Family Safari in Kruger National Park

Kruger National Park, in northeastern South Africa, is one of Africa’s largest game reserves. Its high density of wild animals includes the Big 5: lions, leopards, rhinos, elephants and buffalos, as well as a multitude of other animals and birds. It is the  the oldest (proclaimed in 1898), and largest National Park in South Africa. Read our guide to a perfect family safari in Kruger.

FAMILY SAFARI IN KRUGER NATIONAL PARK

KRUGER NATIONAL PARK: STAYING IN A LUXURY SAFARI LODGE

This was our first family African safari experience so we opted to stay in a luxury safari lodge within Kruger National Park. We spent three amazing days at Jock Safari Lodge, experiencing all that Kruger had to offer. There are many safari lodges to choose from, offering high quality accommodation and daily game drives.

It is recommended to stay in Kruger for a minimum of three days, in order to experience the diversity and wealth of animals.

A TYPICAL DAY ON SAFARI

A typical day on safari involves an early start, being woken at 5am, in time for a cup of tea or coffee, before heading out on the morning safari drive at 5.30am. A huge breakfast awaited us on return from our game drive around 9am. There was then time for a rest, read or schoolwork before lunch at 1.30pm. Afternoon tea and cakes were offered at 3.30pm before we headed out on the afternoon/night safari drive at 4pm. Drinks and snacks were served on every game drive. Our favourite were the evening sundowners, drunk as the sun was setting over the park, beautiful. Dinner was then served on our return at about 7.45pm.

GAME DRIVES 

Our family went on six game drives while at Jock’s. Each time we went out with our ranger in a safari truck seeing the most amazing animals. We were lucky as it was just us on the safari truck (although the truck seated nine). This enabled our family to have a highly personalised experience. On our first afternoon/evening drive we saw so many animals, white rhino, elephants, impala, zebra, kudu, warthogs and buffalo. We were loving our African safari.

In the last hour or so we hit the jackpot, four cheetah cubs peering through the long grass and a large pride of lions with tiny cubs, just three weeks old. At times the lions were just two metres from our vehicle. It was an unbelievable and very memorable experience.

On an early morning game drive we saw a leopard, the most elusive of the Big 5. It was a fantastic sighting with the leopard calmly walking along, not paying any attention to the truck. This was our first ever leopard on safari. We felt so lucky to see this magnificent creature in the wild, they look so powerful and have the most beautiful markings. Wow.

That same day on the evening game drive we spotted another pride of lions calming sitting next to the road. There were more cubs, this time about a year old. We were just a metre away from these magnificent animals. At one point the male lion walked right alongside the truck, so close we could have touched him!

ACCOMMODATION IN KRUGER 

We spent three days at Jock Safari Lodge, a five star lodge located within Kruger National Park. We loved it here, and as our first safari experience it was perfect. It has a stunning location overlooking a dry river bed. We had two adjoining rooms with loads of outdoor space, including an outdoor shower, plunge pool and day bed. The food was amazing and much enjoyed by us all.

The highlight for us was our ranger, Suritha and the daily game drives. Animals were plentiful during our stay. The ranger team worked hard so that we could see all the Big 5, and so much more in addition.

Jock Safari Lodge is perfect for a family safari. We would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a top end safari experience with a traditional setting and classy ambience.

Watch our video of our time at Jock Safari Lodge in Kruger. 

TOP TIPS FOR VISITING KRUGER WITH KIDS

• Kruger is a year round destination. The best wildlife viewing coincides with the dry season from April – September.
• Stay for a minimum of three days to give yourself the best chance of seeing the Big 5, and so much more.
• Anti-malarial medication is recommended for Kruger. We took them without any side-effects.
• Bring layers for the early morning game drives. It can be cold at 5.30am, whatever the season.