The ins OR outs of the Kruger National Park

Is it better to stay inside the Kruger National Park or outside?

One of our favourite places to visit is the Kruger National Park. We have quite a lot of experience with both staying inside the park at the rest camps, as well as staying outside the park at some of the surrounding resorts.

Inside Experience:

• There is a certain romanticism about staying inside one of the greatest game reserves in the world.
• Staying at the rest camps makes you feel part of the eco-system, especially when you are lucky enough to hear nocturnal sounds, a Pearl Spotted owl calling in a tree, a Black Backed Jackal howling or perhaps a lion asserting his dominance with a deafening roar.
• The atmosphere in the rest camps provides a camaraderie with fellow nature lovers.
• Staying inside the reserve makes the picnic sites easily accessible.
• Visiting a rest camp allows you to explore different areas of the park from a central location, instead of wasting time driving to and from the reserve every day.
• Eliminating the travel in to and out of the park allows for a more relaxed experience, perhaps even an afternoon nap here and there.
• Staying inside the park also offers the option of camping, which is always exciting and of course very affordable.
• For the less price sensitive, there is a variety of world class lodges scattered across the park, offering the ultimate game reserve experience.

Outside Experience:

• There are many accommodation options, many of which might be more luxurious than the traditional Kruger Park rest camp huts.
• Many of these options include services like satellite television, wifi or housekeeping, allowing a more restful holiday.
• Most resorts offer a variety of activities which is especially nice for holidays with kids, including tennis, golf, swimming pools, and spa’s for the grown ups.
• Resorts outside the park is easily accessible for visitors staying a few hours away from the park at any time of day; while the park has a specific gate closing time, by which you need to be checked in at the rest camp.
• Staying at a resort in the area might be more affordable in certain cases, for example through time share.

If you are, like us, regular Kruger visitors, the rest camps makes you feel at home and the true nature experience makes it that little bit more special to stay inside the park, rather than outside. Our top selling feature: when you stay inside the park, at any stage, you can look around you only to find unspoiled vistas as far as the eye can see, for 360 degrees.