Letaba Elephant Hall
Museum at Letaba camp devoted to elephants. It displays the huge tusks of some of the park's famous big bulls, along with exhibits on elephant biology.
Kruger National Park
This large wildlife park offers safaris, either self-drive or guided, where visitors can see many bird species as well as the Big Five.
Attractive locations
Masorini
Hilltop archaeological site in the park where an Iron Age community once lived and worked iron. Displays and a short walk explain how its people lived.
Olifants Camp
Rest camp perched on a high ridge above the Olifants River. Lookouts allow visitors to watch elephants, hippos and other animals on the riverbanks below.
Timbavati Game Reserve
Private reserve next to Kruger with no fence between them, so animals move freely. Guided game drives look for lions, leopards, elephants and other wildlife.
Satara Camp
Rest camp in the southern-central plains of Kruger, an area known for good lion sightings. Roads nearby are favoured by visitors on self-drive safaris.
Kruger National Park
South Africa's largest game reserve, covering a vast stretch of savanna and bushveld along the Mozambique border. It is known for the Big Five and for self-drive safaris between rest camps.
Blyde River Canyon
One of the largest green canyons in the world, a deep gorge of red cliffs and lush vegetation in Mpumalanga. Viewpoints along the rim include the Three Rondavels rock formations and Bourke's Luck Potholes.
Airports
Hendrik Van Eck Airport PHW
It is about 35 km in a straight line from Kruger National Park.
Eastgate Airport / Air Force Base Hoedspruit HDS
It is about 59 km in a straight line from Kruger National Park.
Skukuza Airport SZK
It is about 106 km in a straight line from Kruger National Park.
Scams and safe taxis
Taxi and scam advice for this country is on the South Africa page
Weather by month
Each month shows its average temperature in °C and its mm of rain per month.
- Jan26.9 °C108 mm
- Feb26.8 °C80 mm
- Mar25.8 °C69 mm
- Apr23.4 °C39 mm
- May21.0 °C8 mm
- Jun18.6 °C5 mm
- Jul18.2 °C6 mm
- Aug20.5 °C6 mm
- Sep23.2 °C13 mm
- Oct25.1 °C36 mm
- Nov26.3 °C71 mm
- Dec27.0 °C103 mm
Driest months: Jun, Jul, Aug. Wettest months: Jan, Feb, Dec.
Costs
Prices here are about 42% of US prices (World Bank, 2025). This compares a country's overall prices, not the cost of a trip.
Festivals and events
nature
Dry-season safari (Kruger)
These are the best months for seeing animals.
Who can help
Emergency
112 from a mobile phone. Police 10111. Ambulance 10177.
local government
South African Police Service (Crime Stop line)
Helps with: Anonymous crime tip-off line. For a police emergency dial 10111, or 112 from a mobile.
Who qualifies: Anyone in South Africa, including visitors, who needs to report a crime.
Phone: 08600 10111
local government
National Department of Tourism call centre
Helps with: South Africa's national tourism department. The government help-line directory lists its tourism call centre for visitor and tourism enquiries.
Who qualifies: Anyone travelling in South Africa or planning a trip there.
Phone: 0860 868 747
ngo
South African Red Cross Society
Helps with: South Africa's national Red Cross society. It lists a free, confidential service to reconnect people with missing relatives, plus disaster response and first aid training.
Who qualifies: People in South Africa who need its family-tracing, disaster relief or first aid training services.
Phone: +27 10 022 4197
Email: redcross@redcross.org.za
Address: 5 Ryder Road, Randburg, Johannesburg
un agency
International Organization for Migration (IOM) South Africa
Helps with: The UN migration agency, present in South Africa since 1995. It works on migration management, crisis response and partnerships; its office is in Pretoria.
Who qualifies: Migrants and governments working on migration. It is not a help service for ordinary tourists.
Phone: +27 12 342 2789
Email: IOMPretoria2@iom.int
Address: Building 4 Walker Creek Office Park, 25 Nicolson Street, Bailey's Muckleneuk, Pretoria 0181
embassy
Foreign embassies and consulates in South Africa (official list)
Helps with: For a lost passport or serious trouble, contact your own country's embassy or high commission. The foreign ministry's page lists each mission, with addresses, phones and emails.
Who qualifies: Citizens of each country, through their own embassy, high commission or consulate.
local government
National Disaster Management Centre
Helps with: South Africa's national disaster management centre, based in Centurion. Its contact page gives a main office number and email, and links to a disaster contact list.
Who qualifies: Anyone needing to contact the national disaster management authority. No public hotline is shown on its page.
Phone: 012 065 0969
Email: enquiries@ndmc.gov.za
Address: Riverside Office Park Letaba Building, 2nd Floor, 1303 Heuwel Avenue, Centurion, 0157
local government
Emergency number 112 from mobile phones
Helps with: Reaches emergency services for all emergencies when called from a mobile phone. UK government travel advice lists this number.
Who qualifies: Anyone in the country, including visitors.
Phone: 112
local government
Police emergency number 10111
Helps with: Reaches the police. UK government travel advice lists this number.
Who qualifies: Anyone in the country, including visitors.
Phone: 10111
local government
Ambulance and fire emergency number 10177
Helps with: Reaches the ambulance and fire services. UK government travel advice lists this number.
Who qualifies: Anyone in the country, including visitors.
Phone: 10177