FREQEUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

The open safari vehicles are very safe. Animals do not view people on a vehicle as a threat, as they would if they were standing next to them. That’s why they never attack open vehicles as they are not used to engaging with humans at all but rather regard us with some concern and respect. Touching and feeding the animals is strictly prohibited in the national park. By observing these rules and by making sure we always respect the animals' personal space we avoid them feeling distressed or threatened by our presence.

The rest camps are fenced with electric wire, therefore they are very safe. Normal safety precautions apply, which will be communicated to you at the beginning of the tour by your guide.

Please let us know if you require any change to the tour; we would be happy to customize the itinerary, the accommodation or the activities for you as much as possible (accommodation: subject to avaliability).

Please let us know if you have special dietary requirements. We will cater to your specific needs or preferences as much as possible.

Generally, our guides are all English speakers, but we can arrange for a translator or a guide in another language upon request - please inquire for more information

Our overnight tours start in Johannesburg and the cost for the shared shuttle transfer is included. Should you arrive at a different airport; at a different time or if you prefer the flexibility and privacy of a private transfer please let us know so we can include it in your tour itinerary.

All children are allowed to participate in private tours to Kruger National Park. We can adapt the tours to make them more suitable for smaller children with longer breaks and rest / play time at the camp. Let us know the age of your children and we’ll make a plan accordingly. Children under 12 are restricted from participating in certain Kruger Park organized activities, such as bush walks.

As most of the time on safari is spent driving / sitting on an open safari vehicle, you can join one of our tours at any level of fitness. We can provide some assistance in boarding the viewing platform; walking distances are short - usually you'll only walk a few hundred meters at the most at a time, such as between your room and the restaurant / shop in the rest camps. Please let us know in advance if you have any medical issues or restricted mobility, so we can plan ahead and advise you accordingly.

Some but not all meals are included but all restaurants and most shops take credit cards. Tips are not included. Kruger National Park Rest Camps accept only credit card payments. You can withdraw small amounts of cash at the airport, or exchange at a foreign exchange bureau before reaching the National Park.

While some meals (all breakfasts and some dinners) are provided by us you also have the opportunity of choice at the restaurant on at least one of the evenings. You can purchase snacks or even ingredients to prepare your own meal at one of the markets inside the rest camp, so you don’t need to come with food unless you have specific dietary requirements (see above). If this is the case please let us know in advance so that we can prepare for that.

If you’re coming from a country that has a risk of Yellow Fever transmission you must present a valid Yellow Fever certificate upon entering South Africa. You should have all standard immunizations when you are coming to South Africa but nothing specific is required besides that. Please consult with your physician if you have any doubts. If required please arrange a travel health insurance before your trip as this is not included in the price. While Kruger National Park is a high risk malaria area from October to May, some simple precautions can be taken that will ensure that you’re safe. The best way is to prevent getting bitten; that includes chemical sprays that can be applied to your skin; mosquito nets for sleeping; mosquito deterrent heating pads and covering exposed areas of your skin especially at dusk and darkness. Different malaria prophylactic medications are available that prevent you from getting sick should you get bitten by a malaria carrying species of mosquito; these can have some side effects. Some can also be taken by pregnant women. Please, again consult with your doctor before travelling should you have some specific health concerns.

In summer (October to May) it does get very hot during the day and it doesn’t cool off a lot at night; but mornings on an open safari vehicle can be chilly so do bring a warm jacket and a sweater. It only rains in summer. In winter from June to September it is usually pleasantly temperate with no rains but there can be cool and windy days, meaning that you will need long pants and sweater / jacket. It is recommended to cover your arms / legs if sitting outside in the evening and at night for protection from mosquitoes.

Kruger National Park has a surface area of nearly 19.500 sqkm and there are 850 km of tarred roads, which seems a lot but actually large parts of the park are inaccessible by private vehicles and tour operators to give animals a space to be undisturbed by human activity. Our guides do their very best to locate the animals by using their knowledge of the bush, reading tracks and communicating with other guides but the area is simply too big to give a guarantee of seeing the Big Five. However, you are more than likely to see at least lions, elephants and buffalo even on one of our shorter tours; while leopards are naturally elusive and shy and sadly rhino numbers are diminishing, sightings are still possible especially with our guide’s expertise on our side.

Our itinerary in the park is determined by the tour itinerary; for example, if we are spending a night in Skukuza and the next night in Satara the direction we’re going to take on that day is naturally towards the north. Apart from that we don’t have a fixed daily itinerary as we need to be flexible in order to see the animals that are moving about constantly. We might be driving north on the main route but take a detour to the east in order to check out a cheetah sighting.

Accommodation types are specific to each tour. When inside the park, we stay in bungalows. A camping option is available on request for some of the nights. For Adventure Tour we spend one night in a converted observation post in the bush (see description). Outside the park we will accommodate you at one of our upscale partner lodges.

The tours all start in Johannesburg, meaning that the transfer is included and you don’t have anything to take care of other than letting us know where you need to be picked up.

We work with DPO PayGate which enables card payments with VISA and Mastercard: www.paygate.co.za. (www.paygate.co.za.)We can offer alternatives, if needed.