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Essential Kruger Safari

Name: Essential Kruger Safari
Brand: Exodus
Rating: 5 (3 reviews)

3 reviews

Activity

Wildlife

Overview

Maximise your wildlife encounters in South Africa’s most iconic safari destination: Kruger National Park

Ranked among the best wildlife-watching destinations on the planet, Kruger National Park hosts nearly 150 different mammals, including the famous five: lions, leopards, elephants, rhinos, and buffalos. Any trip would be special, but this finely tuned itinerary is all about making the most of your time in the bushveld and maximising your animal sightings. Expect multiple game drives when the animals are most active, plus expert insight from your guides that you just wouldn’t get from a guidebook.

Key Information

Trip Code: WHZ
Ways to Travel: Guided Group
Countries: South Africa
Carbon Footprint: 77.9kg CO2e per person per day

What's Included

All accommodation: 1 Classic night (hotel), 5 Superior nights (Perry’s Bridge Hollow Boutique Hotel)
All breakfasts, two lunches, six dinners
Immersive itinerary with all transport and listed activities
Expert tour leader to enhance your adventure
Group arrival and departure transfers available

Don't Forget To

Request a single room if required, purchase travel insurance and arrange any visas and vaccinations.

Highlights

Enjoy multiple game drives with a team who knows all the animals’ favourite spots
Get closer to nature on a morning bush walk with two expert trackers
Spend a full day exploring the natural wonders of the scenic Panorama Route
Cruise down the Blyde River for more thrilling animal encounters
Unwind at a contemporary boutique hotel with a swimming pool

Itinerary

First Destination: Johannesburg
Next Destination: Hazyview

Accommodation:Garden Court Sandton City (or similar)
Meals included:Dinner

Accommodation:Perry’s Bridge Hollow Boutique Hotel (or similar)
Meals included:Breakfast, Dinner

Accommodation:Perry’s Bridge Hollow Boutique Hotel (or similar)
Meals included:Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch

Accommodation:Perry’s Bridge Hollow Boutique Hotel (or similar)
Meals included:Breakfast, Dinner

Accommodation:Perry’s Bridge Hollow Boutique Hotel (or similar)
Meals included:Breakfast, Dinner

Accommodation:Perry’s Bridge Hollow Boutique Hotel (or similar)
Meals included:Breakfast, Dinner

Meals included:Breakfast

First Destination: Johannesburg
Next Destination: Hazyview

Begin your adventure in Johannesburg – Jo’burg or Jozi to those in the know – a dynamic city where history, culture and creativity meet.

Around 6pm-7pm, say howzit to your tour leader and fellow travellers, when we gather as a group for the first time to get to know each other and learn more about the adventures ahead.

Your tour leader then ensures a big South African welcome by arranging dinner at the hotel restaurant.

Want to explore Johannesburg further? Secure pre-tour hotel nights through your sales representative.

Accommodation:Garden Court Sandton City (or similar)
Meals included:Dinner

Rise early for breakfast, as we leave the hotel at 8am, our course set for Hazyview, a small farming town just outside Kruger National Park – ideally placed for our safari adventures! The drive can take up to six hours, but we stop en route for lunch.

Later this afternoon, we enjoy our first game drive in Kruger, keeping an eye out for zebras, giraffes, waterbucks and even the majestic elephant. At this time, the weather cools and predators, such as lions and leopards, start to get more active.

After, we return to our hotel for dinner.

Accommodation:Perry’s Bridge Hollow Boutique Hotel (or similar)
Meals included:Breakfast, Dinner

After our first safari, you’ll be itching to get back into Kruger. Well, you won’t have to wait long! We leave the lodge about 5am-5.30am, allowing us to spot the animals when they’re more active in the early morning.

With the help of our expert guide, we should spot plenty of safari icons wandering around the South African bushveld. We enjoy breakfast and lunch in the park – the rest camps have plenty of options for you.

After lunch, we head even deeper into the park in search of more animals.

Return to the lodge around 4pm, providing a bit of time to freshen up, perhaps with a dip in the hotel pool, before dinner.

Accommodation:Perry’s Bridge Hollow Boutique Hotel (or similar)
Meals included:Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Our day is split into two. In the morning, we lace up our hiking boots for a sunrise bush walk. Accompanied by two knowledgeable, armed trackers, set off quietly to follow the game, learning about their movements and the significance of certain marks or sounds. You will also learn how to identify plants and birds.

After, we return to the lodge for lunch and a relax, before heading back into the park for an afternoon game drive. Though wildlife tends to rest in the midday heat, the advantage of an afternoon safari is guides have information about earlier sightings and where they took place, so sightings will be more frequent.

Watering holes are a popular spot during this time, as many animals look to cool down and nothing is more pleasing than watching elephants play in a river or mud pool. The later the day gets, and the closer it gets to the park’s closing time, the better the chances of sightings become, as the animals become more active as the heat dissipates.

Return to the hotel in time for dinner.

Accommodation:Perry’s Bridge Hollow Boutique Hotel (or similar)
Meals included:Breakfast, Dinner

Rise early this morning for one last chance to see the wonderful wildlife of Kruger National Park. Again, the leopards, cheetahs, wild dogs and lions are most active at this time of the day.

