{"id":26599,"date":"2018-05-28T08:30:00","date_gmt":"2018-05-27T22:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures?p=26599&preview=true&preview_id=26599"},"modified":"2024-09-21T00:46:53","modified_gmt":"2024-09-20T14:46:53","slug":"overland-kruger-national-park","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/overland-kruger-national-park\/","title":{"rendered":"How to overland like a pro in Kruger National Park"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cOkay, keep quiet, and look straight ahead. There\u2019s going to be animal action coming in at your 12 o\u2019clock, folks.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019m on my first ever game drive in Kruger National Park<\/a>, a 40,000 square kilometre slice of wildlife paradise, and I\u2019m about to spy my first rhino.<\/p>\n

From the seat of my safari truck, I\u2019m quietly humming a medley of Toto\u2019s Africa and Can You Feel the Love Tonight from the Lion King. Because not only is this my first game drive but it\u2019s also my first time to Africa<\/a>; I’m travelling with a small group on Intrepid’s 22-day Kruger, Coast & Cape trip<\/a>. With every passing marula tree, I\u2019m getting closer and closer to reaching peak Disney.<\/p>\n

\"A

Image by Allison McCarthy.<\/p><\/div>\n

Our guide, Gift, is from Zimbabwe and he\u2019s a former park ranger. He can spy impala on the horizon with the eye of a hawk, and tells us every key biological moment of a female elephants pregnancy (did you know a baby elephant is born weighing in at approximately 105 kilograms?). \u201cTake a look at his lip,\u201d Gift says, gesturing to the rhino crossing the road in front of our truck. \u201cBlack rhino lips are pointed to help pull the leaves off the trees.\u201d<\/p>\n

CHECK OUT OUR RANGE OF SMALL GROUP ADVENTURES IN AFRICA NOW<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

The black rhino is just one of the Big Five we see that day: a herd of elephants rumble past my open window, a family of giraffe stretch their necks to higher reaches, buffalo stand sentinel on the plains, and one solitary lioness suns herself on a boulder. The leopard proves elusive though, cleverly staying out of binocular sight from its hiding spot in the branches.<\/p>\n

\"A

Image by Tayla Gentle.<\/p><\/div>\n

Kruger is every Attenborough lover\u2019s dream. Watching a group of baboons tumble and chase each other through the trees is the best kind of television, and a South African sunset looks even better in real life than it does on Instagram. But to make sure you get the most of your overland experience, there are a few rules to live by:<\/p>\n

RELATED: WHAT TO EXPECT ON AN AFRICAN OVERLAND TRIP<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

1. BYO binoculars<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\"Zebras

Image by Allison McCarthy.<\/p><\/div>\n

I\u2019ll be honest, I\u2019ve always put binoculars in the \u2018old person\u2019 and \u2018twitcher\u2019 category of travel purchases but, boy, did I regret not bringing a pair on safari. There\u2019s nothing quite like sitting there, with your less than 20\/20 vision, squinting into the midday glare trying to make out the shape of a hippo in the watering hole. A few times I just nodded my head, as if \u2018yes I too can see the buffalo\/impala\/baboon on the horizon\u2019, when in reality the horizon just looks like a flat pancake. Don\u2019t miss out on the bush television action: bring a better pair of eyes with you.<\/p>\n

RELATED: \u201cTHIS IS AFRICA!\u201d: ONE TRAVELLER\u2019S ADVENTURES ON THE SERENGETI TRAIL<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

2. Nab a window seat <\/strong><\/h3>\n
\"A

Image by Tayla Gentle.<\/p><\/div>\n

The Intrepid overlanding trucks are absolute monsters. Built for off-road and on-road, when you\u2019re on a game drive all the windows roll down for an unobstructed view to the park. I highly recommend grabbing a window seat. Not only for the better view but because you get the breeze in your face, the smells of the parklands and the noise of the animals. It puts you right in the thick of it, via the safety and comfort of a vehicle.<\/p>\n

3. Go on a night drive <\/strong><\/h3>\n

They say the early bird gets the worm, but the night owl gets the nocturnal animals. Go out in an open-air safari vehicle after the sun has set to experience a different side to Kruger. By\u00a0the light of your torch, catch glimpses of the park\u2019s most secretive animals and listen to the sounds of a game park sleeping. Tip: when throwing your torch light, look out for the reflections in animals\u2019 eyes.<\/p>\n

