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Looking for recent experience from HFP community as to what to expect on our 1st trip to SA, so thank you for any input/advice you may have.
We’d like to visit Kruger NP for 5-6 nights, arriving into JNB early morning just before 08:00 at the end of this month.
Options are [1] to drive to & from the park, and [2] fly to & from Kruger MQP or SZK and pick the car from there.
I’m ok driver, have survived driving in Rome/Paris/Athens recently but not sure what to expect in SA. My other half can share the driving, but it will mainly be me.
Option [2] is slightly more expensive and will not have that feeling of a road trip experience, and we’re not in a rush. But how much traffic would there be on the road around this time of the year, and would satnav take us into unsafe areas should there be any road works/closures? Are the roads in good conditions for that section of the country?
Also, any thoughts on Aroundabout cars rental company – are they reliable/reputable, with cars supplied in good conditions? Any underhand tactics as regards to insurance etc? They have the Toyota Urban Cruiser SUV on offer, is it good for game viewing inside the park, and general driving?
Avis on the other hand have the VW T-Cross for £100 more, same duration.
Scroll through the various threads on the destination
Forum and there is AlOT of info on S.Africa. I took lots of advice from the HFP community and quite possibly had the best holiday I have ever had.I started a post early December 2023 sharing my experiences. That may help.
Just for a short cut though, I personally would fly to Skukuza. We flew to JNB from LHR and went in the Lou bf to freshen up before the short flight to Skukuza. It was so easy and I will never forget just arriving bang in the middle of the park on the lookout for the animals. It was that good my wife already wants to go back.
Did JoBurg to Kruger a few years ago:
– totally possible to drive in one day
– what we did was: arrive to Jo burg, drive and stop mid way, then next day drive through the park on our way to the south bit. (The best is to drive very early as that’s when animals are active). On the way back after a few days we drove in one to
– for the park we recommend using a guy (they will have their own open truck which is great)
– we use Europcar (through Expedia) and the car (big suv) was great and cheap. You are always on a road but suv is the way to go in ZA and it is cheap. Just be careful and when you return make sure you get a receipt saying it is all ok and make photos of the car. (If you have an issue as we did it is quite hard to deal with the ZA crew)
– driving in ZA is easy (big roads, automatic cars, no traffic). But there are some rules: 1) avoid driving at night and getting into dangerous areas 2) be aware of scams where “fake police” stops you in then finds you have a broken tailight or similar and asks for money 3) in case of doubt or trouble don’t stop and keep driving. Locals can then help (for instance we had a stew on one of the tires and a local guy took me to a village in the middle of nowhere where they fixed it for £5
– I would go for just any car as long as it is large and nice. The least flashy the better
I forgot to say I did scroll through this forum, and saw plenty of advice/info esp from WaynedP/yorkieflyer and of course your pre-trip prep and post trip report around this time last year yorkshireRich (and I have taken note to avoid looking at the Kia Picanto!), all very useful.
I’d just like to see if anyone has had latest updates.
Thanks yonasl – I assume rental cars are new, or newish right? Would a Toyota Urban Cruiser SUV be considered flashy?
Thanks yonasl – I assume rental cars are new, or newish right? Would a Toyota Urban Cruiser SUV be considered flashy?
I just checked what car we had and it was a Toyota Fortuner. It was more than enough for 4 of us to be comfortable.
I suppose the Urban Cruise would be similar.
Whichever company you use, make plenty of photos before and after. Our mistake was we left the car, got a thumbs up and went pick a flight. A few days later I got a message saying a taillight was broken and there was nowhere to go or anyone to talk to. They tried to get £250 charged and I had to eventually solve with Europcar here in the UK.
Nothing helpful to add but just wanted to say I’m a little bit in awe of you driving in Rome, Paris and Athens!
Thanks Amy, was a bit of a challenge due to Europeans not driving on the “right side” like us, but the years of navigating London traffic helped.
Noted about photos when returning rental cars – I do it 50% of the time, but will make sure I’ll do all the time now (even when I have amex plat insurance/stand alone car hire excess policy).
All good advice above, especially avoiding night driving.
I last drove the route in May 2022 from Crocodile Bridge gate to JNB-Pretoria in one unhurried, single day’s drive, and would personally always prefer to drive than fly if I had the day to spare.
