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. Hundreds of other mammals make their home here, as do diverse bird species such as vultures, eagles and storks. Mountains, bush plains and tropical forests are all part of the landscape.
The area that the park covers today was part of the last wild frontier in the eastern half of Transvaal before the Second Anglo Boer War. Paul Kruger president of Republic of South Africa at the time has proclaimed the area who was inhabited by the Tsonga people for the protection of the wild life. Today it is against the law to farm or hunt animals in that area. James Stevenson Hamilton noted many kraals along the Sabi River and also further north beyond the Letaba River although the north was sparsely populated compared to the south. Many of the local natives were employed by Railway companies trying to connect Pretoria and Maputo during the end of the 19th century. The proclaimed area, called Makuleke, has been returned to the Tsonga people in 1998. Since then the Kruger National Park has paid royalties to the Tsonga family which is collected as a tribal fees from tourist.
The climate of the Kruger National Park and Lowveld is subtropical. Summer days are humid and hot. The rainy season is from September until May. The Kruger National Park website lists September and October as the driest periods, culminating in rains late in October. The dry winter season is the ideal time to visit this region for various reasons. There is less chance of contracting malaria and the days are milder. Viewing wildlife is more rewarding as the vegetation is more sparse and animals are drawn to the waterholes to drink every morning and evening.
