go!

South Africa’s number one travel and outdoor lifestyle magazine. We pay our own way and tell it like it is. We drive back roads and speak to real people, giving you practical information about affordable destinations in southern Africa. Each issue is crammed with excellent photography, honest gear reviews and delicious recipes to make at home or in the bundu. Whether you’re looking to escape for a weekend or a month, your journey starts here.

Long live the Kruger!

Go! Kruger

CONTRIBUTORS • Photojournalist MIA LOUW visited Berg-en-Dal (p 60), Pretoriuskop (p 64) and Lower Sabie (p 70) rest camps. She tells us about rushing to the Kruger after school as a child, and her favourite place to have a picnic.

PLAN YOUR TRIP TO THE KRUGER PARK

WHAT DO THE CODES MEAN?

GOOD TO KNOW

HELP! WHERE DO I START? • Planning a holiday in the Kruger can be overwhelming. It’s bigger than some countries! You have to decide what’s important to you. Here are the best camps for the following categories:

ECO ZONES • The vegetation you travel through will often determine what kind of animals you’ll see. These are the main eco zones in the park.

From bush to coral coast • Experience game viewing in the Kruger Park as well as Mozambique’s palm-studded coastline on this amazing journey with Bhejane 4x4 Adventures.

To Mozambique! • If you know the Kruger like the back of your hand and you want a new adventure, explore Limpopo National Park – it’s right next door!

CHECK THIS! • We were on an early morning guided game drive when we saw a female leopard on an anthill. We noticed that she kept looking over to a marula tree. The guide investigated and found her cub in the tree – it only had eyes for its mom.

The sky’s the limit • When Agnesia Makgotla was a child in her father’s garage, he told her that she would never fix the cars he worked on, and thereby inspired her to go one step further. Meet the aircraft maintenance engineer who helps keep the Kruger’s helicopters and aeroplanes in the sky.

Dr Big Five • Meet Peter Buss, the Kruger’s head veterinarian. After nearly 20 years in the bush, he still thinks there’s no better place to live and work than South Africa’s favourite national park.

This one’s for the birds • Forget about the animals for a moment – the Kruger is also a phenomenal birdwatching destination. We chat to master twitcher Brett Hilton-Barber, co-author of books like The Prime Origins Guide to Best Birding in Kruger and The Killer Birds of Kruger, about the best places to scan the veld with your binoculars.

TOP 5 BIRDING SPOTS

Take better bird photos • If you enjoy taking photos of sunbirds and turtle doves in your garden, you might be ready for the next step – photographing birds in the wild! Here are some tips to get you started.

TAKE YOUR PIC • The Kruger Park is a photographer’s paradise. Toast Coetzer looks at reader photos taken in the bush.

Think like a wildlife photographer • Have you traded your point-and-shoot for a DSLR or mirrorless camera with a quality lens? Master wildlife photographer Heinrich van den Berg gives advice about how to take standout photos.

Attention, hikers! • You can’t just wander around the Kruger unaccompanied, because, well… lions. But there are lots of walking options in the rest camps, and outside the camp gates if you go with a guide. Here’s what you need to know.

Trees for your tick list • You’ve seen the Big Five, the Little Five and the Ugly Five – and your bird life list is impressive. What’s next? Tree spotting! Here’s a guide to 10 of the Kruger’s classic trees from TheTreeApp SA.

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4 THINGS TO DO

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3 THINGS TO DO

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3 THINGS TO DO

IN OTHER WORDS

BIYAMITI...