The condition of the N4 is generally good, but check for road works or closures closer to the time on AA South Africa, i-traffic or SANRAL dot Co dot za. Enquire of locals in your hotel, South Africans typically love a natter especially with overseas visitors (and especially if you compliment them on being RWC champions 😉).
Especially any intel on recommended route when N4 splits between low road (Elands River / Waterval Boven) or high road (Schoemanskloof). Both same distance and if road conditions equally good then high road can be quicker unless you get stuck behind a daft HGV driver who’s tried to be clever to avoid the rest of his wiser buddies who generally choose the low road.
Schools break up mid December (around 14 or 15 if I recall) and road traffic will increase considerably with exodus of impatient drivers to coastal towns and inland holiday spots like KNP.
Read foreign travel advice for SA on gov.uk noting advice to still avoid Numbi Gate on (I think R40 but check me on that). I’d recommend driving the N4 all the way to either Malelane or Crocodile Bridge gates instead. (Note also that foreign travel advice necessarily has to highlight the worst examples of negative incidents rather than the average).
The ANC government have bankrupted the once enviable railway network they inherited in 1994 (along with Eskom and SAA) resulting in far too many heavy goods vehicles travelling on the overstretched roads these days, so road conditions face the likelihood of steady decline in future unless something changes fairly soon (although even a change of govt in May 2024 won’t bring immediate improvements).
Sundays are usually best days to drive long distances, and service station rest stops are plentiful and generally of a good standard on routes, including the N4.
Larger SUVs and pickup truck type vehicles are good, both for game viewing and safety in event of accident.
I always use Avis, never had any problems, but do visibly phone record a video at start and end of journey and ensure I get the “all’s OK” from the receiving agent on drop off. Can’t comment on other car hire companies, sorry.
I would never hire anything smaller than Avis Category C or equivalent, and would pay for the viewing height of an SUV for game viewing (although top dollar for Fortuna type double cab pickup isn’t strictly necessary – but nice if you can afford it).
Driving is fine as long you are able to be a mindful, defensive, intelligent driver for extended periods. It will leave you feeling tired if you’re doing it correctly, but it is possible to cover 500+ kms fairly easily in a comfortable day’s driving. But resist the temptation to exceed the speed limit. Breaking journeys half way (or every 250-300 kms) for a coffee, light lunch, leg stretch, toilet stop is generally ideal.
If you’re stocking up on provisions or transporting suitcases in a way that can be seen through windows of the car (ie like SUV with no boot) then you might like to pack a roll of bin bags. We spread these out on top of luggage/provisions to obscure from prying eyes when parking in shopping malls or similar.
Just avoid flaunting wealth, opulence or valuable goods in a country where increasing numbers of have-nots subsist on sub-breadline incomes.
Don’t be shy to enlist the watchful eye of high-vis wearing official “parking attendants” who wander around parking lots. I always give R20 with a request to keep a special eye on my car and the promise of another R20 on my return. Effective security for the cost of less than £2.
You should have the experience of a lifetime, unique in a way that can’t easily be described until you’ve actually lived it. Enjoy.
I will just add. Don’t only get an OK from the agent when dropping the car. Get a piece of paper or a video/photo they are happy (for instance in my case Europcar will check the car and write something on the windshield).
If you have that and they then try to charge you for damage you will have proof that all went well.
We did a self drive in Kruger and saw lots of animals but then had booked 3 days with https://www.krugerpridesafaris.com/and it is a completely different experience as you are on an open vehicle and benefit from the guide explaining in detail lots of facts.
A “private” car does not come up as very expensive if you are more than 4.
Do buy some good binoculars. I got a 10×25 Nikon for ~£65 (prices can go up to the many hundreds).
It makes a whole difference as you can then really appreciate the details. Tour operators may lend you binoculars but not always and it is better to have your own.
Nice recent experience there for you @melikepoints, and so glad you had a great experience in SA and KNP @weeble.
Always great to see all of the Big Five – it’s generally Rhino and Leopard that are the elusive ones.
In general the N roads are major motorways generally in reasonable to good condition.