SUBSCRIBE TO INTREPID\u2019S NEWSLETTER FOR TRAVEL TIPS, COMPETITIONS, GIVEAWAYS & MORE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

4. Keep your eyes on the trees<\/strong><\/h3>\n

For the most part, Kruger is so packed with animals that spotting the majority of the Big Five isn\u2019t hard. Elephants come by the horde, buffalos in a pack, giraffes by the dozen and yet the mysterious leopard remains a rare sight. While you\u2019re cruising, keep your eyes on the tree line. The only time I saw a leopard was when it was hanging out on a tree branch, almost entirely camouflaged.<\/p>\n

5. Leave your site clean<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\"Campsite

Image by Tayla Gentle.<\/p><\/div>\n

If you\u2019re camping, good job: this is the best way to experience the park. The campsites are spacious, the amenities impeccable, and there\u2019s nothing better than falling asleep to the sound of a lion\u2019s roar. While the sites are bordered by fences to stop stray animals wandering inside, the fences aren\u2019t foolproof and you\u2019ll often see a few cheeky baboons wandering down the road. Keep your site clean and pack away all your belongings, because those baboons are guiltless and will steal everything you\u2019ve got.<\/p>\n

RELATED: 6 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT CAMPING IN EAST AFRICA WITH INTREPID<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

6. Come with no expectations<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\"Elephant

Image by Tayla Gentle.<\/p><\/div>\n

Probably the most important tip for Kruger: come with no expectations. If you arrive at the park with an open mind and heart, every animal sighting is going to be a bonus. This is wild territory and you\u2019re not guaranteed to see a rhino, so don\u2019t pen all your hopes and dreams and travel success on one thing. You never know, you might find a new spirit animal. Mine is the warthog.<\/p>\n

