|
Introduction
The Kruger National Park is the primary destination in South Africa for many international tourists. Each year more than half a million visitors are registered.
Wildlife
The flagship of the South African national parks, Kruger is home to an impressive number of species: 336 trees, 49 fish, 34 amphibians, 114 reptiles, 507 birds and 147 mammals (including the "Big Five", Lion, Leopard, Buffalo, Elephant and Rhinoceros)
The National Park was opened in 1898 at the instigation of then-president Paul Kruger. After hunters had considerably decimated the originally rich game stock, all the land between the Sabie and the Crocodile Rivers was put under the protection of Nature Conservation to ensure the survival of the remaining animals. Only as recently as 1961 was the extended Kruger Park fenced in.
Location
The park stretches from the Crocodile River in the south up to the Limpopo River, which is the international border in the north. Altogether it is 350 km long, 65 km wide and comprises an area of about 20,000 sq km. A web of roads of 1863 kilometres leads through the National Park, 697 kms of them being tarred. For the visitor there are numerous differently equipped restcamps, most of them scenically positioned. Within the park boundaries, travel is only allowed between sunrise and sunset. After dark one has to stay in one of the fenced restcamps.
Tourism
The best time for observing the animals is the dry winter season. Then the grass is low and bushes and trees don't have leaves, so that one can have an unobstructed view. Because it virtually doesn't rain in winter, the animals come to the waterholes to drink in the mornings and evenings and can easily be watched from the car. South Africa's world-renowned Kruger National Park offers a wildlife experience that ranks with the best in Africa. In October 2001 history was made with the opening of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park . This is a new international park which brings together Kruger National Park, the Limpopo National Park in Mozambique and Gonarezhou National Park in Zimbabwe and covers an area of approximately 35,000 square kilometers. Ultimately when the infrastructure is developed, tourists will be able to move freely across the borders and enjoy many new attractions such as bird-rich tropical wetlands, lake cruises, rugged 4x4 adventures and cultural tourism.
|
