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Kruger Budget Safari Tours
South Africa’s Kruger National Park is undoubtedly one of the continent’s finest safari destinations. Unlike many other iconic African parks, it also ranks highly on the affordability front. This is because the park authorities regard Kruger as a national asset that should be accessible not only to a high-spending international clientele, but also to budget-conscious South Africans. As a result, the park is easily and inexpensively explored on a network of all-weather roads and unpretentious rest camps. And whether you self-drive or join a group safari, this 19,485km²/7,523mi² park offers the opportunity to see a wide variety of African wildlife, including the legendary Big Five: lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino.
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Top Rated Operator
3-Day Ultimate Kruger Budget Safari
$358 pp (USD)
South Africa: Shared tour (max 9 people per vehicle)BudgetLodge
You Visit: Johannesburg (Start), Kruger NP, Johannesburg Airport (End)
MoAfrika Tours
4.9/5 – 252 Reviews
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Top Rated Operator
5-Day Tremisana/Tent Kruger Park Safari
$751 pp (USD)
South Africa: Shared tour (max 9 people per vehicle)BudgetLodge & Tented Camp
You Visit: Johannesburg (Start), Balule NR (Greater Kruger), Olifants River, Kruger NP, Blyde River Canyon (Panorama Route), Johannesburg (End)
Viva Safaris
5.0/5 – 153 Reviews
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Best Seller
3-Day Big 5 Budget Safari, Kruger National Park
$366 pp (USD)
South Africa: Shared tour (max 10 people per vehicle)BudgetLodge
You Visit: Johannesburg (Start), Kruger NP, Johannesburg (End)
Safari With Us
4.9/5 – 189 Reviews
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5-Day Traditional Kruger Park Camping Safari
$909 pp (USD)
South Africa: Shared tour (max 9 people per vehicle)BudgetCamping
You Visit: Johannesburg (Start), Kruger NP, Johannesburg (End)
The Kruger Safari Co.
4.9/5 – 44 Reviews
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4-Day Kruger Park Camping-in-the-Bush Safari
$851 pp (USD)
South Africa: Private tourBudgetCamping & Self Catering Accommodation
You Visit: Johannesburg (Start), Kruger NP, Johannesburg (End)
Khalanga Safaris
5.0/5 – 39 Reviews
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4-Day Kruger NP & Maseke Reserve Tented Safari
$795 to $875 pp (USD)
South Africa: Shared tour (max 8 people per vehicle)BudgetTented Camp
You Visit: Johannesburg (Start), O.R. Tambo Airport (Johannesburg), Kruger NP, Balule NR (Greater Kruger), Johannesburg (End)
The Mzansi Experience
4.6/5 – 32 Reviews
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3-Day Johannesburg to Kruger National Park Safari
$545 pp (USD)
South Africa: Shared tour (max 9 people per vehicle)BudgetCamping
You Visit: Johannesburg (Start), Kruger NP, Johannesburg (End)
Mbombela Experience Tours & Transfers
5.0/5 – 15 Reviews
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5-Day Off-Suite Kruger Safari from and to Johannesburg
$1,074 pp (USD)
South Africa: Shared tour (max 10 people per vehicle)BudgetCamping
You Visit: Johannesburg (Start), Kruger NP, Johannesburg (End)
Wild Kruger
4.9/5 – 52 Reviews
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3-Day Kruger Break-Away Safari
$911 pp (USD)