Ready to experience the wonder of southern Africa<\/a>? Book your spot on an Intrepid small group adventure now<\/a>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Feature image by Allison McCarthy. <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From the seat of my safari truck, I\u2019m quietly humming a medley of Toto\u2019s Africa and Can You Feel the Love Tonight from the Lion King, and I’m about to spy my first rhino. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16063,"featured_media":27275,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[455],"tags":[65,104,292],"class_list":["post-26599","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feature","tag-africa","tag-south-africa","tag-wildlife","ipf_theme-wildlife","ipf_region-south-africa"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nKruger National Park: 6 Top Tips for Spotting Wildlife | Intrepid Travel Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"South Africa's Kruger National Park is an essential destination for any wildlife lover. Here are our top tips on how to get the most out of your experience, and how to spot your favourite wild animal.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/overland-kruger-national-park\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to overland like a pro in Kruger National Park\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u201cOkay, keep quiet, and look straight ahead. There\u2019s going to be animal action coming in at your 12 o\u2019clock, folks.\u201d I\u2019m on my first ever game drive in Kruger National Park, a 40,000 square kilometre slice of wildlife paradise, and I\u2019m about to spy my first rhino.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/overland-kruger-national-park\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Good Times by Intrepid\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/intrepidtravel\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-05-27T22:30:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-09-20T14:46:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Intrepid-Travel-zimbabwe_kruger-national-park_giraffe-crossing-road.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"450\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Tayla Gentle\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@Intrepid_Travel\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Intrepid_Travel\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Tayla Gentle\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/overland-kruger-national-park\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/overland-kruger-national-park\/\",\"name\":\"Kruger National Park: 6 Top Tips for Spotting Wildlife | Intrepid Travel Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/overland-kruger-national-park\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/overland-kruger-national-park\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Intrepid-Travel-zimbabwe_kruger-national-park_giraffe-crossing-road.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-05-27T22:30:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-09-20T14:46:53+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/#\/schema\/person\/e04c4c724715026ab9ddc3f381789285\"},\"description\":\"South Africa's Kruger National Park is an essential destination for any wildlife lover. Here are our top tips on how to get the most out of your experience, and how to spot your favourite wild animal.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/overland-kruger-national-park\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/overland-kruger-national-park\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/overland-kruger-national-park\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Intrepid-Travel-zimbabwe_kruger-national-park_giraffe-crossing-road.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Intrepid-Travel-zimbabwe_kruger-national-park_giraffe-crossing-road.jpg\",\"width\":800,\"height\":450,\"caption\":\"Image by Allison McCarthy.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/overland-kruger-national-park\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"How to overland like a pro in Kruger National Park\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/\",\"name\":\"The Good Times by Intrepid\",\"description\":\"adventure news\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/#\/schema\/person\/e04c4c724715026ab9ddc3f381789285\",\"name\":\"Tayla Gentle\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a08a44e1ccabe7fdbe566be501f4dbcefdb4826a89e7966b0093635eea8d0b40?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a08a44e1ccabe7fdbe566be501f4dbcefdb4826a89e7966b0093635eea8d0b40?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Tayla Gentle\"},\"description\":\"I'm a travel writer guilty of visiting places that often give my mum mild anxiety. Likely born in Jamaica in a past life, travel for me involves dancing to afrobeat, drinking Mekong whiskey and wearing pyjamas on long haul flights.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/author\/tayla-gentle\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Kruger National Park: 6 Top Tips for Spotting Wildlife | Intrepid Travel Blog","description":"South Africa's Kruger National Park is an essential destination for any wildlife lover. Here are our top tips on how to get the most out of your experience, and how to spot your favourite wild animal.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/overland-kruger-national-park\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How to overland like a pro in Kruger National Park","og_description":"\u201cOkay, keep quiet, and look straight ahead. There\u2019s going to be animal action coming in at your 12 o\u2019clock, folks.\u201d I\u2019m on my first ever game drive in Kruger National Park, a 40,000 square kilometre slice of wildlife paradise, and I\u2019m about to spy my first rhino.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/overland-kruger-national-park\/","og_site_name":"The Good Times by Intrepid","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/intrepidtravel\/","article_published_time":"2018-05-27T22:30:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-09-20T14:46:53+00:00","og_image":[{"width":800,"height":450,"url":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Intrepid-Travel-zimbabwe_kruger-national-park_giraffe-crossing-road.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Tayla Gentle","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@Intrepid_Travel","twitter_site":"@Intrepid_Travel","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Tayla Gentle","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/overland-kruger-national-park\/","url":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/overland-kruger-national-park\/","name":"Kruger National Park: 6 Top Tips for Spotting Wildlife | Intrepid Travel Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/overland-kruger-national-park\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/overland-kruger-national-park\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Intrepid-Travel-zimbabwe_kruger-national-park_giraffe-crossing-road.jpg","datePublished":"2018-05-27T22:30:00+00:00","dateModified":"2024-09-20T14:46:53+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/#\/schema\/person\/e04c4c724715026ab9ddc3f381789285"},"description":"South Africa's Kruger National Park is an essential destination for any wildlife lover. Here are our top tips on how to get the most out of your experience, and how to spot your favourite wild animal.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/overland-kruger-national-park\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/overland-kruger-national-park\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/overland-kruger-national-park\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Intrepid-Travel-zimbabwe_kruger-national-park_giraffe-crossing-road.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Intrepid-Travel-zimbabwe_kruger-national-park_giraffe-crossing-road.jpg","width":800,"height":450,"caption":"Image by Allison McCarthy."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/overland-kruger-national-park\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"How to overland like a pro in Kruger National Park"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/","name":"The Good Times by Intrepid","description":"adventure news","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/#\/schema\/person\/e04c4c724715026ab9ddc3f381789285","name":"Tayla Gentle","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a08a44e1ccabe7fdbe566be501f4dbcefdb4826a89e7966b0093635eea8d0b40?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a08a44e1ccabe7fdbe566be501f4dbcefdb4826a89e7966b0093635eea8d0b40?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Tayla Gentle"},"description":"I'm a travel writer guilty of visiting places that often give my mum mild anxiety. Likely born in Jamaica in a past life, travel for me involves dancing to afrobeat, drinking Mekong whiskey and wearing pyjamas on long haul flights.","url":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/author\/tayla-gentle\/"}]}},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Intrepid-Travel-zimbabwe_kruger-national-park_giraffe-crossing-road.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4OQMK-6V1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26599","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16063"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26599"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26599\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":77491,"href":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26599\/revisions\/77491"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27275"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26599"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26599"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26599"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}