We safari for around three hours before our breakfast break; after, we probably head to a waterhole to watch the animals quench their thirst before taking on the heat of the day.

Finishing at midday for lunch, enjoying the rest of the day to relax, perhaps around the pool or in the garden lounge with a glass of wine to hand.

Accommodation:Perry’s Bridge Hollow Boutique Hotel (or similar)
Meals included:Breakfast, Dinner

Having immersed ourselves in the wonders of Kruger, it’s time to bid farewell to the great national park. Today is instead dedicated to exploring the Panorama Route, a famously scenic drive in the Mpumalanga province.

It starts with a tranquil boat cruise on the Blyde River, surrounded by the stunning Blyde River Canyon. Glide past towering cliffs, lush greenery, and unique rock formations, such as the Three Rondavels. We then jump in the vehicle to visit some of the other natural wonders of the Panorama Route, including the striking Bourke’s Luck Potholes and God’s Window, which provides sweeping views of lush forests, waterfalls, and the lowveld below.

We also head to Graskop Forest, where we ride the Viewing Lift, a 167ft (51m) ascent into the heart of the Afromontane forest. The glass walls provide excellent views over the Drakensberg Escarpment. At the top, you can take part in optional activities, such as a thrilling zipline experience or a cliff walkway.

Accommodation:Perry’s Bridge Hollow Boutique Hotel (or similar)
Meals included:Breakfast, Dinner

The adventure ends in Hazyview today, and we begin our return journeys home. Alternatively, if you’d like to extend your adventure, speak to your sales representative to discuss our large range of extension options.

Meals included:Breakfast

Dates & Prices

Skip the hassle: We’ll handle your trip from start to finish, with competitive flight prices, dates that suit you, 24-hour support, loyalty discounts, and peace of mind for delays or disruption.

Call us on 1 844 260 1517

Book Your Flights With Us

Window or aisle? Premium seat with extra legroom? Adding a stopover en route? We’ll sort the flights that fit your plans. With access to thousands of routes - major airlines and regional gems alike, we’ll help you fly from your preferred airport, at times that suit you. Secure your flights and trip together and enjoy peace of mind knowing everything's organized with one team here to help if plans change.

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Accommodation

Hotels in Jo’burg and Hazyview

For most of this adventure, we stay in a boutique hotel in Hazyview, just outside Kruger, providing easy access to the national park, while the first night is spent at a hotel in Jo’burg.

To help you find your ideal adventure, each trip is given a Comfort Level rating, which indicates the overall standard of accommodation. For more on our ratings, see our Comfort Level guidelines.

Hazyview: Perry’s Bridge Hollow Boutique Hotel (nights 2-6)

Essential Kruger Safari

Perry’s Bridge Hollow offers the dual benefit of easy access to Kruger and a stylish, well-equipped place to relax and gather as a group when we’re not on safari. You stay in one of just 31 deluxe rooms, which come with indoor and outdoor showers, air-conditioning, a Nespresso machine for coffee, and a private patio.

Elsewhere, there’s a swimming pool area with loungers, swinging hammocks and private gazebos, a garden lounge with cushy seating and shade, plus four restaurants, catering to a range of tastes.

Worth knowing

Tailor your trip: Extend your adventure by securing extra hotel nights before or after the main itinerary. Speak to your sales representative to book.
Private rooms: Like most tour operators, we room solo passengers together. If you’d prefer to have a private room, it’s normally possible to do this for a supplement. Speak to your sales representative to book.

Essential Information

This trip is graded Activity Level 2 (Easy & Moderate) with a Wildlife Rating of Five. Visit our Wildlife Holidays page for more on our Wildlife ratings. For more information on our trip gradings, visit the Activity Level Guidelines page. If you have any queries about the difficulty of the trip, please contact us.

Journeys: There are some long journeys on this trip – up to six hours between Johannesburg and Kruger. The game drives also take place on bumpy surfaces.

Flexibility: This itinerary is designed to be flexible, allowing us the chance to maximise animal sightings. Your tour leader, therefore, may change days around to enhance your experience.

Legal note: All group members joining this tour are asked to sign an indemnity form at the start of the trip. This indemnity form is a requirement of the South African Tourism Service Association, of which our local supplier is a member. As a client of Exodus Travels Ltd, your rights under the Package Travel Regulations (1992) are unaffected, and Exodus remains liable for the actions of our sub-contractors.

Key information

Start hotel: Garden Court Sandton City, Corner of West and, Maude St, Sandown, Sandton, 2196
Phone: +27 11 269 7000
Recommended arrival time: Before 6pm at the start hotel to catch the welcome briefing and dinner
Airport: O.R. Tambo International Airport (JNB)

Getting to the start hotel

The start hotel is approximately 45 minutes’ drive from the airport. We provide one group transfer from the airport to the hotel, which you can join at no extra cost, provided you can be at the airport before the transfer leaves. Speak to your sales representative for the transfer times or to arrange a private transfer.

