SOUTH AFRICA Kruger National Park

[BenditoMonte]

Good morning fellas

2019 will be the year we will visit South Africa, October-november maybe. We want to see wildlife so a safari has always been a dream for us but they are very expensive for us, so the Self drive safari idea came around at Overland Expo suggested by a nice guy at the maps section. this will be a very short trip, 5 day roaming around the Kruger National Park and maybe 4 more days in Johannesburg. I am planning to rent a Fully Equipped Camping car from www.drivesouthafrica.co.za, maybe a hilux or a land cruiser (really want the LC), I can afford the land cruiser but really it is a little expensive for my taste, So I am asking you guys, do you know a cheaper alternative to rent a fully equipped 4x4 in Johannesburg? the Land Cruiser goes around 1500 dlls for that amount of days.

Thanks

 

[Dana]

Good morning fellas

2019 will be the year we will visit South Africa, October-november maybe. We want to see wildlife so a safari has always been a dream for us but they are very expensive for us, so the Self drive safari idea came around at Overland Expo suggested by a nice guy at the maps section. this will be a very short trip, 5 day roaming around the Kruger National Park and maybe 4 more days in Johannesburg. I am planning to rent a Fully Equipped Camping car from www.drivesouthafrica.co.za, maybe a hilux or a land cruiser (really want the LC), I can afford the land cruiser but really it is a little expensive for my taste, So I am asking you guys, do you know a cheaper alternative to rent a fully equipped 4x4 in Johannesburg? the Land Cruiser goes around 1500 dlls for that amount of days.

Thanks

Sorry I am not of more help. Have you spoken with that company about going to the park? It’s my understanding you can’t just last minute it. I don’t know if you could email Andrew St. Pierre White. I am not even sure if he would respond but hey you never know. I have cousin in Durban but doubt he would know. Best of luck.

 

[BenditoMonte]

Thanks Dana, yes drivesouthafrica ley you drive their cars to the park, I'll give it a shot with Andrew

 

[Dana]

Thanks Dana, yes drivesouthafrica ley you drive their cars to the park, I'll give it a shot with Andrew

I looked at his (Andrew) website and it seems he want compensation for advice and has specific instructions for contacting him. I really meant about making reservations for the park? I think they need to be made well in advance.

 

[BenditoMonte]

Oh yes, you need to make reservations for the campgrounds

 

[Overland A Far]

We have been overlanding in Africa 3 times - first on a semi-guided photo safari and the next two times on our own in the camp car units. The camp cars are great and offer all the equipment you will need less food and water. A stop at the local supermarket (Spry) will fill that need. Note that I booked over 7 months in advance and had a hard time finding a unit. The roads are in great shape so a 4X4 isn't required - especially since it sounds like you are under severe time restraints. Kruger and other parks offer a very different camping experience than we are used to here in Canada or the US. Camping in the parks is restricted to the campgrounds which are high/electric fenced compounds. For your own protection. You need to be in the site by 6 pm and cannot leave until the next morning. Once traveling in the park you are not allowed out of your vehicle - for any reason!! There are good roads/maps throughout - all patrolled and there are small fenced day use areas throughout for bathroom breaks or to stop for a lunch break.
Campsites and day use areas offer an ablution facility (central multi- mini kitchens with stove, sink, hot water, counters) where you can cook your meals then take them to your site for eating and back later to do dishes and clean up. Good showers and bathrooms too. I would definitely book campsites ahead of time. And it will take you a lot of time to travel through the park - speed limits are low, lots of game and places to take photos as well as interesting displays in the main compounds. Hope this helps and you will certainly enjoy. Oh - on the way back to Johannesburg stop by Blyde Canyon and Pilgrim's Rest.

 

[BenditoMonte]

Thank you very much, this is useful, we are planning to book our flights, car and camps by Jan-Feb, so, do you think a 4x4 is not needed to get to great lookouts? or is the wildlife easy to spot from the main roads? thanks

 

[Overland A Far]

The road system in South Africa is very modern. Good signage and other than driving right hand steer in left hand lanes it is easy. You will get used to it. In Kruger park most main roads are paved and the gravel side roads in good shape - car access but I would recommend a pickup to carry the camping gear and roof top tent. Our camp cars (trucks) had canopy with all the necessary camping gear inside (stove, 12 volt fridge, 60 liters of water, utensils and all the cooking gear. sleeping bags and pillow, included. As for your personal items - we traveled with bare minimums and bought the items we needed (shampoo, etc.) all available in the supermarkets. As for cash - I took some Rand but when there went into a bank machine and used my interact card to get cash - we prefer to use their money than Canadian or US funds. I kept a bit of cash in each pocket and ensured the wallet was hid, don't bring it out to pay - use the pocket money. I would try to book now. Last time I tried in September for an April/May trip and couldn't find any openings for vehicles in Joho so ended up in Windhoek Namibia.
I would google earth Kruger so you can see the road system FYI - the park has excellent maps and at every compound/campground there are daily reports on which roads to take for the best opportunity to see lion, leopard, rhino, etc.
On every trip I have used one particular bed and breakfast that offers airport pickup and delivery, great accommodations, meals and will arrange all tours you may want to take in Joho - we toured the city and Pretoria and a must see is the national monument. I also went to a monster Sunday flee market. The Afton House is under new management (past and current owners are acquaintances). They cater to hunters and people doing unique volunteer work there. Super spot close to the airport and not expensive. Last trip I used a service caller Air Support 2000. They offer an airport arrival service that gets you through the customs in short order. Last trip we arrived at 7 am with numerous other jumbo jets. There were 1500 to 2000 people in the line up. We were escorted around them and right to the front of the line, the fellow got our passports stamped and we were out - no waiting? After the long flights this was a great break and our driver for the bed and breakfast was waiting for us. If you use Afton House please forward our name as references. A few pics of the units we used. Thanks

 

[BenditoMonte]

Awesome, great info, I really appreciate it, thanks a lot for your help

 

[Overland A Far]

Your welcome. And one more thing I thought about - Afton House staff can help you with getting to and from the Camp Car Rental and supermarkets - in fact they may have a preferred rental outfit. https://www.africanhuntinggazette.com/afton-guest-house/

 

[Jim SoG]

Been there and done that back in 08, we rode Harleys for 2 weeks all over S.A., Kruger is awesome, Spend the night inside that park well worth it, go on the night tours, amazing!
You can rent HD's pretty cheap and stay at B&B's, one thing for sure is you do NOT want to camp alone in the boonies, you will be a target......Believe the signs on the highways that say "High Crime Area".
South Africa is amazing and worth it, and you can go to Zimbabwe.
Jim

 

[Overland A Far]

I'm with you on the "High Crime Area" pretty much everywhere. Stay in B&B's or approved lodges/campsites.

 

[BenditoMonte]

many thank to all of you, without a question this trip has been the most intimidating for us, your info is very appreciated, our stay in Johannesburgo will be probably just nights of arrival and departure, we will try to be the most of our time in Kruger