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An elephant crossing a tarred road in front of a car in Kruger National Park

Sample journey · 9–11 days

Kruger at the wheel, from the canyon to the bush

Dullstroom, the Panorama Route, southern Kruger & Satara

Photo: Theo Topolevsky / Unsplash

Illustrative journey ideas — not bookable packages. No prices, dates or accommodation are implied.

Most South African safari journeys head for private reserves, where a guide drives the vehicle. This one is different: you drive through Kruger National Park yourselves, in your own car, on the roads the park opens to visitors. Every bend is a small discovery: an elephant that has decided the road is his, giraffe above the acacias, hippos in the river below a bridge. Nights are in the park's rest camps, fenced and simple, with thatched cottages, shared kitchens and braai places, where the evening smells of woodsmoke and hyenas call beyond the fence.

Before the bush come the mountains. First the cool Dullstroom highlands with their trout dams, then the Panorama Route: one of Africa's largest canyons, waterfalls and viewpoints from which the lowveld spreads out like a map. The journey suits families and first-time visitors to Africa: transfers are short, everything is clearly organised, and the rhythm of the day, with early mornings, quiet afternoons by the pool and evenings by the coals, comes naturally to children too.

The route

The journey

  1. Johannesburg
  2. Dullstroom
  3. Pilgrim's Rest & Graskop
  4. The Blyde River Canyon
  5. Southern Kruger
  6. Satara
  7. Hoedspruit or Johannesburg
  1. A small cottage beside a lake among green meadows in Dullstroom

    01Days 1–2 · Dullstroom

    Cool highlands after the long flight

    After landing in Johannesburg you collect the car at the airport, and about three hours east you reach Dullstroom, one of the highest towns in South Africa. It's a good place for the first night: quiet and cool, with grassy highlands, trout dams and stone cottages with fireplaces that are worth lighting in the evening even in summer. The road is straightforward, so after a night on the plane it's a gentle start, and the next morning, rested, you feel ready for the mountain roads. To stretch your legs, walk between the dams, try fly-fishing with a local instructor or visit the bird of prey centre. For children, the first day is often remembered for something else: the first antelope by the road and dinner by the fire.

  2. The Three Rondavels, rounded rock summits above the Blyde River Canyon and its lake

    02Days 2–4 · The Panorama Route & the Blyde River Canyon

    Where the highlands fall to the lowveld

    Over Long Tom Pass you drop to Pilgrim's Rest, a gold-rush village of tin roofs and timber verandas, and on to Graskop for two nights. The canyon day starts early, as mist often closes in over the viewpoints by midday: God's Window, where the lowveld opens up a kilometre below; the Lisbon Falls; Bourke's Luck Potholes, where the Treur and Blyde rivers have scoured cylindrical holes in the rock; and finally the Three Rondavels, three rounded summits above a dammed lake, shaped like traditional huts. All are short walks from the car, so they work for young children too. The next day is free: waterfalls around Sabie, a short forest trail, or simply an afternoon to gather energy before the bush.

  3. The old railway bridge across the green Sabie River valley at Skukuza, Kruger National Park

    03Days 4–7 · Southern Kruger

    First days through the gate

    From Graskop it's about an hour and a half to the park gate, and from there the speed drops to 50 km/h or less. Three nights in the south of the park at a rest camp on the Sabie River, where wildlife is usually plentiful and the roads between the rivers wind through dense bush. The day's rhythm is set by the gates: they open at dawn and close at dusk, so the first drive goes out with the sun, when lions are still active and animals come down to drink. In the heat of midday, rest in camp, a swim and lunch in the shade, then the river roads again in the afternoon. At least once, book a drive in an open vehicle with the park's rangers, at dawn or after dark, when you can't drive yourselves. In the evening, a braai by the cottage and a sky with more stars than the children have ever seen.

  4. A lion resting in dry grass in Kruger National Park

    04Days 7–10 · Satara & central Kruger

    Open plains and lion country

    About four to five hours of slow driving north, stopping at every promising waterhole, brings you to three nights at Satara in the centre of the park. The landscape changes: the bush thins and grassy plains open out among marula and acacia trees, where zebra, wildebeest and buffalo graze and lions often follow. On the plains animals are easier to spot, which makes it a good place for patient mornings: stop, switch off the engine and wait. In the afternoon, drive to the Olifants River, where from a high lookout above the bank you can watch elephant and hippo below. On the last morning, one more drive, then out through Orpen Gate, about an hour and a half to Hoedspruit's airport, or a longer road of roughly six hours back to Johannesburg.

Experience highlights

  1. 01

    Safari at your own pace

    Your car, your stops and as long at the waterhole as you like.

  2. 02

    The Blyde River Canyon

    The Three Rondavels, God's Window and river-carved potholes, a few steps from the car.

  3. 03

    Nights inside the park

    Thatched cottages, braai fires and the sounds of the night beyond the camp fence.

  4. 04

    With a ranger after dark

    A drive in an open vehicle led by the park's rangers, when the roads are closed to everyone else.

First, we listen. Then, we explore what's possible.

Make it your own

  • Slower with young children

    Add a night in Graskop or in the park and keep drives to two or three hours; some ranger-led drives have age limits, so we choose them in advance.

  • With one private-reserve stay

    The final two nights can be spent in a private reserve beside the park, where a guide drives and off-road tracking is allowed: a good ending after the self-drive days.

  • Choosing the season

    In the dry season (roughly May to September) wildlife is easier to see near water, while the rainy summer is green, hot and full of young animals and birds.

  • With Cape Town

    Flights from Hoedspruit or Johannesburg to Cape Town are short, so it's easy to add a few days by the ocean.

Practical considerations

  • The Kruger region lies in a malaria area, so it's worth speaking to a doctor or travel clinic well ahead about prevention, especially when travelling with children.
  • Park gate opening and closing times change with the season, and you must be back in camp before the gates close, so we plan each day's drives with time to spare.
  • Rest-camp cottages sell out very early in the busiest months and during school holidays, so we book them as soon as your dates are agreed.
  • In the park you may leave the car only at designated places; driving is slow and patient, and we allow more time for transfers than the map suggests.

General guidance only. Seasons, weather and wildlife are never guaranteed, and travel requirements are always worth checking before you go.

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