Hello team !!!!!

Just a few words to say a huge THANK YOU to Simon and his team at Wild Wings for a fantastic holiday and safari. It was so well organised, so interesting and Simon was so knowledgeable.....plus, what good eyes he had for animals !!!!!!!
Buckler's Africa Lodge has had a most welcoming feel about it. The pool overlooking Crocodile River was great. Food, drinks, rooms, service and frienly owners made us feel very special.
Our trips to Swaziland and to God's Window were breathtaking.
The whole experience has been tremendous and we certainly will pass your data to anyone who thinks of going South Africa and the Kruger Park........

Thank you so much, once more, and good luck with the future.
'Have a very prosperous and happy New Year.
Best wishes from us both.
Take care,
Kind regards.
Patrick and Judith (D. from Jersey, CI, UK)

I travelled to Kruger with Viva Safari's. Kruger is truly fabulous. The tour company was extremely well organized and everything worked like clockwork. I was picked up in Joburg and brough to Tremisana Lodge which is about 1 hour and 30 mins away from Kruger. It's an ok place - very budget- but since you spend such little time indoors, it doesn't matter. For the courageous a better more exciting option is Marco's tree house lodge which is 45 mins closer to the park. This place is like a youth hostel camp in terms of comfort...again, best for those who are enjoy Fear Factor type of shows. Kruger is vast and therefore the likelyhood of running into a herd of Zebra is relatively higher than running into a herd of humans. Of course, I was also travelling during 'off season' (end May) which might have been the reason. We saw the big five...Elephant, Leopard, Lion, Buffalo and Rhino. Infact till the last day and the last hour of the Safari we had only seen the big 4, then finally we saw the enormous African black Rhino silhouetted in the dusty air against the sunset. In a nearby river, hippo's snorted while water birds looked on, deepr in the bush small herds of Giraffes grazed tops of trees as they shyly scoped us through the most glorious eye lashes. A plethora of buck dotted the landscape, growing my buck vocabulary from deer to more...King, our tireless ranger was a flora and fauna encyclopedia and patiently answered everyone's questions. Twice a snake stopped our travels as we had to wait till it slithered across the road. Birding was excellent but I can imagine it must be better during the monsoons. Lilac breasted rollers provided gorgeous splotches of purple-pink in the dried forest landscape. Hornbills (red and yellow billed) created flashes of red and yellow as they flew from tree to tree squawking gleefully. As always they looked comical - uncomfortably balancing on slender branches with their large beaks and staring impudently at everyone. We were lucky enough to also see the group of enormous ground hornbills which is now an endangered species. Raptors were in plenty from fish eagles, tawny eagles, Bateluers, Martial eagles. And lastly, spotting a baobab tree whose branches looked like they were clawing the sky, made my Kruger experience complete.

I've had the priviledge of working as a medical doctor for a year in Sabie after qualifying in Pretoria. The whole area of the "Lowveld" is brilliant and spectacular, and to a large extent almost untouched by tourism. I'd rather stay in Sabie than in Graskop, mainly because of the wonderfully beautiful surroundings (more mountainous, more water). You can easily reach all the surrounds from here by car, as roads are all very good, and places like Graskop, Pilgrim's Rest and Hazyview are all within a very pleasant 50km (30 mile) drive.
Must do's include:
- the waterfalls around Sabie,
- the old mining town of Pilgrim's Rest,
- Graskop (have a pancake, and don't forget buying a traditional African clay pot just outside of town on the Sabie/Pilgrim's Rest road - These pots are a great deal!)
- Blyde River Canyon and Bourke's Luck Potholes
- God's Window and associated sites
- Sudwala Caves
- Long Tom Pass towards Lydenburg.
*****For a great travel book, get "South Africa" in the DK Eyewitness Guides Series.*****
To answer you question- (all my opinion):
1) I'll start by staying in one of the lodges for 3 nights - These include Sabi Sand, Sabi Sabi, Manyeleti or Timbavati (all have websites)
2) My second stop will be Sabie for 2 nights, taking in all the sights described above in those 2 days (see www.sabie.co.za for info on where to stay) - I recommend Lone Creek River Lodge, or even Misty Mountain Chalets. There's also a host of places to stay on the Hazyview Road from Sabie, but don't recommend going into Hazyview - I recommend Blue Mountain Lodge or Tanamera.
3) Then, if you like activities like fly-fishing, or just want to finish your trip nice and peacefully, visit the small town of Dullstroom(www.dullstroom.co.za) on your way back to Jo'burg. It's totally different from all the places that you've would've seen so far! I'd recommend Walkersons Estate or Dunkeld Country Estate.
***Please note that accommodation standards are generally very good, and recommendations are all just off the top of my head - You can probably get away for a lot cheaper, and still stay well - Please note all places mentioned have websites***
Hope my advice was useful!
Have a great trip!!

went to south africa and did the kruger park. a holiday to forget the rat race and see the wildlife; it was the haliday that i will never forget. found all staff of the camps in the park very helpfull and friendly.