genet, civet, black-backed jackal, striped jackal, aardwolf, honey
badger, polecat, otter, white-tailed mongoose, southern dwarf mongoose,
banded mongoose, marsh mongoose and slender mongoose.
Other
conspicuous smaller mammals are the steppe pangolin, the aardvark,
porcupine, spring hare, bush hare and kaphase, as well as wood
squirrels, rock hyrax and wood hyrax.
The largest bird in the
park is the ostrich. Other noticeably large bird species include
marabou, ground hornbills, secretary and kori bustard. Large waterfowl
such as saddle stork, Goliath heron, purple heron, gray heron, great
egret, white stork, black stork, glutton and pelicans can be found on
the water, as well as numerous other species such as the Egyptian goose.
Among the largest birds of prey are the martial eagle, the predatory
eagle, the crowned eagle and the fish eagle. The vultures are
represented by lappet vultures, white-backed vultures, cape vultures,
woolly-headed vultures and hooded vultures. Jugglers were once
widespread in South Africa, but today they are almost exclusively found
in the Kruger National Park. There is also a large variety of small and
medium-sized bird species in the park, such as tokos and glossy
starlings.
Yellow-billed oxpeckers died out around 1904 in South
Africa in the course of the appearance of rinderpest and the tick
poisons used around 1896. The animals were first sighted again in the
north of the park in the mid-1970s. Within 15 years they had spread
south. The decisive factors were the use of less harmful toxins against
ticks and the recovery of wildlife populations, especially the Cape
buffalo.
Among the reptiles, the large Nile crocodiles and
monitor lizards (two species) are particularly noteworthy. There are
also at least 53 smaller species of lizards, divided into geckos (14
species), skinks (13 species), lizards (19 species), agamas (three
species) and chameleons (one species). Of the 54 species of snakes, nine
are very venomous, such as cobras, puff adders and the black mamba. The
largest snake in the area is the rock python. Three species of aquatic
turtles and three species of tortoises, including the leopard tortoise,
are also native. Among the fish, the African catfish (Clarias
gariepinus) is particularly worth mentioning.
From the realm of
insects, the mighty castles of the termites are particularly striking.
Pillworms and the caterpillars of the peacock moth Gonimbrasia belina
are also typical. The Anopheles mosquitoes are feared as disease
vectors.
The park is home to a total of 147 species of mammals,
492 species of birds, 118 species of reptiles, 34 species of amphibians
and 49 species of freshwater fish that are included in the Kruger
National Park Vertebrate Species List. The flora includes 404 species of
trees, bushes and shrubs, 224 species of grass and 1275 other species of
plants.
inputs
The park can be reached via several entrances:
In the
south: Malelane and Crocodile Bridge (directly at/to the camp of the
same name)
In the southwest: Numbi, Phabeni and Paul Kruger
To the
west: Orpen and Phalaborwa
In the north: Pafuri and Punda Maria
Additionally, there are inputs from the Mozambican side:
Pafuri
Border Post
Giriyondo
camps
Scattered throughout the park
are a number of camps and rest areas where you can rest, eat, or stay
the night. There are a total of 21 so-called rest camps with overnight
accommodations and 11 upscale private lodges in the park. The rest camps
are divided into two groups, the larger main camps and the smaller
bushveld camps. Furthermore, seven areas were granted as concessions to
private companies, which also operate lodges there.
main camp
The 13 Main Camps (German: Haupt-Camps) of the Kruger National Park
absorb the bulk of the guests. They offer more comfort than the smaller
bushveld camps and often have restaurants, shops and petrol stations.
Berg-en-Dal: This modern camp was opened on February 24, 1984 on the
banks of the Matjulu Spruit River near a prehistoric settlement. It is
the park's only camp in a mountainous region and offers accommodation
for around 500 visitors.
Crocodile Bridge: This relatively small camp
opened in the 1930's on the banks of the Crocodile River in the
southeast corner of the park. The camp also serves as the park entrance.
Letaba: This camp is one of the largest in the park and is situated on
the banks of the Letaba River
Lower Sabie: The camp is located on a
dam that dams the Sabie River and can accommodate nearly 300 guests.
Mopani: Opened in 1989 on the east bank of a reservoir and can
accommodate around 500 guests
Olifants: Located in the north of the
park about two hundred meters above the Olifants river with a panoramic
view
Orpen: This relatively small camp in the west of the park also
serves as the park entrance
Pretoriuskop: Located on the wagon route
from the Lydenburg Goldfields to the coast. Was named after Andries
Pretorius' son, Willem Pretorius. It is the westernmost and highest camp
in the park.
Punda Maria: Built in 1919 as a game wardens' station in
the north corner of the park and converted to a rest camp in 1933. From
this camp, the nearby archaeological site of Thulamela can be visited.
Satara: Prior to the creation of the park, the area around Satara was
inhabited by settlers from the Transvaal Republic. One of the Indian
surveyors marked present-day Satara with the Hindi word "Satra" meaning
17. With a capacity of around 450 overnight guests, it is one of the
park's largest camps.
