Going on a safari in Africa has always been a childhood dream for us. We always imagine it's something impossible, the kind of prohibitively expensive experience you save your whole life for.
But it is not! And that is the main point of this report. After we took a trip to South Africa, many people asked us how much the safari cost, and I was happy to report that the cost is very affordable for an incredible savannah experience.
I hope our experience inspires you to go and makes your safari planning a little easier. Here's how to plan a budget Kruger National Park safari.
South Africa was one of the pleasant surprises we had with safaris in Africa.
The first tourists visited Kruger in 1927, and today the park is probably South Africa's best-known and best-established safari destination. At 19,485 square kilometres, it is one of the largest game reserves in Africa and spans two South African provinces , Mpumalanga and Limpopo. Kruger shares borders with Mozambique and Zimbabwe.
Get there via road or flight - it's a four- to six-hour drive from the South African capital Johannesburg, depending on which of the park's gates you enter. If you book a company safari in Johannesburg, they will arrange ground transportation to and from your accommodation, but this is a bit expensive.
There are two options: Book a tour package or rent a car and head to Kruger. If it's your first time on safari, in this case we can arrange the situations. We rented a car, drove 4h30 on excellent roads to the Crocodille border, and stayed in a great lodge called Elephant walk Retreat, where you can see the Kurger elephants from your cabin window.
Are you planning to travel? Organize your trip with us and see our discounts and tips
Never forget to protect yourself with Travel Insurance! In addition to being mandatory to enter several countries , it is essential to hire it if you have a trip scheduled to every corner of the planet and it also helps you when luggage is lost or any other unforeseen event. Take advantage of the Seguros Promo comparator , which searches among the best insurance companies to save you time and money. On the contrary, blog readers receive a discount by opening the link and clicking apply discount. Payment can be made in up to 12 installments by card , or with + 5% off by bank slip or pix!
Book your hotel now through our ElQuarto affiliate link . or
Book your hotel now through our Booking.com affiliate link. Some reservations may be cancelable – check the rules before making yours. You pay nothing extra and still cooperate with Diedrich!
Rent a car paying in reais and without IOF. Compare car rental prices around the world with Rentcars and choose the best option for you. Rent Cars => Find out more
Buy packages in the best cities in the world (Check out the packages )
This trip had a special touch, we took Lídia's mother after her fight against cancer, so she could enjoy the African wonders with us, the cost of renting the car was R$110 per day and you can rent it at the links below, we spent R$50 toll to go and return, the daily rate at the lodge was R$300, and did not include breakfast, but we ate it on the safari itself.
We managed a sunset drive, although it was high season, we got the nine-seater safari vehicle pretty much to ourselves, and our guide Udum (whose brain is an encyclopedia of animal and plant knowledge). It was impressive because on the road we kept seeing similar vehicles packed with tourists, and we enjoyed it a lot.
We came to see the animals, but we learned A LOT from Udum - about South African culture and politics, poaching in Mozambique, animal conservation, the ethics of game reserves, and where else to visit in Africa.
A Kruger National Park Safari doesn't have to be expensive to be amazing. Seeing animals up close, behaving as they do in their natural habitat, is totally different from seeing them in a zoo. It was one of the highlights of our time in South Africa
After our excellent time in the safari region, we returned to Johannesburg to learn a little about the sad history of racial segregation at the Apartheid Museum.
The Apartheid Museum illustrates the rise and fall of the era of segregation and oppression in South Africa, and is an absolute must. It uses a wide variety of media to provide a chilling look at the architecture and implementation of the apartheid system, as well as inspiring stories of the struggle for democracy. It is invaluable in understanding the inequalities and tensions that still exist today. Located 8 km south of the city center, next to the M1 motorway.
I hope you pack your luggage and visit the incredible South Africa.