South Africa: Private tourBudgetChalet
You Visit: Johannesburg (Start), Southern Kruger, Johannesburg (End)
Junglers Adventure Tours
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3-Day Kruger National Park from Johanesburg
$590 pp (USD)
South Africa: Shared tour (max 20 people per vehicle)BudgetCamping
You Visit: Johannesburg (Start), Kruger NP, Johannesburg (End)
Africa Zim Travel & Tours
4.9/5 – 84 Reviews
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Best Seller
10-Day Private Kruger Camping Safari
$2,425 to $2,935 pp (USD)
South Africa: Private tourBudgetCamping
You Visit: Johannesburg (Start), Kruger NP, Johannesburg (End)
Wild Planet Safari
5.0/5 – 186 Reviews
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Top Rated Operator
4-Day Ultimate Budget Kruger Park Safari
$523 pp (USD)
South Africa: Shared tour (max 9 people per vehicle)BudgetLodge
You Visit: Johannesburg (Start), Hazyview (Town), Kruger NP, Panorama Route (Highlight), Johannesburg (End)
MoAfrika Tours
4.9/5 – 252 Reviews
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Top Rated Operator
3-Day Tremisana/Tent Kruger Park Safari
$556 pp (USD)
South Africa: Shared tour (max 9 people per vehicle)BudgetLodge & Tented Camp
You Visit: Johannesburg (Start), Hoedspruit (Town), Kruger NP, Blyde River Canyon (Panorama Route), Johannesburg (End)
Viva Safaris
5.0/5 – 153 Reviews
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3-Day Traditional Kruger Park Camping Safari
$667 pp (USD)
South Africa: Shared tour (max 9 people per vehicle)BudgetCamping
You Visit: Johannesburg (Start), Kruger NP, Johannesburg (End)
The Kruger Safari Co.
4.9/5 – 44 Reviews
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3-Day Kruger National Park Camping Safari
$718 pp (USD)
South Africa: Private tourBudgetCamping
You Visit: Johannesburg (Start), Kruger NP, O.R. Tambo Airport (Johannesburg), Johannesburg (End)
Khalanga Safaris
5.0/5 – 39 Reviews
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Top Rated Operator
3-Day Big 5 Tented Safari, Kruger National Park
$380 pp (USD)
South Africa: Shared tour (max 10 people per vehicle)BudgetLodge
You Visit: Johannesburg (Start), Kruger NP, Johannesburg (End)
Safari With Us
4.9/5 – 189 Reviews
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3-Day Off-Suite Kruger Safari from/to Joburg
$716 pp (USD)
South Africa: Shared tour (max 10 people per vehicle)BudgetCamping
You Visit: Johannesburg (Start), Kruger NP, Johannesburg (End)
Wild Kruger
4.9/5 – 52 Reviews
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3-Day Camping Safari in Kruger National Park
$482 pp (USD)
South Africa: Shared tour (max 10 people per vehicle)BudgetCamping
You Visit: Johannesburg (Start), Kruger NP, Johannesburg Airport (End)
Mbombela Experience Tours & Transfers
5.0/5 – 15 Reviews
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3-Day Kruger National Park Big Five Tented Safari
$458 to $503 pp (USD)
South Africa: Shared tour (max 8 people per vehicle)BudgetLodge
You Visit: Johannesburg (Start), Kruger NP, Johannesburg (End)
The Mzansi Experience
4.6/5 – 32 Reviews
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Top Rated Operator
6-Day Private Kruger Safari
$2,100 to $2,530 pp (USD)
South Africa: Private tourBudgetChalet & Bungalow
You Visit: Johannesburg (Start), Kruger NP, Johannesburg (End)
Wild Planet Safari
5.0/5 – 186 Reviews
6 Questions About Kruger Budget Safaris