The R roads are regional and more prone to travelling through residential settlements (beware livestock grazing on or near to roads and chassis busting speed humps without reliable forewarning). R roads with two digit numbers like the R40 are classed as major regionals with more scope for 80 to 100 km/h speed limits on stretches between towns, although be ever aware and on the lookout for potholes. R roads with three digit numbers like the R538 are minor regional roads and very much more prone to frequent settlements and frequent and potentially very damaging potholes. Realistic speeds on these roads in daylight are 40 to 60 (at best) km/h so are slow going. Even I wouldn’t consider driving them at night.
There are toll roads everywhere and hire cars generally all have the gizmos fitted. To operate, choose the E-tag lane at toll plazas, and slow down to a crawl as you approach the concrete lane dividers to allow the overhead sensor to get a signal from your gizmo (which is usually on front windscreen).
I note you mentioned Amex Plat @melikepoints. Just be aware that some fuel stations won’t support Amex, and those that do often have a single card machine, sometimes fixed in place versus multiple visa/MC hand-held card machines which “petrol jockeys” are obliged to bring to your car to prevent losing sight of your card and risking fraud.
Just ask if they take Amex right at the start of your conversation, and if they do, you might either need to wait a little longer than would be the case for visa/MC or actually step out of the vehicle to accompany your Amex card into the kiosk if the Amex terminal is not portable. It’s all above board, I’ve had both occur before now without incident when using Amex for fuel top ups.
As ever, very helpful WaynedP, thank you – will take a roll of black bin bags with us and (loved the rugby semis and finals, and as neutral would have loved the ABs’ turn to take the crown, but SA deserved to retain it). We’ll bring and use clarity/nationwide cc with us. Would you recommend us taking about £100 in cash for tips/tolls etc from ATM inside JNB on arrival?
Weebie, your recent experience is very useful – can I ask why you stayed outside and drove in everyday instead of staying inside? And would you recommend staying where you stayed? How much winter clothing should we bring for the night time/early morning drives – a couple of sweaters/jumpers plus light jacket? Thanks
Will try to find my old binoculars and take them with us, so thanks for the reminder yonasl.
@melikepoints I usually take around ZAR10,000 cash for a two week trip, especially one involving KNP where credit card machines can fail with despairing regularity. That’s always been enough, especially when using card whenever possible for the first week or so. It’s also handy for fuel fill-ups when card machines fail, although that’s much rarer. I’d get it before I left UK from an “order on the day and collect before close of business” provider like Thomas Exchange, or from Sainsbury’s Bank if they’re running one of their fairly regular forex sale for nectar card holders which can deliver surprisingly good value forex. I’d probably consider withdrawing any extra needed from an ATM using my Currensea card these days, but note that most salaries and private pensions are paid around last working day of the month so queues around the safest ATMs (usually inside upmarket shopping malls with both human and mechanical surveillance) are manic on those days. Same goes for state pension pay day which is usually first Tuesday of every month unless that’s a public holiday. I thought toll booths took credit card, but double check me on that because I always use E-tag lanes which require no payment on the spot.
Staying outside the Kruger National Park (which I’ve only ever done once, but was happy to do so and it did work well for us in the circumstances) has pros and cons versus staying in one of the rest camps within the park…
Our stay last year in Protea by Marriott Kruger Gate was a wonderful, luxury hotel experience that helped us to earn Platinum Status last year and this year (although note that Marriott has since diluted elite status earning nights at Protea hotels) and meant that we didn’t have to self cater. We did have to pay what felt like painful daily entry fees and our movement within the Park felt restricted by having to cut short some waterhole viewing opportunities at one of the best game viewing times of the day as dusk approaches and animals come down to drink in order to allow sufficient time to drive to an exit gate. Gate closing times are quite rigid.
In contrast, staying in a well chosen rest camp like Satara allows excellent twilight squatting at fantastic nearby waterholes followed by a quick dash back to camp and cooking your own meat on an open hardwood fire as the Bush comes alive with sounds around you at close quarters. Accommodation is basic, perfectly adequate but not “luxurious”. And you can be on a central park road much quicker first thing in the morning than any tourist staying outside the Park, especially if you’ve tuned into the local bush telegraph gossip from neighbours the night before about what game is where.
