4-Day Kruger From Johannesburg - Compare 64 Safaris

4.5/5 – 331 Kruger Reviews

Going on a 4-day Kruger National Park safari from Johannesburg is one of the best things you can do in southern Africa. Johannesburg is the region’s major international gateway, and you can easily reach Kruger and the surrounding area from the city, both by road and by air. Once you’re there, Kruger is a world-class wildlife destination, both in the national park and in the private or community reserves that surround the park. The park itself is busier but it’s a massive place and you can always escape the crowds. The reserves are more exclusive with fewer vehicles and other travelers out on the safari trails, and they share the same wildlife as the park itself (there are no fences between the two).

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5 Questions About 4-Day Kruger Safaris From Johannesburg

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Answered by

Anthony Ham

Anthony has written numerous Lonely Planet guidebooks, including ‘South Africa’, ‘Lesotho & eSwatini’ and ‘Southern Africa’. He has written about the region for magazines and newspapers worldwide. He is also the author of ‘The Last Lions of Africa’.

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Is 4 days enough time for a Kruger National Park safari from Johannesburg?

“Four days is certainly enough to get a taste of what Kruger has to offer, and you can have a wonderful safari in that time. A 4-day safari means that you will travel to Kruger from Johannesburg on day 1 and return to the city on day 4. You would, therefore, have 2 full days, plus around 2 half days, to explore the park. With this amount of time, you would do well to focus on one area of the national park (or one of the private reserves) and get to know it well, rather than trying to cover too much ground. At the same time, remember that Kruger is a huge park. The longer you have, the more of it you can explore, and the higher the chances of spotting the animals you’d like to see. For each extra 2 days you have, you could explore a different area of the park, or you could combine the park with one or more of the reserves.”

How do I get to Kruger from Johannesburg?

“You can reach Kruger from Johannesburg by road or by air. On a 4-day safari, traveling by air can be a good idea, as it will maximize the length of time you’re actually in and around Kruger, rather than traveling to get there. Flying may not be a particularly cheap or affordable way to travel; actually, it’s really expensive. But you might be able to get a commercial flight (which will be cheaper than a charter flight) into Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport, which is close to the southwestern corner of the park. If you have an unlimited budget, you could also fly from Johannesburg into an airstrip belonging to one of the lodges or tented camps in the Kruger area. Driving is the other possibility, and it’s definitely the way to go if you’re on a tight budget. Kruger is 375km/235mi by road from Johannesburg’s O.R. Tambo International Airport, which should take 4 to 6 hours. If you leave early, you could reach Kruger by lunchtime on day 1.”

What animals can I see on a Kruger safari?

“When you choose Kruger for a wildlife safari, you know you’re in for an amazing trip. Better still, with 4 days on safari, you have a good chance of seeing many of the park’s iconic species. This might include the Big Five (lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo), each of which is commonly seen in Kruger. I was once lucky enough to see the Big Five on a single afternoon game drive in Timbavati Private Nature Reserve. With 4 days, you should have a really good chance. Apart from the Big Five, you could also encounter zebra, giraffe, cheetah, hippo, wildebeest, impala, greater kudu and spotted hyena, not to mention many of Kruger’s more-than-500 bird species. When thinking about what you might see and where you might go, it’s worth remembering that there are no fences between the national park and the private reserves: they’re all excellent for seeing animals.”

Should I choose a self-drive, private or group tour for a Kruger safari?

“It’s almost impossible to have a bad safari in Kruger, so which type of tour you choose will depend on your budget and the kind of experience you wish to have. A self-drive safari is my favorite way to explore Kruger, simply because of the freedom it gives you to go where you want to go. You alone decide when to stop and when to move on. The main disadvantage of a self-drive 4-day safari is that it can take 4 to 6 hours to get to Kruger on the first day, and another 4 to 6 hours driving back to Johannesburg on the last day. This means that you’ll have less time to enjoy the park. Group and private safaris are similar in terms of where you stay and how you get around. The difference is that a private safari (on which you’ll get to enjoy your own vehicle, guide and driver) is a more intimate way to get around, with the guide and the vehicle all to yourself. You also have more control over the itinerary than you will on a group safari. Then again, a private safari can be expensive, and is usually beyond the means of those hoping for a cheap or more affordable safari.”

What is the cost of a 4-day Kruger safari from Johannesburg?

“There is such a variety of packages and tours for a 4-day Kruger safari from Johannesburg that it can be hard to know what to expect. For a budget camping safari, your trip might cost around US$100 per person per day, although it could be much higher than this. For the cheapest package, you might be expected to help with cooking, cleaning up, and setting up and taking down tents. At the other end of the price scale, the cost could be US$500 per person per day, or even much higher. Variables to consider when calculating the cost of your safari range from the type of accommodation and the type of safari (private safaris are more expensive than self-drive or group safaris) you choose, to the time of year when you plan on traveling. If there are any flights in your safari, that will also push the cost significantly higher. Whenever you receive a quote from an operator, make sure that you understand what it includes. Unless you’re on a self-drive safari (for which you’ll need to factor in food and fuel supplies), quotes should include transfers, accommodation (including camping equipment where needed), guide, driver, vehicle, game drives, park entry fees, meals and some drinks.”

Kruger Reviews

4.5/5 331 Reviews

Expert

Alan Murphy –

Alan is a travel writer and author of over 20 Lonely Planet guidebooks, including the guides to Southern Africa and Zambia & Malawi.

Killing time in Kruger

5/5

The mothership of South Africa’s parks, Kruger is more organised and has more variety of accommodation than any other park. It also has a HUGE number of animals with the Big 5 and every other kind of 5 you can think of rustling around in...

Full Review

Expert

Emma Gregg –

Emma is an award-winning travel writer for Rough Guides, National Geographic Traveller, Travel Africa magazine and The Independent.

South Africa’s number one park, with good reason

4/5

If you’re a safari newbie with time to visit just one South African national park, make it Kruger. The main reason I like this blockbuster park is that it has a superbly democratic feel. It’s straightforward to get to, there’s a great...

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Tyler W. –

Reviewed: Dec 1, 2022

4/5

On the particular day that we went, we didn't see much wildlife, however on other days, some Safari members mentioned they saw a lot of animals. The landscape was fairly uniform without much variation.

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Emily Ward –

Reviewed: Mar 2, 2020

5/5

Kruger is enormous, and the size of the park and its openness to all kinds of vehicles makes for more potential animal sightings. It also makes for more potential traffic jams. Sightings rely on animals being close to the roads, but there...

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James Arnold –

Reviewed: Feb 27, 2020

4/5

Had to stay on paved, rather wide roads. other than a lion that was laying next to the road, there was no way to really get close to nature. however, there were many animals sighted and i still had a nice time

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Mrs Ella Coates –

Reviewed: Nov 8, 2019

4/5

I have previously seen a great deal more wildlife - maybe the weather affected where the animals were to be found! Also there had been a fair amount of controlled burning and so there was little feeding for much of the wildlife, and given...

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5 Questions About 4-Day Kruger Safaris From Johannesburg

Answered by

Anthony Ham

5 Questions About 4-Day Kruger Safaris From Johannesburg

Is 4 days enough time for a Kruger National Park safari from Johannesburg?

How do I get to Kruger from Johannesburg?

What animals can I see on a Kruger safari?

Should I choose a self-drive, private or group tour for a Kruger safari?

What is the cost of a 4-day Kruger safari from Johannesburg?

Kruger Reviews

Killing time in Kruger

South Africa’s number one park, with good reason