Answered by
Philip Briggs
Philip Briggs is an Africa-specialized travel writer who grew up and lives in South Africa. He first visited Kruger as a child in the 1970s, and has explored its every accessible corner on countless subsequent visits.
6 Questions About Kruger Budget Safaris

Are there affordable budget safaris available to Kruger National Park?
“Yes, depending to some extent on your definition of ‘affordable’. Kruger is very cheap by comparison to most other major safari destinations in Africa, and this relative affordability is reflected in the price of cheaper packages to the park. Kruger is also unusually well suited to self-drive safaris, an option that may appeal to more independently minded travelers, and that will generally cost less than the cheapest safari package.”
1What is included in a Kruger budget safari?
“The price of a Kruger budget safari will usually include accommodation or camping, some or all meals, transport, the services of a registered driver-guide, national park entrance fees, game drives, and any fees associated with non-optional activities. Rates quoted in South Africa are invariably inclusive of VAT and other taxes. The price should also include transport from/to the designated start/end point, which is usually but not always Johannesburg. Some packages include a day exploring the scenic Panorama Route on the escarpment outside the park. Most safari rates are exclusive of the following: international flights, visas, travel insurance, drinks, souvenirs and other personal purchases, optional activities (such as the night drives and guided walks offered out of some rest camps) and tips. These are general guidelines only. It is important to check the fine print of your safari itinerary, to see what’s included and excluded, before you make a booking. ”
2What type of accommodation can I expect on cheap Kruger packages?
“Most cheap Kruger packages will camp or stay in hutted accommodation at one (or more) of several affordable state-run rest camps scattered around the national park. These rest camps offer accommodation in comfortable self-catering huts and bungalows, most of which have en suite bathrooms and toilets (though cheaper units may use communal ablution blocks). Most rest camps also have well-organized campsites with communal kitchens and ablution blocks. On an organized budget safari, rates will usually include meals. If you are self-driving, most of the larger rest camps have restaurants. A popular alternative is to braai (barbecue) outside your tent or bungalow; most rest camps also have adequate supermarkets selling frozen meat and other provisions. Some budget Kruger safaris stay outside the park. There’s no shortage of campsites close to the main entrance gates, or in nearby towns such as Mbombela and Hazyview. There are also a few backpacker lodges in the vicinity. If you have the choice, it is generally nicer to stay in the park, so you can soak up the bush atmosphere at night. Rest camp gates also generally open earlier and close later than entrance gates, which makes it easier to be out and about during prime wildlife-viewing hours.”
3Which animals am I likely to see on a budget holiday to Kruger?
“You can expect to see a wide variety of African wildlife on any trip to Kruger, irrespective of the cost. Indeed, the price of a Kruger safari is less of a factor in determining how much wildlife you’ll see than its duration, the extent to which game drives are tailored to the most productive hours (early morning and late afternoon), and plain old luck. Animals you’re almost certain to see on any given game drive in southern Kruger include hippo, giraffe, zebra, crocodile, vervet monkey, chacma baboon, wildebeest, waterbuck, greater kudu and impala. Over the course of a 2- or 3-day safari, you are also very likely to encounter elephant, buffalo, white rhino, lion, spotted hyena, black-backed jackal and various mongooses. Sightings of black rhino, leopard, cheetah and African wild dog are more unusual, but the odds improve as you spend longer in the park. If a guided night drive is included in your itinerary, you might well also see nocturnal creatures such as bush baby, genet, civet and various small cats. You’ll get the most from Kruger by paying attention to smaller creatures. Kruger is a fabulous bird-watching destination, with more than 500 species recorded, and you don’t need to have a specific interest to be dazzled by the likes of African fish eagle, lilac-breasted roller and ostrich. Insects range from colorful butterflies to oddball mantises and armored dung beetles, while conspicuous reptiles include lizards, tortoises and terrapins.”
4How many days is recommended for a budget safari to Kruger?
“That depends greatly on your level of interest in seeing and photographing wildlife, but for most visitors, a 3- to 5-day trip would be about right. This is sufficient to give you a good chance of seeing most or all of the Big Five, but not so long that game drives might start to feel repetitive. Having said that, if you only have time or money to spend a half day or full day in Kruger, we would still recommend that over not visiting at all. If luck is on your side, you can see plenty of wildlife in a single game drive! At the other extreme, if you are a serious wildlife enthusiast, bird-watcher or photographer, you might well want to extend your Kruger safari to a week or even longer. This is a vast national park, and at least two weeks is required to explore it thoroughly from south to north. This is a highly recommended option for cost-conscious self-drivers whose main interest in visiting South Africa is wildlife photography or bird watching. ”
5How much does a Kruger budget safari cost?
“The price of a Kruger budget tour package is typically in the ballpark of US$150 to US$300 per person per day. This will depend to some extent on the group size, whether you camp or stay in a room, and if the latter, the quality of the accommodation. The alternative to a budget package is a self-drive safari. This might sound like a daunting option to first-time visitors to Africa, but Kruger is actually quite a straightforward self-drive destination. The internal road network is excellent and navigable in almost any saloon car, detailed map books are available cheaply locally, and accommodation at the well-equipped rest camps can easily be booked online. Several variables will be involved in costing a self-drive safari, but two people sharing should be able to work on a budget of US$100 per person per day camping or US$150 per person per day staying in the cheapest rest camp bungalows. ”
6Kruger Reviews

Lizzie is a reputed guidebook writer and author of the Footprint guides to South Africa, Namibia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe.
South Africa’s flagship park with excellent facilities and unrivalled game-viewing
South Africa’s largest park most certainly fulfils most visitors’ expectations of seeing magnificent herds of game roaming across acacia-studded savannah. After countless visits at different times of the year, I have found it can get a...

Mike is an award-winning wildlife writer, former editor of Travel Zambia magazine and author of the Bradt Guide to Southern African Wildlife.
Africa’s Best DIY Safari
South Africa’s premier wildlife reserve divides opinion. Some who’ve visited supposedly ‘wilder’ parks argue that the Kruger’s developed infrastructure, complete with paved roads and large public camps, undermines the wilderness...

The park is huge and you have a chance to see the wildlife from different perspectives. We saw the big five and many other animals. It was difficult to find a rhino and "cats", but we did it in the end. The rangers are professional and...

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.

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...

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