When a pride of lions makes a big kill like buffalo or bigger, they tend to stick around the area for a few days to finish off the meal at a leisurely pace before moving on. Magic experience, but pros and cons.Weather will be warm to hot (take good suntan lotion in sufficient quantities) with temps rarely below 18 deg C and climbing quickly from dawn to around mid thirties by 1pm. Saying that, night drives in open sided vehicles get chilly at any time of year. Wear several light to medium layers under a good thick outer water-proof wind-breaker on top and ask to be supplied with a blanket to augment your good, sturdy pair of warm trousers on the bottom if you feel the cold. Woollen headgear recommended for the follicly challenged. The rule of thumb is that you can always take off and stow what you have brought if you’re less cold than expected, but you can’t add on what you haven’t brought if you do feel the cold more than anticipated.
Take good quality insect repellent (I prefer 50% DEET content) and ensure that you take suitable malaria prophylaxis for the full prescribed course which generally involves starting up to half a week or so before arriving in the Lowveld.
My car always contains a fully charged power bank, lighter or matches, two litres of bottled water per passenger and one full, unopened toilet roll – any good ply brand that comes wrapped in a waxy type layer. Could comfortably survive for days if needed just with those basics.
Sorry, meant to say, I wouldn’t draw cash at any landside airport ATM. Too visible to too many watching eyes.
I spread my cash (just enough for anticipated spends on any given day) and cards between two wallets tucked into deep pockets and am careful where and how I retrieve them. I always have a “dummy” wallet with a few long since expired credit cards and a smattering of visible cash that I’m happy to hand over without demur if mugged. That goes for travel anywhere in the world, not just SA.
It’s a long boring drive to/from Kruger especially so after an overnight flight, my preference is to fly to Nelspruit MQP where you will get a choice of different car hire companies so better deals especially through brokers as opposed to skukuza and which has an exclusive contract with Avis/Budget.
I’d always stay in the park but Graskop or the former Protea Kruger Gate make a great first night.Is Malaria a real issue now?
It’s years since we went but the KNP guides laughed at us for using Malaria prophylaxis and said it isn’t an issue there.
I would be disappointed not to stay overnight in the park – we did and it was magical. Bloody cold though.
Is Malaria a real issue now?
It’s years since we went but the KNP guides laughed at us for using Malaria prophylaxis and said it isn’t an issue there.
I would be disappointed not to stay overnight in the park – we did and it was magical. Bloody cold though.
Apologies for inadvertently reporting your post @TooPoorToBeHere in attempting to Reply – unintentional on my part.
There’s nothing inappropriate about asking questions to test any widely held hypothesis, and we are all adults free to exercise informed personal choice.
“Informed” is an interesting concept that has taken a battering through Covid vaccination and Brexit debates. These days an ill-informed, subjective passion can be peddled internationally as Gospel Truth with minimal personal risk/accountability to the messenger through the megaphone of popular social media platforms.
I don’t have a presence on any of them myself, but in the interest of the welfare of any KNP visitor who may be tempted to think that it’s less hassle to take the risk and not bother with Malaria Prophylaxis, here are some provable facts:
1) The SA lowveld including KNP has not been declared “malaria free” by competent scientists whose job it is to assess these matters, just “low risk” (much to the annoyance of some local lowveld operators whose livelihoods depend on tourism, but who are financially unaffected by whether those tourists contract malaria or not).
2) The degree of risk varies according to season of the year (lower in the winter months when you visited, as inferred by your “bloody cold” statement, higher in the wetter, summer months when @melikepoints plans to visit).
3) The degree of risk also varies from one year to the next according to intensity of summer rains or prevalence of drought conditions: not impossible to establish if you know where to look and will still involve a degree of statistical forecast for current season if you’re an expert in statistics. But for my money, easier to just take precautionary measures, including ingesting prophylaxis.
4) It is not uncommon for young, macho South Africans to boast about their invincibility against a tiny, female mosquito. My own South African born brother had the same attitude as a young engineer when working on a lowveld brewery. Apparently, the thinking among his group of young buck colleagues was that night-time (when anopheles mosquitoes are active) was for heavy drinking which would incapacitate any mosquitoes, rendering anti-malaria medication unnecessary. It took him ten years of annual bouts of bedridden shivers and shakes to rid his system of the malaria that he inevitably contracted, and he evangelically counsels against anyone else repeating his youthful stupidity.
https://www.wits.ac.za/media/wits-university/students/documents/Malaria%20Information.pdf
Truly minimising the risk of contracting malaria is two-pronged:
Both taking prophylaxis AND avoiding being bitten. Neither is a substitute for the other.We’ve been recently, it is OK to drive from JNB, I recommend a stop on Millys N4. We found that Crocodile Bridge area is quite good, but you might consider Kruger Gate area.
