Take a chance and have a go!

Kruger National Park is the largest wildlife reserve in South Africa and the most popular. One of the most attractive aspects of visiting Kruger, is the option to just drive yourself around and do your own exploring and wildlife viewing. This may seem like a risky prospect to some as Kruger is home to the ‘Big 5’, lion, leopard, rhino, buffalo and elephant. And the animals are not tame!

There are not many wildlife sanctuaries in Africa where the roads to be navigated are manageable with a standard vehicle. Roads where you don’t feel like the vehicle is going to fall apart due to pot holes the size of craters! As the locals say in Africa when the roads are that poor, ‘the African massage’. Trust me, you don’t enjoy ‘the African massage’. When the opportunity for something like driving yourself in a wildlife park in Africa arrises take the chance and have a go!

However, there are some thing you need to take into consideration before just driving into Kruger with your hire car. I’ll list the main ones below:

Get vehicle insurance - you never know when an elephant might bump your car!

Stay in the vehicle - a wild lion is not a cuddly toy. I know it is sooo cute! But don’t touch!

Your car is not indestructible - having a car doesn’t mean you can drive right up to an elephant or a rhino and be protected by your car. A male elephant on average is 6.5 tonnes. Driving up to an elephant is only offering the elephant a place to sit!

Make use of the South African Park Resorts - These areas are designed for tourists with toilets, eating and dining options. Having a ‘bush pee’ is not advisable as you can never see a leopard until its on your back! It is also important to note that having lunch somewhere in the African bush is only inviting trouble.

Stick to the speed limit - you don’t want to be responsible for hitting an animal. If you hit an elephant the elephant wins!

Don’t scream at animals - this will only make the animal leave. Unless you want photos of the variety of arses of Africa’s wildlife, be quiet!

These are just a few important guidelines to driving your own vehicle in Kruger Park. They may seem obvious but sometimes people forget where they are. Kruger is an amazing place and no matter what you see driving yourself you are sure to remember it for a very long time.