Catching your return flight

There’s one group transfer to O.R. Tambo International Airport, which you can join at no extra cost. Please speak to your sales representative for the time of the transfer. If the group transfer does not suit your flight time, speak to your sales representative to arrange an alternative.

Please note: All departure flights must be booked for after 7pm in case of any delays on the transfers from Hazyview.

South Africa

Travellers from the UK, US and most (though not all) EU states normally do not need a visa to enter South Africa. Please note, visa requirements often change and it is your responsibility to obtain any required visas for this trip. Therefore, we recommend that you check with the nearest embassy or consulate of your chosen destination(s), including any countries you may be transiting or transferring through.

Some local governments provide guidance on what visas their citizens need. To help, we’ve gathered a selection of useful links below.

• Australia: www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/africa/south-africa
• Canada: www.travel.gc.ca/destinations/south-africa
• United Kingdom: www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/south-africa/entry-requirements
• USA: www.travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/SouthAfrica.html

Please note, all travellers to South Africa who require a visa need at least two consecutive blank pages in their passport (ie a left- and right-hand page) to enable an entry visa to be issued.

Additionally, any child under 18 travelling to South Africa needs to be in possession of an unabridged birth certificate with the names of both parents. If a child under 18 is only travelling with one parent, they will also have to have an affidavit, no less than three months old, from the absent parent confirming the child can travel with the other parent; a court order granting full legal guardianship of the child; or a death certificate of the deceased parent.

For meals not included, dinners cost on average 350-500 South African rand (US$20‐US$30) per person and lunches 150-250 South African rand (US$8-US$13).

We need at least two weeks’ notice to deal with special dietary requirements (eg vegetarian or allergies.) For this reason, if you did not indicate these on your booking form please advise your sales representative as soon as possible.

The water provided on this trip is safe and clean drinking water, normally from boreholes. It is not bottled water, however. If you would rather have bottled water then this will be at your expense, though we would encourage you to make use of the safe drinking water provided as this helps diminish plastic consumption.

For this adventure, we travel during the warm, dry winter (May to September). This is the best time for wildlife watching as visibility improves when the trees lose their leaves and the game congregate around the available water. The mornings are typically cool (10C/50F to 14C/57F), reaching between 26C (79F) and 29C (84F) by the afternoon.

As a certified B Corp, we’re on a mission to improve our social and environmental impact across all our adventures.

We do this through our innovative Thriving Nature, Thriving People plan.

This ‘nature positive’ approach is designed to help nature and communities thrive in harmony through practical solutions, such as reducing carbon and waste on our trips, supporting conservation projects through the Exodus Adventure Travels Foundation, and rewilding 100 square metres for every Exodus traveller.

Reviews

Add new review

lizette Lizzie

Added February 2026

An Unforgettable Kruger Adventure – The Perfect Introduction to Safari Vacations

From incredible wildlife sightings to the majestic scenery of the Panorama route, Essential Kruger delivered magic at every turn. The tour leader was outstanding, the pacing was spot on, and I felt completely immersed in all the experiences from start to finish. An unforgettable safari tour with a few dashes...

Most Inspirational Moment

So many to choose from! Seeing Blyde River Canyon & the Three Rondavels, Bourke's Luck Potholes and God's Window with a clear sky. Of course, the game drives in the Kruger seeing all the wildlife and amazing birdlife and the surprisingly amazing and authentically African style lunch inside the park

Thoughts on Group Leader

Sammy was next level amazing! He was so well-informed, attentive, caring and took so much of his personal time to be with us. His knowledge of plants and birdlife is extremely broad and he took such good care of our group.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The drives can be long so be prepared for that. Bring sun protection and drink plenty of water in the hotter months because it can get hot during the game drives. Walking does occur on this trip during the Panorama route exploration. It isn't technical but you need to be able to walk if you want to experience these sites properly. The boat cruise on Blyde River is shared with others not in the Exodus group but this is quite fun.

mandy-lee vermeulen

Added February 2026

From Lions to Landscapes: A Truly Magical Kruger Trip

Our trip to the Kruger National Park was nothing short of unforgettable. The itinerary was incredibly well planned, giving us the perfect balance between adventure and relaxation. We had more than enough time to explore the park’s beauty, and still enjoy peaceful downtime by the pool, soaking in the atmosphere...

Most Inspirational Moment

God's Window

Thoughts on Group Leader

fantastic

Advice for Potential Travellers

This is a phenomenal trip for nature lovers and photographers. Remember your insect repellent!

Zahrah Price

Added February 2026

Incredible African Safari

The Kruger National Park, known for being one of the best places on the planet to have the chance to view the Big Five. It is a must visit for first timers to South Africa. The itinerary is beautifully balanced with safari and a chance to view natural wonders along...

Most Inspirational Moment

The amount of wildlife viewings in a single drive was incredible. The food was outstanding

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader was knowledgeable about wildlife, nature conservation and the natural wonders and very pleasant. I felt he handled the group well and could answer all of our questions

Advice for Potential Travellers

Invest in a good pair of binoculars, sunscreen even when it is cloudy and apply anti insect spray. This is the trip for you if you are a photographer!

Read all reviews

Essential Kruger Safari

Activity Level