Thanks everyone, will definitely get the anti-malarial tablets and book a car at JNB for our trip.
A bit late to the party, but, having done both, we would always fly to the park, as we did again last month.
On our first visit, we drove from JNB. Time is fine and the drive is easy, but possibly a bit tiring after a long flight. The big issue was that we had a puncture in the park. It was the fastest wheel change I have done and on inspection the tyre was shot. I was then more worried about having another puncture on the drive back to JNB than in the park. It was lucky we didn’t as all the tyres were a bit threadbare and they admitted they were due to be changed. Can’t remember the company, but it was through a third party provider (eg Rentalcars.com) and they even had the cheek to charge an admin fee on for the flat tyre.
Since then, we have always flown into Skukuza and picked up a 4×4 from there using Avis. There is also the option, if you are looking at a ‘2-centre holiday’, to fly direct from SZK to CPT and fly back to UK from CPT.
This time, we booked the earlier flight from UK to JNB, and the later flight out to SZK but on a semi flex ticket. Having arrived at JNB pretty much on time, we were able to bring the SZK flight forward for a minimal (£8) change fee. There is a PP lounge in the JNB domestic terminal where you can freshen up.
Horses for courses but yes, use a reputable hire car company and get a 4×4 for the park.
We had previously got anti-malarials from our surgery, albeit paying for a private prescription, but this time they directed us to Boots online pharmacy which was pretty simple. We also stocked up on electric mozzie repellants for the bungalows and burny coil things for outside.
Ok – took the plunge – apprehensive pre-trip because we’ve not been to SA before, but today’s been good so far.
Landed in JNB slightly earlier than scheduled, albeit with a few patches of turbulence in the latter part of the flight on A380 upper deck (59 J&K seat pair were good). I hadn’t realised SA were 2 hours ahead instead of 1 in our winter/their summer time, thus felt a bit groggy walking off the plane.
Bags collected quickly, but no PP arrival lounge available; it was closed, so could not take a shower. Took out ZAR2.4k from the nearest ATM on my Nationwide flex card just before the exit doors to the arrival waiting area (there was another ATM a bit further along) – a provider fee of ZAR95 was levied. @WaynedP – as the ATM was still inside the arrival area, there were only passengers and officials so no worries about preying eyes, but hated the machine fee.
Picked car up from Avis, and with courtesy of Amex plat, was upgraded to an Audi A3 saloon. However, I changed it for a Jeep SUV, which proved a right choice later.
Left OR Tambo around 10:00, followed R21-N12-N4 with a pistop at Milly’s for 45mins (arrived just after 12pm). Mainly flowing traffic, roads were mostly ok, but unsettling to see people walking on the hard-shoulders
Took WayndP advise to take the upper N4 road i.e. turn left rather going straight, and scenery was beautiful. In fact, except a couple of hours hour or so after leaving JNB/OR Tambo, the scenery was quite pleasant, almost like some of the European routes we’ve done.
Arrived at accommodation in Marloth Park just before 16:00 (didn’t stop for food shopping and are planning to do it tomorrow in Komatiport before entering KNP via Crocodile Bridge Gate). There was still plenty of sun left for us to go to a look-out point within Marloth Park to see a hippo/a crocodile in the Crocidile River/bank, and a few elephants from afar, not to mentioned plenty of zebras/deers/warthogs wandering around Marloth Park itself. A standard car would not go far in Marloth Park, so the Jeep was useful.
I had been worried about not making it to the accommodation before sunset; but we got here in very good time. Maybe we were lucky in not encountering heavy traffic on the way. But we did go past a long line of heavy trucks about 9km from Marloth Park parking up on the hard shoulder – I think they were waiting to cross border into Mozambique.
The drive here was reasonable, and I would do it again with no hesitation.
We are looking forward to entering the KNP, and spend the next 5 nights inside tomorrow. But not the mozzies! We got our generic malarial tablets on line from a chemist in WD3 area, around £27 for a week’s supply each.
And Cape Town the week after? I’ve not had to think and read up much about the safety aspect of our trips up to now, but will pay very close attention to it when it’s time head to CPT next week.
Until then..
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