THE BUSHVELD CAMPS in Kruger offer the most exclusive experience of the park’s SAN Parks accommodation. The name makes them sound rough but they far from it. Each camp has about 20 fully equipped self-catering units but no shop or restaurant. They offer a great option for getting away from the crowds.

CONCESSIONS – A number of 20-year concessions have been awarded to outside operators who have built some top lodges in spectacular settings in the park. The best known are probably Singita Lebombo in the mountains on the Mozambiquan border and Pafuri, in conjunction with the Makuleke people of the north, who lodged a successful land claim and then teamed up with Wilderness Safaris to run a top lodge.

THE DEBATE CONTINUES as to which is the better experience – a private reserve or the Kruger itself and there is no correct answer. The private lodges offer guaranteed close-up viewing but the Kruger allows for the thrill of finding your own sightings and for a greater range of veld types and views. If anything, try to do both.

THE SELATI RAILWAY LINE used to run through the Sabi Sand and into the Kruger where it crossed the railway bridge at Skukuza. Stations were well-provided with trees to allow passengers to shin up and escape lion attacks while they waited for their trains. The line was moved in 1973 but the high-level railway bridge over the Sabi River was put to good use again in the year 2000 for evacuations when the river flooded and washed away large sections of Skukuza camp.

THE ELEPHANT MUSEUM in Letaba shows the development of the elephant from foetus to full-grown and offers a tribute to Kruger’s tuskers, past and present.

KRUGER has bred many colourful characters. A favourite amongst them is Harry Wolhuter, who killed a lion with a sheath knife after it had pulled him off his horse and dragged him 100 metres into the bush. He was saved by his dog, Bull, who drove a second lion off with his barking.

THE BEST GAME VIEWING time is winter, from May to September, when the bush is dry and the game is more easily found along rivers and near waterholes. In summer, when the grass is “as high as an elephant’s eye” finding animals can be more difficult but the birds are at their best and there is often something of a feeding frenzy following the birth of the impala young. But every day is a good day in the Kruger National Park.