Shingwedzi: This is the largest camp in the
northernmost parts of the park.
Skukuza: The park's main camp on the
south bank of the Sabie River offers overnight accommodation for more
than 1,000 visitors. The camp offers a 9-hole golf course and a bank.
The camp was called Sabie Bridge when it opened in 1902, but was renamed
Skukuza in 1936 after James Stevenson-Hamilton's nickname in the
Shangaan language.
Bushveld Camps
The bushveld camps are smaller than the large main
camps and do not have gas stations, shops or restaurants. In contrast to
the main camps, they are only accessible to overnight guests.
Balule:
On the south bank of the Olifant. Very small camp with no electricity.
bateleur
Biyamiti Bushveld Camp at Biyamiti
Malelane: A small camp
near the larger Berg-en-Dal camp, based on the remains of an earlier,
larger camp. It offers accommodation for up to 19 guests.
Maroela: A
small campsite on the Timbavati River next to Orpen Camp
Sirheni: A
small camp in a gallery forest on the Sirheni Dam that dams the
Mphongolo River
Shimuwini: Bushveld Camp on the Letaba River
Talamati: Bushveld Camp at a waterhole in the south-central part of the
park
Tamboti Tented Camp: A small tented camp in a wooded area on a
bend of the Timbavati River near Orpen Camp
Tsendze Rustic camp: A
small campsite opened in 2006 about 7 km from Mopani camp next to the
Mooiplaas rest area
private lodges
Boulder's Bush Lodge
Roodewal Bush Lodge
The Outpost Lodge: Located in Crook's Corner.
Rest areas (with service)
Afsaal Tearoom (on the Malelane
Entrance–Skukuza route)
Balabala (on the Shingwedzi-Punda Maria
route)
Tshokwane (on the Skukuza–Satara line)
Nkhulu (on the
Skukuza–Lower Sabie route)
Concessions with private lodges
Imbali: A 100 km² concession consisting of two lodges, Imbali Safari
Lodge, situated on the banks of the Nwatswitswonto River and Hoyo Hoyo
Tsonga Lodge, built in the style of a traditional Tsonga village on the
banks of the Mluwati River.
Hamilton's Tented Camp
Jock Safari
Lodge: A 60km² concession between Pretoriuskop and Lower Sabie. The
lodge with its twelve suites was the first private lodge in the park.
Lukimbi: A 150 km² concession area in the southern part of the park. The
lodge is situated on the banks of the Lwakahle River near Malelane
mutual
Mutlumuvi: The only concession authorized to offer guided
walks in the 120 km² concession (Rhino Walking Safaris). Alongside this,
Rhino Post Safari Lodge offers 5-star luxury.
Ngala Tented Safari
Camp: A tented camp on a 147 km² concession
Singita Lebombo Lodge: A
100 km² concession area to the east of the park. The lodge is situated
on the south bank of the Nwanetsi River east of Satara camp near the
Lebombo Mountains.
Tinga: A 50 km² concession consisting of two
lodges, Narina Lodge and Legends Lodge.
Londolozi: This property is
located on the Sabie Sand property and is adjacent to the Sand River.
Silvan Safari Lodge: Also located on the Sabie Sand Concession and
offers six suites.
Wilderness trails
Seven 3-day hiking routes
offer the opportunity to explore the park's more remote regions on foot
and experience the wilderness up close. No paths were created for the
routes, the hikers use deer crossing or cross country.
Bushman: Near
Berg-en-Dal
Metsi-Metsi: Near Orpen Dam and N'wamuriwa Mountains
Napi: Between Skukuza and Pretoriuskop
Nyalaland: North of Punda
Maria near the Luvuvhu River
Olifants: Near Olifants Rest Camp, along
the Olifants River
Sweni: Near N'wanetsi
Wolhuter: Between
Berg-en-Dal and Pretoriuskop
management and safeguards
Poaching in the Kruger National Park is having a significant impact on
wildlife in the region and adjacent areas. Rhinos are particularly
endangered. National park rangers have been following the illegal
activities for a long time. South Africa has deployed its army (SANDF)
against poachers since 2011. In addition to police units (SAPS), an
Intelligence Tactical Regiment from Potchefstroom and other military
special forces with helicopter support and night vision devices are also
involved in these activities. The activities of the poachers reached
cross-border dimensions, favored by the good local knowledge of those
involved. As part of Operation Corona, which actually serves to secure
and monitor the country's external borders, 64 people were arrested in
Kruger National Park with the help of SANDF units in 2011. Poachers,
armed with Kalashnikovs and hand grenades, were killed and injured in
firefights with the army and police units and law enforcement agencies
involved. According to the South African army, many of the poachers are
former Mozambican soldiers with a good level of military training.
The increasing militarization of nature conservation in the park is
also the subject of criticism and scientific debate (green
militarization).