When it comes to outstanding safari experiences, South Africa's amazing Kruger National Park and its surrounding game reserves offer some of the best destinations to include on your Best African Safaris itinerary.

Together, the Kruger Park and the game reserves that share a common border with it, whose fences have been removed to open them up to their famous neighbour, are known as the Greater Kruger National Park. This includes the Sabi Sand, Timbavati, Klaserie, Manyeleti and Balule reserves. 

The tourism region on the border of these reserves, which stretches from the city of Nelspruit in the south of Mpumalanga to the town of Phalaborwa in Limpopo province in the north, has popularly become known as the "Greater Kruger Region". 

At the heart of this region is the little town of Hoedspruit which is the safari "capital" of South Africa and full of amazing places to visit and sights to see, as well acting as a major hub to some of the richest, most diverse big game viewing in South Africa. 

The Kruger National Park was proclaimed on 31 May 1926, but was originally set aside by the President of the Transvaal Republic, Paul Kruger, in 1889. The park was named after him as a result. 

Kruger first mooted the necessity of protecting the rich biodiversity of South Africa's "Lowveld" (which literally means "low field") - an area of between 150m and 600m above sea level with gently rolling hills, wide valleys and savannah at the foot of the Northern Drakensberg escarpment, fed by good perennial rivers flowing west to east. 

The escarpment proved as much a barrier to wildlife as it did to humans, so the concentrations of big game in the area proliferated, helped by a mild year-round climate and good annual rainfall. 

Today, the area around Hoedspruit is renowned for its game reserves and wildlife and its proliferation of safari camps and lodges within easy driving distance of Pretoria and Johannesburg. It's also the perfect base from which to explore the Kruger Park itself and the Greater Kruger region, which includes the impressive Panorama Route and the Blyde River Canyon, Bourke's Luck Potholes and wonderful Graskop Gorge.

The town of Hoedspruit is dominated by the impressive rocky massif of the northern Drakensberg escarpment and towering Mariepskop, which at 1,945m above sea level is the highest point of the Blyde River Canyon system. It acts as a stunning backdrop to this scenically beautiful area.

Indeed, the Greater Kruger Region is one of the most spectacular in terms of scenery, from the sweeping mountain passes of Magoebaskloof and towering peaks of the northern Drakensberg to the lush, fertile Letaba and Olifants River valleys. 

It's also an area of incredible geological formations as north of the Olifants River the topography changes dramatically, punctuated by soaring granite and sandstone outcrops called "koppies" in the local vernacular. 

So talk to us about arranging your Greater Kruger adventure. We have a wonderful range of fabulous places to stay and exciting things to do to include in your itinerary as well as some fantastic, Big Five game viewing.